Wednesday in Amsterdam!!

Amsterdam is a city that is famous as well as notorious. The city is famed for its varied heritage and lively nature. It is also one of the few places in the world where drugs and prostitution are legal.

Versatile, tolerant and cosmopolitan is how I would describe Amsterdam after my trip.


I remember reading 'The Diary of Anne Frank' during my junior school days. Amsterdam, the setting of the diary, came to life through the eyes of a jewish girl hiding from the German secret police in the attic of a warehouse during World War II.

I am so happy to be able to visit the city I visualized through the memoirs of Anne Frank.

Amsterdam is promoting tourism in a big way. The campaign 'I amsterdam' is directed at the huge influx of tourists to this city. The tourist office has combination passes and maps to all the attractions in Amsterdam.

We were offered 'I amsterdam' passes from the tourist office. This 24 hour pass gives you access to most of the museums, attractions and canal cruises in Amsterdam for a bargain price.

Then, it was a grand chase to savour the flavours of this vibrant city.
















Amsterdam, often referred to as 'the Venice of the North' is a city floating on canals. Concentric rings of canals run through the historic settlement of the city.

Canals offer the most efficient mode of transport around the city. The canal buses, ferries and boats stop at all the major locations including museums and shopping centres.

With a canal bus day pass, visitors can hop in and out of as per convenience.

We took a cruise on the 'Holland International' canal bus to discover this city perched on waterways.

The cruise boat slows down near the attractions offering the visitors a closer look of the main attractions. The tour guide also gives a commentary about the monuments all throughout the cruise.

The architecture of the many monuments and museums lining the canal is remarkable. On the way, you can get a splendid view of the patrician houses that are so characteristic of the the 17th century Holland.

The old, curved bridges of Amsterdam add charm to the architectural marvels of the city.

There are houseboats anchored by the banks of the canals in Amsterdam. I was amazed to find classy houseboats converted into offices, restaurants and homes. The thought of sitting in a floating office amused me but this is so true in Amsterdam.

The old houses of Amsterdam still have a hook on the top of the facade. The stairways inside the building are steep and narrow. Heavy items were lifted to the top floors of the building using a rope on this hook in the olden times.

Like the rest of the European cities, the public transport system is well-integrated. The trams criss-cross the city and run on top of the bridges across the canals. There are buses plying on the road and numerous trains coming in and out of Amsterdam. Besides, the famous canal buses and ferries offer an alternative mode of transport.

There are bicycles everywhere in Amsterdam making it a distinct feature of the city.

Museums

Most of the museums in Amsterdam are located together in a place called Museumplein. The world famous Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum attract huge crowds.

The masterpieces of artists such as Remrandt and Van Gogh are exhibited in these museums.

I was happy to take along some prints of the famous art works from the souvenier shop inside the museum.

I also visited the Biblical Museum in Amsterdam located in a canal house (house facing the canal). This museum mainly cantained artifacts, manuscripts etc all related to the Biblical times.

There was an exhibition on the three main faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam in the Biblical Museum. Models of the temple in Jerusalem, Jerusalem city and the tabernacle were on display. There was a small garden in the premises of this canal house with plants mentioned in the Bible.

Anne Frank House (picture above) is one of the most visited museums in Amsterdam. There is a long queue in front of this museum all the time.

There is also a branch of Madame Tussaud's with its collection of wax statues in Amsterdam.

Eat Out!!

Amsterdam is home to so many nationalities and cultures making it a melting pot of cuisines. The streets and canals are lined with eateries and restaurants serving cuisines such as Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Indian.

We enjoyed some delicious Vietnamese food from a restaurant overlooking a canal. I loved having the special, home made, Australian fruit ice-creams that are available in different flavours (mango, litchi, passion fruit, raspberry, strawberry) from a shop in a street alley.

There is a very famous Chinese floating restaurant (picture above) that is a copy of a similar restaurant in Hong Kong.

Drinking!!

Amsterdam is known for drinks, drugs and women.

Heineken brewery is based in Amsterdam and brews famous beer. The company museum has exhibits relating to the history of the brewery, the brewery house and also film exhibitions.

Churches

One of the oldest churches of the city has a dome in the shape of the Austrian crown.

St. Nicholas church is located right outside the Central station. The dome and interiors are highly ornate with decorated pillars and statues.

Yet Another Side of Amsterdam!!

Amsterdam is a notoriously tolerant city. Drugs and prostitution are legal in this city. Not only is it legal, there is even a Cannabis Museum dedicated to the many uses of this plant complete with a hemp garden in display.

It is hard to miss the casual attitude of the people towards sex and nudity in Amsterdam. There are streets lined with sex shops and film shows in and around Amsterdam. There is even a 'Sex Museum' in Amsterdam in the Red Light district (De Wallen) of Amsterdam.

The picture above is part of a giant hoarding mounted above a bridge on the canal. The other side of the hoarding had details of an exhibition to be held in the city (no prizes for guessing what the theme of the exhibition would be).

There is a lot to Amsterdam than that meets the eye. There is something for everyone in Amsterdam - be it the eateries, cruises, museums, science centre or even the architecture.

Visiting Amsterdam was such a rich and moving experience for me. There was so much to see in Amsterdam and so little time.

I was a little unhappy to leave behind such a colourful location but the memories of the time I spent in Amsterdam will remain with me for a lifetime.