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Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, Europe, Earth, Milkyway. |
How
Amsterdam started 800 years ago, and why
it is the way you see it today |
explore
... eight centuries of treasures |
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miss this Informative History: |
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There
are miles and miles of canals to
cruise around.
Hundreds
of narrow streets to wander. About
7,000 historic buildings to see.
About 65 Islands connected by almost
countless little bridges make our
little City.
The
list of things to see and experience
is as long and varied as every visitors
individual interests and desires.
More
than 60 museums of all types to visit.
Visit
the diamond cutters, piano restorers,
numerous antique dealers and auction
houses and watch the craftsmen practice
their trades.
Observe
the young and talented "New world" Craftsmen,
working carefully to restore a 17th
century "Old world" canal
house to it's original beauty, as they
practice generations-old skills.
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Amsterdam From
Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia.
We
are experts at helping
our guests get the
most out of their vacation
time with a personal
touch, appropriate
insights.
Amsterdam
gets its name from
the Amstel river and
the dam that went across
it at present-day Dam
Square.
The
city was officially founded
in 1275 after residents
living near the Amstel
dam were granted toll
freedom, meaning they
didn't have to pay tolls
as they navigated the
country's waterways.
Amsterdam has 90 islands,
160 canals, over 1200
bridges, and a population
of about 3/4 million.
700 years ago, almost
all of what is Amsterdam
today was under water.
The
difference between "Holland" and "The
Netherlands" is?
Noord-Holland
is the full name
of the province Amsterdam
is in. Other
provinces include
Limburg, Freasland,
and Zeeland, Gelderland,
Flevoland, Overijssel,
Utrecht, Noord-Brabant,
Drenthe, Groningen,
and Zuid-Holland,
(where New Zealand
gets its name.)
"The
Netherlands" translates
as "the lowlands"
These
provinces united as
a country to fight
Spain in 1579.
With Amsterdam at
its center, Holland was
the main province in
the newly formed country
and has remained the
informal name for the
Netherlands, which
means literally, "under
land," as in, under
water.
What
does "gezellig" mean?
Gezellig:
the single Dutch word
which describes "the
feeling or ambiance
that makes a place
warm, cozy, friendly,
and welcoming.
Our
inexperienced
research
assistant
"Bop
the
silly
Dutch
boy" says...A
Dutchman
is
known
as
a
Hollander
or
a
Nederlander.
Never
use the
words " Go
Dutch" in
front of
a Hollander.
They just
don't think
of themselves
as cheep
and don't
get the
point at
all nor
the humor
in the
subject
for that
matter...While
your new
friend
asks you
for a cigarette
and a light
for the
third time
in an hour...
 "Bop" & his
researchers
say "read
all about
it in
a book.>>>
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 Barns&Noble
Booksellers
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"A
boat ride around the canals is the first
thing you should do in Amsterdam..."
Why
is that you ask?
Because
the water-level view of those gabled canal
houses and picturesque bridges will lend meaning,
perspective, and color to everything else you
do during your stay.
Amsterdam's
17th-century Golden Age becomes a vivid reality
as you glide through the waterways that were
largely responsible for those years of prosperity.
You'll learn more about the canals and those
who have lived along their banks than you could
absorb in hours of study. More important, you'll
see the canal houses and waterways as they
were designed to be seen, from canal level.
This is also the best way to see Amsterdam's
large and busy harbor.
From
it's beginning Amsterdam has been a trading
city...
At
first, trade centered on the fish that the
original settlers along the river Amstel caught
in the rivers and the North Sea. Later,
during the 17th century, on the spices, furs,
flower bulbs, and artifacts carried back to
Europe by the ships of the Dutch East and West
India Companies. The fish were sold on the
same spot where one of the major department
stores in the city center now stands and the
early townspeople brought calves to market
on the same street you will walk along to begin
my walking tour through
Amsterdam.
The
luxury items you buy to take home today are
the same sort of goods Dutch merchants sold
to each other in the Golden Age of the 17th
century, and the junk you buy in the flea market
at Waterlooplein is much the same as it has
been for hundreds of years. Adding a modern
dimension to this tradition-laden scene are
the funky boutiques you find scattered around
Amsterdam, and adding sparkle are the diamond
cutters. Still, tradition is one thing, modern
facilities are another. Amsterdam has the full
range of shopping facilities, from small and
highly individualistic, not to say eccentric,
boutiques whose designers are often small-name,
through chains and department stores to shopping
malls.
We
in Holland really enjoy shopping and where
possible we like to take the time to seek out
the more offbeat places.
Maps
of Amsterdam 
click
on Map to visit
our map page
How
Amsterdam started 800 years ago, and why
it is the way you see it today |
explore
... eight centuries of treasures |
|
Don't
miss this Informative History: |
|
|
|
Why
is there an XXX on everything?
These
are the crosses of the Amsterdam coat of arms, and
the Amsterdammetjes (see below) represent Saint
Andrew, the patron saint of Amsterdam (and
Scotland). Andrew was condemned by the church
as a heretic and crucified, but with an especially
nasty twist. He was crucified upside down to
inflict extra pain. The inverted crosses
commemorate this. Why three crosses? Each
cross is supposed to represent and protect
Amsterdam from three disasters that the
city has endured for centuries. Floods (fought
with the windmills), the plague, and fires (especially
in the 1500's).
The
kids are taught that the three crosses represent,
goodness, kindness, and strength.
Our
research assistant
"Bop
the silly Dutch boy" says...
They're
called "Amsterdammerdicks" and
are for tourists to walk into.
"Bop" & his
researchers
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What's
with the posts along the sidewalks?
They're
called "Amsterdammetjes"
Actually
they're to help control traffic,
separating cars from pedestrians.
We feel so strongly about these
little objects of affection that
citizens recently mustered 50,000
signatures for a petition opposing
government plans to remove them
but the government will do what
it wants to here and they are
being replaced by granite curbs
...Oh well, so much for Democracy.
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The
VVV Tourist Office They should
be to one of your
first stops on a sightseeing excursion
in Amsterdam to get the
latest information on anything you might
want to know about. Or ask us.
One
way to save money is to buy the VVV's Amsterdam
Culture Pass, a booklet containing some
30 coupons for free or discounted admission
to the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum, and
Vincent van Gogh Museum, plus discounts on
other attractions, excursions, and restaurants,
including reduced rates for the Museum Boat
and the Canal Bus.
The
Culture Pass costs € 24 and can
be obtained through the VVV in Amsterdam.
You can also buy a Museumjaarkaart (Museum
Year Pass)
The
pass covers free admission to some 250 museums
throughout Holland (16 of which are in Amsterdam)
and can be bought from the VVV, as well as
from most museums.
If
museums are high on your sightseeing agenda,
it's a good investment even if Amsterdam is
your only stop in Holland.
In
mid-April, there's no admission fee at most
Amsterdam museums during National Museum
Weekend, while a few charge greatly discounted
fees.
Amsterdam's
should to be liberal, multiethnic, and adventurous,
though still satisfying the Dutch insistence
on value for each guilder or Euro we spend.
As
a trading city for over 400 years Amsterdam
has always had a true melting-pot character,
Amsterdam has absorbed culinary influences
from far and wide, and assembled them into
its own collective for all of our enjoyment.
You
can find just about any type of international
cuisine on the city's restaurant list. Amsterdam's
long history as a port and trading city and
Holland's long tradition of welcoming immigrants
from all over the world has resulted in an
endless and ever increasing selection
of our favorite restaurants.
Dutch
cooking, of course, is part of this, but you
won't be stuck with biefstuk (Dutch beefsteak)
and kip (chicken) every night unless you want
to be.
The
Dutch love to travel and experience different
cultures. When at home we want to enjoy a wide
selection of cultural flavors as well, and
in all price ranges. From
elegant 17th-century dining rooms to cozy canal-side
bistros, ...Exuberant lively taverns with equally
exuberant Turkish attendants, ...Exotic Indonesian
dining rooms attended by turbaned waiters,
to the bruine kroegjes (brown cafes) with their
smoke-stained walls and friendly table conversations.
The
numerous eateries of Amsterdam provide us with
the enviable luxury and difficult but welcome
task of choosing one or two a day from almost
countless numbers.
Restaurants
reviewed by Experience Amsterdam
Our
research assistant
"Bop
the silly Dutch boy" says...
Hollanders
like to drown fried potato's in liter's
of mayonnaise and put it in small
paper bags. This is called "een
patatje met".
One
of these bags can sustain life over
an indefinite period. Not everyone
agrees if it is the sort of life
worth living.
Some
foreigners however are reported to
have actually liked eating it.
"Bop" & his
researchers |
Amsterdam's "Grand
Cafe's" are everywhere...
Some
are tiny spots pushing back the passing
parade, just enough to find the air and
a sliver of sunshine.
But...
they all are Grand, when the weather
is.
These
are cafes in the grand tradition of
Paris, Vienna, and Rome, with lots
of style, ambiance, and balconies or
terraces--they're seen-and-be-seen
kind of places. Grand
cafes are distinguished by their
emphasis on food and drink, architecture,
production values, and style. Some
grand cafes are truly grand, be aware
that there are others that use the
name even though they may not be particularly
impressive--the definition is an elusive
one, merging into restaurants with
terraces at one end and more-or-less
ordinary cafes with seats outside at
the other.
Raw
Fish is Good for you!
There
are a few distinctively Dutch foods
whose availability is seasonal.
Among them: asparagus, beautifully
white and tender, in May; "new" herring,
fresh from the North Sea and
eaten raw, in May or early June
(great excitement surrounds the
first catch of the season, part
of which goes to the queen and
the rest to restaurateurs amid
spirited competition); and Zeeland
oysters and mussels (Zeeuwsoesters
and Zeeuwsmosselen), from September
to March.
Are
there any good parks to go to
in Amsterdam?
The "Vondelpark" is
the largest and one of the most
popular. Imagine a Euro version
of Venice Beach without the beach.
Basically turned into a hippie
commune in the late sixties and
seventies, it still retains some
of that color. Wander 'round, rent
some in-line skates at the far
end of the park and enjoy the best
people watching anywhere in the
city. Outdoor
concerts are held in the summer
at the
Vondelpark
Open Air Theater (Openluchttheater)- June through August www.openluchttheater.nl
don't
miss...
The
Netherlands Film Museum Vondel
Park 3 - Amsterdam's film
lovers cinema only screens
classic films. (In
Vondelpark - near the main
park entrance at Stadhouderskade)
The
experience of viewing a film
here is a truly pleasurable
event especially for film buffs.The
cinema's are small in capacity
but large in seating comfort. The
sound system is superior.
The
most outstanding ingredient is
the predominance of a "respectful
of others" audience. ie..
Not much talking goes on during
the film except for the emotional
utterances encouraged by the
film itself and a film buff obsession
of, watching the credits ALL
THE WAY TO THE END, is properly
respected.
The
Film museum also has a wonderful
cafe' "Vertigo" with
a sunny terrace in the afternoon,
and good food.
The
varied selection of marvelous films
that the Film Museum brings back
to our lives is appreciated.
Nightlife Visit
our entertainment section
If
variety is the spice of life... then Amsterdam
is the spice merchant...
Our
cultural and entertainment calendar is
full, but not over crowded. There's a strong
jazz scene, a variety of good music clubs,
and enjoyable English-language shows at
the little cabarets and theaters along
the canals. The brown cafes "typical
local Amsterdam pubs" have never been
better.
Amsterdam
loves to party and has some great dance
clubs. This city is the capitol of House
music. You'll also find a great mix of
Reggae, Drum 'n' bass, Garage, Trance,
Techno, Disco and Hip Hop. The Dutch are
among the best DJ's in the world. Clubs
like Escape near the Rembradtsplein have
dress codes and charge about 25 guilders
to get in, then they go all night. The
red-light district offers places like Trans
Budda & the Winston to dance the night
away. If you're looking for a drink during
the long summer nights we recommend heading
to the Leidseplein area and find one of
our favorite places ROOKIES
Bar Cannabis-Coffeeshop. The brown
cafes "typical local Amsterdam pubs" have
never been better.
More
on bars and cafe's
And
there's always the movies.
Amsterdam
is one of the few cities on the European
continent where you can see first-run blockbuster
hits from the United States with their
English-language soundtracks still intact.
For
many visitors...shopping is
often the favorite part of the experience
of Amsterdam. The city center is small
enough that shops and other attractions
are often right beside each other. Rather
than going on shopping expeditions, it
is normal for visitors as well as locals
to simply drop into the nearest shops
while you're involved in more weighty
cultural or work matters. Whatever kind
of shopping you prefer, you're sure to
be impressed with the range of shopping
possibilities Amsterdam offers. Wonder
around the small brick path streets,
and you will be astonished at the variety
of unique shops at hand. Amsterdam
is truly a paradise for shoppers
Free
Museum tickets included with selected
accommodations
Read
all about "Victory Boogie Woogie"... "get
the BooK" from
Barns&Noble
Booksellers
How
Amsterdam started 800 years ago, and why
it is the way you see it today |
explore
... eight centuries of treasures |
|
Don't
miss this Informative History: |
|
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