Mark Bischof is a magician, and not only with his remarkable, intricate kinetic art, but also with words and knowledge and the ability to connect with visitors. We had a wonderful, unhurried two hour or so visit we’d love to repeat sometime.

Hello,
I hope I am not too late with my feedback, but I wanted to give it a couple of days to let the experience settle.
Firstly, I wanted to thank you so much for the amazing experience it was! I have always wanted to take part in such blacksmithing courses, and this gave a very good insight of how it feels to work with metal. The venue gave a very rustic feeling, which just added to the blacksmithing atmosphere. The difficulty of the projects was not just right: Especially when considering the first knife we made, it was fun to have a multi step process (first the blade, then the point, then curl the point, etc), as it challenges me, but was still achievable in the time frame. Coming home afterwards, I was very proud to show my parents what I had achieved.

Overall, it was a great experience, with there being only one minor thing that would have helped me get even more out of the day: I know it is difficult as I was the only non-dutch speaking participant, but it may have helped if your co-worker had translated as you demonstrated how to forge the iron. I felt like I had to ask for help a lot afterwards, where I felt I was disturbing your work.

Despite these minor aspects, I still had lots of fun, and I would definitely recommend it to others that want to do it. Thank you so much!

This was a highlight of our 2 day visit to the Netherlands. We were focussing on undertaking family research in Friesland. Sjoukje was so efficient and the professional service that she delivered was of the highest standard. Sjoukje had a great understanding of the people and history of Friesland which she readily shared with us.

We were taken to off the tourist track towns and villages which we would never have found on our own!

This was a well crafted and cost effective tour and I can recommend “A Dutch Experience” to the most discerning of travellers .

Though the tour was a mere 2.5 hours, we had a great time with Charlotte, snacking on local delights and chatting about food culture. We learnt many things and she ignited my husband’s curiosity about our own Asian food heritage! Truly a unique local experience and worlds apart from large-scale commercial tours. Thank you Charlotte!

We had a very nice and interesting afternoon with Charlotte. Thanks!

My husband and I really enjoyed our food history tour with Charlotte. The food samples were delicious, of course, especially the artisanal chocolate! But the real highlight was learning about Amsterdam’s food history, ducking down alleys in the oldest part of Amsterdam with a knowledgeable and engaging guide who shared stories and pointed out hidden corners we would have never found on our own. Charlotte’s Master’s in Food History and gracious enthusiasm for Amsterdam’s unique history make this tour stand out from others that just focus on the eating. At the end of the tour, she shared a list of her favorite local food and drink establishments, a nice bonus. We highly recommend this tour – it was a highlight of our visit to Amsterdam!

It was a real treat for my wife and me to spend the afternoon walking the canal district with Paul. As new residents of Amsterdam, lovers of its history, and KLM frequent flyers (and miniature house collectors!) it was wonderful to get his “insider’s view” of the houses and the city. Well worth it.

It was a really interesting and fun experience. Having this tour with such a small amount of people is truly gezellig. I loved the chat we had with “Vincent’s mom” before the tour because we got to listen to lots of intimate stories plus ask questions about his personal life and his paintings. The tour is really interesting and Marie-Louise certainly knows a lot about this great artist.

Een ontmoeting met de moeder van Vincent van Gogh. Dat was een bijzondere ervaring. Zij vertelde levendig over de achtergrond en zoektocht van Vincent van Gogh. Ik vond het verrijkend dat we haar van alles over zijn leven vroegen. Zij wist duidelijk waar ze het over had. Ik vond het grappig om bij de ingang van het Conservatorium hotel (wat een prachtige locatie) naar de moeder van Vincent te vragen. Bij het hotel dronken we wat en hadden we een boeiend gesprek. Daarna gingen we naar het Van Gogh museum. Daar werden we meegevoerd door zijn leven tijdens de verhalende illustraties bij zijn schilderijen. Ik heb genoten van deze experience!

Thank you Charlotte for the wonderful afternoon!!! I highly recommend this tour to everyone interested in food and history. The tour combines famous Dutch food with the history of Amsterdam. Why is Amsterdam built like it is? Why are the Dutch famous for their cheese and haring? On top of the nice food-stories Charlottes explains during the tour, you will visit beautiful places you will normally walk by. She will tell you all about the historical meanings of these places. I am sure nobody will regret doing a tour with Charlotte, it is great fun!

A beautiful experience that teaches you to look different at things around you!
Thanks Sandy

Wat een bijzondere ervaring deze wandeling met Charlotte. Het smaakt naar ‘meer’ en heeft mijn nieuwsgierigheid aangewakkert om meer te weten te komen over de eetgeschiedenis van Amsterdam. Zelf ben ik een culinair typje maar er blijkt nog zoveel leuks te weten te komen over onze maaltijden en eetgewoontes van weleer. Gedurende de experience deed ik mijn ogen dicht en kon me voorstellen hoe het ooit was. Dit komt zeker door de manier waarop Charlotte ons dit heeft voorgeschoteld. Bedankt!

I had a very enjoyable afternoon with Charlotte and our group. Despite the fact that I am very familiar with Amsterdam, I saw and heard only new things! that was surprising experience! I’m impressed by Charlotte her knowledge and modest appearance. I can certainly recommend this tour!

Lovely person, beautiful experience!
Thank you Sandy.

The experience was absolutely amazing and unique, unlike most tourist attractions which are quite crowdy and noisy, here is more like a place where I can really get to know the nature and leave the world behind. Surrounded by enormous trees I felt I was in a wonderful forest. I also saw many adorable deers so close for the first time in my life. The host is extremely enthusiastic, she lead my way and explained me everything regard to the beautiful nature. This experience is definitely worth a try.

I really and truly enjoyed myself on this tour. I have spent quite a lot of time in Amsterdam but was amazed by the hidden gems Charlotte showed us on our walk. I learned a great deal about the influence of Indonesian and Surinamese food in The Netherlands. I will definitely plan to try a Surinamese Restaurant soon. The walk was the perfect length and we stopped and snacked along the way. Perfect experience for foodies or history buffs, see Amsterdam through the eyes of a local…the best way!!  Make sure to allow yourself so extra time to enjoy the last stop and savor the locally brewed beer. This tour is a great value for the price since all snacks/drinks are included.

The musical walking tour through The Hague made me look at the city with new eyes – it was truly fascinating to learn about an aspect of the history of this city that I was completely unaware of! Simon’s knowledge about the subject and the pleasure and ease with which he shared his information with us were a delight. The walk took 2 hours, but seemed to be over in no time! A special gift at the end of the tour (you’ll have to book it yourselves to see what it was…) gave the entire afternoon an extra memorable ending. In short: I much enjoyed my experience!

This is a very cool and unique way to explore Amsterdam like the locals do! I would recommend it to everyone who’s visiting Amsterdam!

I was very impressed by the experience. I loved the little cafe where we started the journey by first meeting our local tour guide Charlotte. She was so lovely and had a great way of presenting the food history of Amsterdam in a relatively short time. As someone who likes to experience cities on my own I found this tour to be a very helpfull and unique way of observing the surroundings and learning at the same time. My favourite part about the experience is that it’s kept in a small group so everyone can hear and taste everything. I do have to mention that the tour itself ended right on time but the last part, that is the beer tasting/hangout at the pub, goes past the 2,5hrs. That is just something to keep in mind in case you are on a tight schedule. For me that was not a problem at all and I really enjoyed that last bit as well. I would recommend this tour to anyone that likes to experience things differently! I went on my own and it was nice to meet new people and see Amsterdam from another perspective. I also think this could be a great idea for a gift.

The Hague is a beautiful city and Simon’s tour opened my eyes to its great musical past. It was a lovely way to explore the city and spend an afternoon. It made me want to learn about my own city’s music history. Highly enjoyable.

This was an excellent quality tour and a unique way to experience the city of Amsterdam. Charlotte was extremely knowledgable, and curated the stops on the tour so that we were able to experience a wide variety of Dutch food types, as well as see some of the interesting and beautiful hidden architectural gems in the oldest part of Amsterdam. In a city with so many tourists and an overwhelming number of places to visit, it was so refreshing to have a chance to speak with a local and see her recommendations for exploring the city. Very highly recommended.