Time to get stuck in to the ice! Amsterdam Ice Bar

In keeping with my last post about where I've been in Amsterdam, I wanted to write about my experience in the Ice Bar. I've previously been to an ice bar in London and it was very posh and proper whereas this one was a little different. 

We booked this before we went to Amsterdam as part of a deal with a canal tour as we wanted something to keep us occupied whilst we were in the city. Before you go you must book a time slot as there can't be too many people in the bar at once. We arrived a little early and when we 'checked in' we all received three (plastic) silver coins each. One was for a cocktail at the bar outside, and two for drinks inside the ice bar.

Me and my friend had the same cocktail, something sweet as I recall, and Mum and her friend had a Mojito each. Not personally my cup of tea! Although we arrived early, not long after we got there we were being called up to go into the bar, so we had to down our cocktails, not very sensible...

It was all very themed with a video beforehand telling you about a journey you were about to go on then we got cloaked up (the coats weren't as nice as London but oh well!) and went inside.

Everyone was given one ice glass in which you could get two drinks when you exchanged your coins of course. The only choice of drinks you had inside the ice bar was different types of vodka with orange juice. I went for normal at first and then had nuts and nougat one which was delicious. The bar was really novelty with a bear sculpted out of ice, skeletons frozen into the ice and lots of sound effects. It was a really fun experience and everyone who we went in with seemed to enjoy themselves. The only issue was the lack of tables for drinks. If you wanted to take a photo or your hands were cold, you were a bit stuck.

Overall I'd definitely recommend that if you are going to Amsterdam (and you want an alcoholic interlude) you should go to the ice bar. It's not too far from the centre, reasonably priced and easy enough to find.

Let me know if you've been!

Blue Restaurant - 360 views of Amsterdam

When searching for a nice restaurant in Amsterdam, we were coming up short. In the main shopping streets, we couldn't find much that took our fancy so we kept walking. We walked until we came to a shopping centre so assumed there would be some food inside and after days of eating chips I wanted some pasta. In the shopping centre was a restaurant but it was up on the top floor so we trudged up in the lift to see what food they did. 

When we reached the top floor the views in the restaurant, Blue, were amazing. There was floor to ceiling windows giving you a sight of all of Amsterdam. We took a seat and picked something from the menu.

I finally got my pasta! It was just a plain tomato pasta with some basil and of course Parmesan cheese. It also came with bread but I was too carbed up to even see it, another member of our group happily scoffed that. I enjoyed my pasta, it was simple but filling. To accompany it I got homemade iced tea, my favourite. It was lovely and refreshing but it had a lot of fruit bits in when I got to the bottom. 

The food was a little pricey for what I got, but I suppose with the views you get you can't complain. We had to eat quickly as we didn't have long before our bus picked us up to get back on the ferry, but if we'd have had longer I'm sure we could have settled there for a while.

The Body Shop - Seize the Summer!

During a social media browse at lunchtime, I saw that a few of my blogger friends were in town for The Body Shop event. I thought I'd pop down to see everyone and find out what was happening. The girls at The Body Shop had laid on a brilliant event providing snacks and fancy drinks. I did gatecrash the event as I was supposed to RSVP but everyone was very welcoming.

We were shown their Summer body care including the new scent - Virgin Mojito! It smells SO GOOD! The way I'd describe it is that it smells like them Solero Shots that used to be around when we were younger. It's so fresh with a big hint of lime, however when you apply it you can definitely smell the mint coming through. It's so refreshing and perfect for the Summer months. I picked up a body butter.

There was also a raffle and a lucky dip raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust in which people picked some amazing goodies. It was a wonderful event and I wished I had time to stay longer but I had to get back to work. I will definitely be stocking up on everything Virgin Mojito before it disappears!