Amsterdam's top-quality museums should intrigue teenagers.
In July our family, including two teenagers, 15 and 16, are taking a side-trip from Britain to Amsterdam for four nights. Apart from visiting the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House, our teenagers' wish-list includes visiting a cafe where marijuana cake is served. We are not sure
this is a good idea. Can you recommend alternatives that are both fun and educational?
- Phil & Soh H
Amsterdam's many high-quality museums will inspire and intrigue teenagers and parents alike. Standouts, apart from Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum, include the Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt House, Resistance Museum, Amsterdam Historical Museum, Houseboat Museum and Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum (shipping museum).
Your teens will get a tangible idea of how Amsterdam's wealthy citizens lived in times gone by at the superb period Van Loon and Willet-Holthuysen house museums.
Many of the hands-on science and technology displays at the NEMO science centre are aimed at teenagers.
If yours are not averse to cats they can pat some Dutch felines at the Poezenboot cat-refuge boat.
The city's Vondelpark is perfect for picnics, biking and skating (skate rental $9). You could also rent bikes from Mike's Bikes or take Mike's popular four-hour bike tour through the city and environs ($40 each).
A trip on the hop-on/hop-off Canal Bus or Holland International's one-hour canal cruise could also hit the spot.
Teens love quirky shops and they don't get much quirkier than Kitsch Kitchen with its wondrous array of unusual plastic gifts.
Amsterdam's famous markets are another shopping highlight. Head for Noodermarkt (antiques and bric-a-brac), Bloemenmarkt (floating flower market), Albert Cuypmarkt (food and clothes), De Looier (antiques) and Waterlooplein flea market.
And, just in case you change your mind, teens are welcome to visit Amsterdam's Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum; admission $11, which is a surprisingly informative and interesting place. Pot-smoking is allowed there.
Perhaps as a compromise you could take the family to the Heineken Experience; admission $20, housed in a brewery dating back to 1867 and featuring non-alcoholic attractions as well as beer-tasting.
Ferry to fairy tale land
My wife and I are going to Andalsnes in Norway early on June 5. Will we be able to travel by bus to Geirangerfjord from Andalsnes as a day-trip? If the bus is not operating could we do a similar day-trip from Alesund?
- Andrew Pratt
Unfortunately, you'll miss the Golden Route bus to Geiranger from Andalsnes by just a couple of days. The spectacular hairpin-bend road to the country's most beautiful fjord is open from June 15 August 31.
A good alternative would be to travel from Alesund to Hellesylt by bus, then catch a ferry to Geiranger. The trip home would mean catching a bus to Eidsdal, a ferry to Linge, then another bus to Alesund - a long, but memorable journey of 10 hours.
Details at fjord1.no. The famous Hurtigruten coastal ferry detours from Alesund to Geiranger on its northbound run between April 15 and September 15.
The ferry trip to Geiranger takes 4 1/2 hours from Alesund via Hellesylt, and costs around $73.
Alesund is a delightful town crammed with Art Nouveau treasures and crowned with fairytale turrets, spires and gargoyles.
The town was destroyed by fire in 1904 and rebuilt in Jugendstil rather than 1970s Brutalist style.
While you're in Alesund, pop into its celebrated museum of old buildings, boats and textiles, the Medieval Museum, the Atlantic Ocean Park filled with sea creatures and the Art Nouveau Centre.
The Comfort Hotel Scandinavie; double from $185, was the first hotel to be built following the fire and is a fine example of Art Nouveau.
A tedious time awaits
We are travelling to Paris with a 13 1/2-hour stopover, from midnight, in Abu Dhabi. What are the facilities like and would it be worth visiting the city?
Marcus Fowler Abu Dhabi airport is modern and reasonably comfortable, although not nearly as large, sleek and impressive as Dubai or Changi airports, if you're looking for comparisons.
It has duty-free shops and a few places selling food and drinks.
It hasan 18-hole sand golf course - of little use to you as it closes at midnight.
But many of the shops are open all night and the piano bar on the upper level is open until 4am. You could easily spend a few hours there and not get bored, but 13 1/2 hours is a long time to spend at any airport.
Some travellers have complained of a smoky atmosphere, lack of seats or quiet areas, and poorly cleaned toilets in the Abu Dhabi transit area.
You could try to find a row of seats and sleep-off the wait, although that's never very easy under fluorescent lights and with vacuum cleaners going all around you.
On the other hand, it's probably not worth paying for a hotel for the night or even heading into town, as everything of interest would be closed.
If you did decide to head into town for a comfortable and quiet sleep in a hotel, you would certainly have time to see a little bit of the city the next morning before heading back to the airport - take a stroll along the corniche, visit the old souq or take a quick 45-minute cruise.
It's a 25-minute trip into town from the airport.
The Abu Dhabi Airport Hotel (ph 9712-575 7377) is in the main terminal building and might be an attractive option if you're tired, hungry and wanting a shower. But don't expect too much and book in advance.
Before leaving, read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's advisory for the United Arab Emirates at safetravel.govt.nz.