Amsterdam
is like a magic brew. Its bewitching blend of flavours produces a spell
filled with intoxicating images and its powers of seduction are potent.
Moreover, the compelling character of Holland’s capital is largely
defined by the people who populate it. A culture imbued with a unique
spirit, Amsterdammers work hard, play hard and enjoy a particular
passion for life.
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Amsterdam’s architecture
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The Netherlands may indeed be one of the most
underrated countries in Europe and its capital one of the most
fascinating. It’s a centre of culture with a proliferation of museums
filled with masterpieces by Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Van Gogh,
and its intricate web of canals and cobblestone streets is lined with
17th century mansions, cafes and store windows filled with Delft china.
By contrast, Amsterdam’s “red light” district is an accepted part of
the city’s live-and-let-live culture. Five days spent exploring this
13th-century town that began with a dam on the Amstel River provide a
wealth of unexpected pleasures.
Day 1
The
best place to launch a visit is Dam Square, the heart of the city
around which all else revolves. Dominating this huge cobblestone plaza
ringed with stately buildings is the imposing Royal Palace and, day and
night, the Square is a busy spot with the comings and goings of
Amsterdammers, street vendors and tourists. However, many treasures lie
beyond the plaza and one of the best ways to get around is a canal boat
tour. There’s little in the capital that can’t be reached by taking one
of these popular cruises. Gliding along the waterways and cruising
under one quaint bridge after another, what unfolds is more than 7,000
fine examples of ancient architecture--tall gabled canal houses that
once belonged to rich merchants, plus museums, churches and a dungeon
builtn the foundation of a bridge.
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Canal house architecture is best seen from… the canal
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Day 2
Possessing more
than 40 museums, Amsterdam is a culture buff’s dream. The city’s
premier art repository is the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of
Holland containing an extensive collection of 17th century Dutch
Masters paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and
others. Founded in 1798, the Rijks collection includes more than 500
paintings, 30,000 sculptures, 17,000 historical objects and nearly a
million prints and drawings.
This is one of Europe’s most significant
museums that can take a full day to explore. One of the best ways to
visit Amsterdam’s other museums is aboard the Museumboat. Cruising
through the canals, it makes regular stops at the Vincent Van Gogh
Museum, the Historical Museum, Kindermuseum, Rembrandt House, the
Maritime Museum and several others.
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Boat tours are an intriguing way to see Amsterdam’s architecture
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Day 3
After a day of
museums, a pleasant diversion is an organized outing to some of the
communities and attractions that lie beyond the city’s borders.
Numerous tour companies offer various excursions to suit a host of
tastes. Holland is a small country, hence it’s possible to see a great
deal of its landscape in a single day.
Day trips abound and good
choices are a visit to the charming town of Delft and one of its famous
porcelain factories or tours of a wooden shoe factory, tulip fields,
windmills and the town of Edam, home of the famous Dutch cheese. Not to
be missed is a day trip to Scheveningen, a popular seaside beach
community on the North Sea where the Dutch go to play during summer.
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The opulence and immense scale of the artwork in the Koninklijk Palace
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Day 4
Conveniently,
there’s a water taxi stop in front of one of the most moving
attractions in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House.
More than 650,000
people a year visit this typical canal house where the 13-year-old
Jewish girl hid from the Gestapo during the Second World War. Her
ordeal provided the inspiration for the worldwide bestseller, The Diary
of Anne Frank. This is a museum unlike all others where a reverent
quiet pervades--where people are brought to tears as they move from
room to room and remember the suffering and ultimate death of a little
girl caught in the grips of an enemy gone mad.
After the Anne
Frank Museum, plan a visit to one of Amsterdam’s many diamond
factories. For more than 400 years the city has been known for its
diamond industry where many world famous stones have been cut and
buffed.
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Words fail to describe the magnificent great hall of Koninklijk Palace
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Day 5
A fifth day in Amsterdam can be spent
exploring the more than 25 markets selling everything from antiques to
books, coins, stamps, clothing, jewellery, china and flowers.
A city
guide, widely available from tour operators and tourist offices clearly
set out market locations including the site of the only floating flower
market in the world. For traditional shopping, any of the cobblestone
streets leading off Dam Square have a variety of shops selling sweets,
toys, jewellery, fashions, china and souvenirs.
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The massive Royal Palace is a dominant architectural feature in Amsterdam
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Nights on the town
When
evening descends Amsterdam takes on a different personality. Nightlife
centres around the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein districts where a
concentration of cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and theatres is
located. The city is famous for its “brown cafes,” traditional
gathering spots so named for their dark interiors. These cafes present
the true meaning of the Dutch word gezelligheid (conviviality). Brown
cafes exist throughout the city and visitors are typically given a
Dutch welcome in any of them.
For more information go online at www.holland.com
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