Canals, Museums, Trolleys, Hotels, Bridges, Stations, Squares, History,, Meals, Restaurants, Sandwich Shops, Snacks.
One final nightlife area deserves consideration, because it represents a phenomenon that is fast disappearing from Europe, and that continues to exist in its classic form only in Amsterdam, Hamburg, and a few other cities: a full-fledged, rip-roaring, wide-open sailors entertamment area, which in Amsterdam comprises the dismet on and near the winding Zeedijk. Here…
Not everything in Amsterdam was built in the 17th Century! Smack in the center of the Nieuwmarkt Square is the 15th-Century Waag (a weighing house for merchandise), whose circular interior, with surprising nooks and crannies, is as delightful as its circular, turreted exterior would indicate. Since 1929, the building has housed the Amsterdam Historical Museum…
The most enthralling spot in Amsterdam? Without hesitation, I say the Begijnhof (Beguine Court), an oasis of beauty that 90% of all tourists miss because it’s located behind unmarked and closed (but unlocked) doors and walls just twenty yards away from the bustling Kalverstraat, the main shopping street of Amsterdam! Walk down the Kalverstraat until…
“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. If I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.” -From The Diary of Anne Frank Those words were written in Amsterdam…
The Tropical Museum (Tropenmuseum) is certainly one of the world’s most unusual museums, devoted entirely to life in tropical areas around the world. It reflects the intense interest the Dutch have had for years in Pacific, African and South American lands, and fittingly enough, one room in the museum is furnished with the desks, chairs…
Nearly all Amsterdammers–from children to grandparents; messengers to executives; and preppies to punks–ride bicycles. Out of about 730,000 inhabitants, nearly 600,000 own bicycles. About 40 percent of all traffic is from bikes. The city even has a bike coordinator. This proliferation and the culture it creates typify Amsterdam’s laid-back, practical response to life. Bicycles were…
This next evening activity (which can also be practiced during the day) is a major occupation in Amsterdam—and a cheap and pleasant one, too. No sidewalk cafe will ever require that you take more than a single cup of coffee, over which you’re then permitted to linger the entire evening as you watch the passing…