Amsterdam - November 2025

07:30
Holy frostbite Batman. We’re due on an 11:00 train to Amsterdam from St Pancras, and that necessitates a pre-dawn alarm clock, and a commuter timed train to London. Before you pile in and let me know that most of you do that regularly, we don’t, and thus it’s a bit of a shock to the senses - even moreso when it’s coupled with the coldest of snaps that’s hit the UK in the past couple of days. Standing on the platform at Brighton in a whipping, wintery wind is less than pleasant. I usually enjoy the cold, but this can do one.

We’re off to Amsterdam for a peaceful, chilled out and relaxing weekend - with about 25 of our friends, and to celebrate the 50th birthday of our darling friend Vicky. Her other half, Neil, suggested a surprise trip around 6 months ago, and we foolishly agreed to participate and help organise. I won’t lie - it’s been a ballache. Vic would make a fine detective. She’s had an inkling that ‘something’ is happening, and has been forensically foraging for details for the past few months. We suggested way back at the genesis of this endeavour that Neil tell her that he was taking her away for a weekend - just the two of them. This has, frankly, not been as much of a distractor as we’d thought and hoped it would be. I have my suspicions that Neil has not been the very best at lying, and that he has little in the way of poker face. I’m pretty sure she knows Vicki and I will be meeting her at St Pancras, but we’re hopeful that some/most of the other 20 odd people travelling will come as a surprise. Either way, I think everyone will be glad to have the surprise element out of the way…

We’re in town for about 3 days, and are relatively (and intentionally) light on plans. Pickles (the name by which Vicky has almost universally been known for the 25 years I’ve known her, but actually her surname is Vale) is a veggie, so we’ve got a big group lunch booked for Saturday at a vegan Mexican place that gets rave reviews. And then on to a rave that gets, well - reviews. Tonight, I suspect we’ll head out for a smoke, a few beers, and a bite to eat. Sunday I suspect will depend very largely on what time we get to bed on Sunday morning.

We love Amsterdam. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve visited since my first stay at 16 years of age. Somewhere in the 20s I think? We’ve had hedonistic club weekends, chilled out sightseeing experiences, and everything in between.
I suspect the 4.5 hour train journey will go a long way to defining what kind of a trip this will be. 15 of us are travelling in the same carriage, and it is but a short walk down to the café/bar… Hold tight for feedback.Read more