Amsterdam In Winter

What is Amsterdam famous for?

Its picturesque canals.

What else?

Its historic gabled houses from the 17th-century Golden Age.

Any other thing which attracts tourists?

It has world-class art museums, liberal culture and vibrant nightlife.

How many tourists visit Amsterdam every year?

About 23 Million!

Wow, for a city with a population of only 1.4 million, it is huge! And what about locals using bicycles?

Oh yes, forgot to mention that. It is a city where bicycles are the primary mode of transport, with locals cycling everywhere. They just secure their cycles to a pedestrian railing and then walk!

Really?

Yes.

How about some pictures?

Sure, here we go! Sharing some recent pictures taken by Ashi, Ghumakkad's daughter. Though winter is not the best time for visiting Amsterdam, yet Ashi's stunning pictures prompted me to create this story. Enjoy.

The Icons of Amsterdam

Dam Square

Central Station

Windmills

Bicycles in Amsterdam

Museums

As we said, winter is not the best time to visit Amsterdam. No sunshine, no flowers. So one has to do with the artificial flowers as in the picture below.

Street side cafe

Night Life in Amsterdam

The Past and the Present

Some things don't change-- like feeding the pigeons in a city square!

Tourists can't do without shopping for Souvenirs

We thank Ashi for her amazing photographs from Amsterdam. Keep travelling like Ghumakkad!

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected and do leave a comment. It encourages us.

  - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Akanksha Bhargava/ Secunderabad and Amsterdam/ 11th Feb 2026

#amsterdaminwinter #Damsquare #centralstation #windmills #dutchshoes #tulipbags #bicycles #artificialflowers #europe #netherlands #museums #canals #bridges #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Golden Beach Puri -- Blue Flag Certified

Blue Flag Certification? What does it mean? Where can we find a Blue Flag Certified beach? How many certified beaches does India have?

Blue Flag Certification is a prestigious eco-label, awarded by Denmark's Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It signifies beaches that meet strict criteria in areas like water quality, environmental management, safety, and environmental education, promoting sustainable coastal tourism.   Blue Flag Certification is given to beaches, marinas, boats and sustainable boating tourism operators worldwide. Ghumakkad recently visited the blue flag certified Golden Beach in Puri, on the east coast of India. 

Worldwide there are more than 5000 blue flag certified beaches with Spain leading the tally with 700+ beaches. India has 12 blue flag certified baches. See the map below.

Sharing below a short picture story of the Golden Beach in Puri. Enjoy the pictures, videos and do plan a trip to Puri. Don't miss the morning magic at the beach.

Here is a short video clip showing the pre-dawn panoramic view of the beach with the surf breaking close by.

Ghumakkad was part of the College Reunion in Puri. See another short video capturing the surf and few batchmates who were early risers at the beach.

Although approaching 75, the winter chill did not deter the 'young' batchmates from plunging into the sea. Short video clip shot by VK for you. Please pardon the camera shake.

Coming out of the sea, cold wind was biting. The teeth started to chatter while I shot the video below. Feel the chill and enjoy.

Beaches tell us to take a pause in life. Pause to reflect, pause to admire Nature. Pause to hear your inner voice.

Cleanliness

Entry to the beach is ticketed and visitors are fined for littering etc. It ensures cleanliness and upkeep of the beach.

Sustainable Coastal Ecosystem

Golden Beach at Puri meets the criteria of sustainable ecosystem. A two-km long walkway along the beach is a treat. With casuarinas to arrest the coastal winds and sand erosion, the walkway has been well conceived and maintained by a Beach Management Committee (BMC). The workers take pride in donning the BMC uniform.

The video below shows the sustaiable ecosystem including the amphitheatre. Whole beach is neat and clean. It can be done in India. Go Puri go!

Environmental Education

The beach has signages which bring out the words of advice from marine environment very imaginatively. See the pictures below.

Safety and First Aid

The beach caters for all safety aspects. There are life guards both male and female on the beach. In fact after kashi and I entered the water and were swimming afar, we heard a whistle. Someone was asking us not to swim. We ignored. This time two people blew their whistles. They were the life guards. We had entered the sea in a non-safe zone unknowingly. We later came to know that the safe zones are marked with a pair of yellow flags. Thankfully they did not fine us for the default. The beach has a proper first aid post.

The deadwood which gets washed ashore on a clean beach is left undisturbed. One such piece looked like a giant crab. See the picture below.

The Golden Beach is not very far from Jagannath temple in Puri. See the map below. We also visited Satapada for dolphin sighting in Chilka lake, which will be another story.

Our earlier story of two Blue flag certified beaches, can be accessed through the links below: Although Ghumakkad has been to four other certified beaches in Lakshadweep, Vizag and Kerala, I did not have digital camera then for posting the corresponding picture stories.

Radhanagar Beach - In Andamans, where the voice of the sea speaks to your soul.

Chandrabhaga Beach  - Picture story with video clips of a Blue Flag awarded beach in India.

Visit to a beach is so rejuvenating. If alone, you can speak to your self and hear your inner voice. If in a group, the whole group gets recharged. So, go ahead and plan a vacation at a beach. If it is blue flag certified, you are assured of the cleanliness and safety.

We end with a quotation by Martin Buber who said 'Solitude is the place of purification'. See the PQ of the beach at Surya Lanka near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh below.

 Thanks for browsing and stay connected. Do leave a comment, even a word or two will encourage us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 30th Jan 2026

#BlueFlagCertification #FEEDenmark #Beaches #BlueFlag #SeaBeach #Solitude #Reunion #Odisha #GoldenBeach #Puri #BeachManagementCommittee #GhumakkadHarsh #Ghumakkadhb #environmentaleducation #BITSPilani #196873Batch #Batchmates