We were surprised, when walking through Amsterdam, to find that most of the shops are independent outlets, rather than the chains we are used to seeing. This is a town of singular, individual people with shops to suit every whim and every desire.

By peeping through a grill in the pavement, we could just see into the kitchen of this fabulous pâtisserie. No prices were shown for the creations on display.

Dutch cooks' imaginations run riot where cakes are concerned. We saw marzipan handbags, animals and shoes - as well as this enormous birthday cake.

Shoes are another passion, highly priced and often amusing. And of course, there are the ubiquitous Crocs with a shop all to themselves.

Vlieger sell every sort of paper imaginable for artists and craftspeople. Their range of desirable notebooks is irresistible. At Posthumus I found the number stamps I had been looking for. Their dignified old shop has been there since 1865.

Duikelman stocks every item for the professional kitchen that you can think of, from copper pans to machinery to an impressive range of knives. Their shop on the opposite side of the road has a wide range of cookers and tableware. They give cookery courses and sell cook books too. We spent our Christmas gift voucher from Hester and Dan on a very large, very sharp knife and a sharpener to go with it.

There are coffee shops and cafés all over town, each more inviting than the next.

And, if this is your thing, places to buy something strong to smoke.

At Sperwer, I bought three cook books with the voucher Robin gave me at Christmas. There are hundreds of volumes on every subject connected with food. On a lower lever of the store, customers are invited to take part in cookery classes.

I loved the way this secondhand book shop owner displays the latest books for sale.

Here's another glimpse of Puccini's. The nearest chocolates are flavoured with cinnamon, coffe or cognac.

Spring flowers are practically given away during April. We could have bought dozens of tulips for just a few euros. Fashion shops make the most of anemones, hyacinths and muscari.

Flowers will be worn in Amsterdam this summer, on shoes, dresses and in the hair.

At Droog, we saw the very latest in design. Their gallery revealed surprises in every room, from strange lamps to this bench with circular seats which move with you and make an alarming sound as the marbles slide about.

Dogs and clogs: every sort of outfit for your hound - and a choice of souvenir clogs to take home.

Beadazzled is a deceptively small shop which sells beads in thousands of different shades and designs, all neatly displayed in wide drawers and arranged by colour. In a shop on the edge of the the Albert Cuyp market, I saw more ribbons and braids than in any shop I've ever been into.

Voodoo and loos: a strange shop selling ethnic crafts - and an odd sort of shop whose name is a pun on 'Skip to Ma Lou'. They provide toilet facilities as well as everything for your lavatory and bathroom.

There is so much choice in Amsterdam's shops!

Now for one of my favourite subjects. Food is beautiful as well as delicious in Amsterdam.

Stalls in the Albert Cuyper market, near Hester and Dan's home, have every kind of fish and herb. The choice is remarkable. It made me want to buy armsful of dill and tarragon and to try the spices which aren't available in our part of France. Some of the vegetables were new to me, like those prickly green things.

Organic food shops are more familiar with a huge choice of nuts and seeds and delicious displays of organic cakes and pies.

At Puccini's fabulous shop, where we were told the best chocolates in town are made, we spent an age trying to choose from chocolates flavoured with rhubabrb, plum, thyme, black pepper, cranberry, lemon grass, poppy seed... Such hard work!

Hester's sister, Mirjam gave us lunch. Her quiche was just-warm and went beautifully with the delicate salad. Everything she does is chosen and presented with care and good taste. Puccini's chocolates looked their best in one of Hugh's porcelain bowls.

Spring and Easter displays were filling shop windows. We spotted a lamb among the special pastries and these chocolate high-heeled shoes. But the prices! The larger shoe costs 22.50€ (32$, £20), the smaller costs 12.50€ (18$, £11).

More chocolate, hot and reviving after our long walks, served with colossal amounts of whipped cream in the famous Café de Jaren. It was too cold to sit outside but, if we go back in better weather, I'd like to watch the world go by from the terrace.

Here we are about to eat lunch in a small bistro by the Bijvoet Bridge. My focaccia was filled with pastrami, salad and cheese; Hester and Hugh chose open wholemeal sandwiches spread with pesto and topped with mozarella and tomato. Highly recommended.

Home cooking is very hard to beat. Dan roasted a chicken with violet 'truffle' potatoes and whole garlic cloves. His tarte tatin was a great success too.

Fortunately, we walked all day, every day so our figures didn't suffer!

I love photographing people and wish I were braver about clicking when I see an interesting face approaching. There were many such opportunities in Amsterdam and I was lucky enough to capture some marvellous examples of the people crowding the streets.

Here's one of my favourites, taken as our tourist boat cruised beneath a bridge.

In every street, unusual clothes are worn with flair. This year, highly-coloured flower designs will be seen everywhere. The shops are already full of bright dresses in floaty materials.

When the weather allows, people work and play on the pavement outside their apartments.

This man is lucky enough to have a balcony facing the evening sun. Time off before serving in the Greek café downstairs.

A beautiful street bordering the Amstel river, the perfect setting for meeting friends for an apéritif after work.

This man has given up trying to talk with his lovely girlfriend as she relaxes in the sun.

At another table, a girl tries to get her boyfriend's attention - but the warmth is too much. Amsterdam is made for relaxing.

English ladies and an Asian visitor seem a little lost - but not for long. Everyone is helpful and English is spoken everywhere.

You can swing with your little friends in this street playground -

- or flop out with a drink on these special beds outside your favourite pub.

Serious conversation in the Café de Jaren decorated with original paintings.

A fascinating man wearing a beaded hat and long robe.

This was our first glimpse of Holland as Dan drove us from La Borne to Amsterdam. Windmills, bicycles, tulips and clogs are symbols of the Netherlands but, as we were to discover, there is so much more to modern life there.

Hester, Dan and Robin live in this street of beautiful old houses.

The gardens behind were a surprise, full of shrubs and trees coming into leaf and blossom. In the quiet mornings we could hear blackbirds singing.

The elegant rooms have high ceilings and tall windows.

This is Claus, a dear friend of Robin's.

We walked in the Sarfati Park and ate ice cream in the Albert Cuyp market. Although Amsterdam was colder than central France, I felt we were at the beginning of a wonderful holiday - and better weather was forecast for the week ahead.