A Weekend in Amsterdam (January 2026)

With Storm Goretti almost preventing the majority of our cohort from leaving Guernsey, combined with snowfall in the Netherlands and the temporary closure of Schiphol Airport, this trip could easily have been derailed. However, thanks to the excellent organisation of fellow Rotarian Chris Roberts and Kirker, we experienced smooth sailing—and flying—throughout, and everything went remarkably well.

The main purpose of the visit was to see Dutch composer and conductor André Rieu performing live in Amsterdam. In addition, Chris Roberts and President Carla arranged for us to visit a fellow Rotary Club in Amsterdam. The travel group consisted of six Rotarians accompanied by four spouses.

André Rieu—what a showman. The concert was an unforgettable experience, with an encore lasting an incredible 40 minutes. The orchestra and guest artists were extremely talented, striking a perfect balance between classical music, lively entertainment, and modern pop. The enthusiastic spectacle and wonderful atmosphere made it a truly memorable evening. The concert was held at the Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, which has a capacity of 17,000 people—put into perspective, that’s around 25% of Guernsey’s population.

Several members of our group had never heard of André Rieu prior to this trip, and I can happily confirm that they are all now fans.

While in Amsterdam, we embraced the local culture with a canal cruise featuring wine tasting and cheese pairing, visits to parts of the Light Festival, and—largely due to the cold yet beautifully snowy weather—time spent indoors enjoying world-class museums. These included the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum, both equally impressive, with walls adorned by works from Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet, Bosch, and Paul Gauguin.

On our final night, we visited the Rotary Club Amsterdam International, where we received a very warm welcome from their President, Anders Rengefors. He gave us a presentation about their club and its projects, sharing some fascinating insights:

Founded in 1993 to meet the need for an English-speaking Rotary club
Home to 36 members
Representing 20 nationalities
Over the past 30 years, contributing more than €300,000 to the construction of schools and libraries, educational programmes, and international water projects
Local initiatives include monthly lunches for homeless residents
International projects span Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Zimbabwe, India, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malawi.
I personally found it interesting that the Club only meets twice per month in the evenings and they generally expect 100% attendance. 

When I gave a summary of our own projects and an introduction to Guernsey, their members were particularly surprised and impressed to learn that our club is 103 years old. Many expressed a keen interest in visiting Guernsey and attending a Rotary Club of Guernsey meeting in the future.

It was a truly enjoyable and welcoming meeting between two Rotary Clubs, celebrating our shared passion for community service and reinforcing the Rotary motto: Service Above Self.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to fellow Rotarian Chris Roberts, who went the extra mile—free of charge—to organise this trip and ensure that everyone had a wonderful experience and returned safely to Guernsey.

Mariechen Jannette (MJ) Faurie 
Rotarian