Amsterdam, Again

And I came back to Amsterdam. This is my third trip and Dave’s second. Our first visit was in the 1980s with a tour group; we saw the ‘common sites’, including, after dark, the red light district. Neither of us was impressed. My next trip was with Barb, and we concentrated on museums. This time I came because this is where the cruise ended and stayed since it was a place Dave had never really explored. I was tickled to get to show him some wonderful museums. We weren’t in time to see the tulips, but the weather was lovely and it was fun to be out on the canals in the little boats. Once again, for me the down side was the number of bicycles – they seem to aim right at pedestrians with silent malice. (The video is falling blossoms from the Rijksmuseum.)


Unlike many of the other cities in Europe Amsterdam isn’t very old. The

Guards - Asian Art, Rijksmuseum

land had been under reclamation since the 900s, but probably for peat rather than for homesteading or farming. It wasn’t until the 1300s that Amsterdam was founded, and based on its trade with the Hanseatic League it became a trade center. However, its focus switched from business to religion when in 1345 a supposed Eucharistic miracle made Amsterdam a mecca for the Protestants. A Stille Omgang (silent walk) to celebrate this event has been conducted by pilgrims (as many as 90,000) each year through the 21^st century – although numbers have decreased.

Amsterdam and the Netherlands were the property of Spain until the 16^th century when the Dutch rebelled because of taxes, the tenth penny, and

L to R: Meringues, Ducks with ducklings

the Inquisition. This rebellion became the Eighty Years' War, led by William the Silent. The result of the Dutch independence was relative religious freedom and the influx of people who were discriminated against in other parts of the world. The intellectual tolerance common in Amsterdam was a strong draw for the Flemish printers, making the city a center for the European free press. With intellectualism came more economic growth and the establishment of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1653, the first exchange to utilize continuous trade. This along with a world-wide trading network helped to make Amsterdam the wealthiest city in the western world. Amsterdam was also touted as the ‘Venice of the North’ and its 17th-century canals are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

By the end of the 19^th century there were new museums, a fabulous

L to R: One of the canals, Dog in a canal boat

railway station, and the expansion of the canal system to reach the Rhine and the North Sea. None of these things could stave off the devastation that World Wars I and II would bring, in spite of the fact that Amsterdam was neutral. During the First World War, people starved. During the Second World War, the city was overrun by the Nazis; 60,000 of the 100,000 Jews deported lived in Amsterdam. Anne Frank, who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was among them. The Dutch Communist Party, one of the many groups outraged by these raids, organized a protest group of 300,000 people to stand against the Nazis. As the war continued and concluded, the Dutch people starved. However, in the years to come the city would recover and begin to rebuild. The results were mixed. Riots occurred when the city center, along with the Jewish quarter, were going to be destroyed for a new road system. The outcome has been the restoration of the city center, as well as the Grachtengordel (the three concentric canals called Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht); this canal system was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

We got a lovely surprise during our visit. Amsterdam was celebrating the 350^th Anniversary of Rembrandt van Rijn, considered the greatest master

Top L to R: Rembrandt, Jewish Bride, Night Watch
sculpture, Rembrandt
Bottom L to R: Salon, Paints, Small studio

of the Dutch Golden Age. Every museum had something about or from Rembrandt. My favorite was a visit to Rembrandt’s house. We got to visit every room including the large and small studios where he did his work and where he taught students. Rembrandt would have loved cell phones with ‘selfie sticks’; he painted oodles of self-portraits, giving himself different clothing – especially hats. Through his paintings we got to meet his mother, his wife, his mistress, his son, and many of his friends. And of course, the Rijksmuseum was highlighting his art that they own.

If we’re ever back in the city, the place I want to visit is the American Hotel. It was built in 1898-1900 by W. Kromhout and H.G. Jansen in the Berlage style. But a mere 20 years later it was simply too small; the

Left T to B: American Hotel, Cafe American fountain
Right: Wall art

architect G.J. Rutgers in collaboration with K. Bakker in 1927-1928, designed and oversaw the completion of the expansion. The mixture of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture is really appealing to me. It has a café restaurant with a Jugendstil reading room; it’s been on the national building registry for some years. The other reason I am interested in this building is one of the people who stayed there. Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan, who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I evidently stayed in the hotel at one time and there is a room in the hotel that bears her name.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the canals, traveling through the city and seeing the architecture. One of our stops was a flea market with everything from antiques to junk – it was fun to see what people were selling. One of the most astonishing things about Amsterdam was breakfast. We didn’t find a place to eat that opened ‘early’. Most restaurants opened at around 10:00 AM; we did find a couple of bakeries that were open, mostly for take-away, around 8:00 AM. Places to stay and eat abound; for information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

Where we stayed:

Four carrots

4
The Park Hotel (Stadhouderskade 25, 1071 ZD Amsterdam, Netherlands, +31 20 710 7277) is a lovely place to stay if you want to be

L to R: Bedroom, Bathroom

near the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The rooms are quite comfortable, well-appointed and fairly roomy. The free internet is speedy and there did not seem to have an issue with the number of people trying to use it. One of the nicer things about the location was that it was near one of the boat Hop-on Hop-off stops.

Once again we chose a Viking Cruise. This time we sailed on the Lofn

L to R: Bedroom, Upper deck

from Basel to Amsterdam. The room was quite comfortable and service was exceptional. This longboat is well designed with a pleasing décor throughout.






What we did in Amsterdam:

Four and one-half carrots

Once again, the Rijksmuseum (Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam,

Rembrandt's House

Netherlands) was excellent and the fact that it was Rembrandts birthday made it even better.

Rembrandt’s House (Jodenbreestraat 4, 1011 NK Amsterdam, Netherlands) was a great place to visit. We got a good insight in Rembrandt’s life, his family, his friends and his students.

Three carrots

Hop-on, Hop-off (Damrak 34I, 1012 LK Amsterdam, Netherlands, +31 20 420 4000) provides both boats and buses in Amsterdam. You have to

Hop-on, Hop-off Boat

pick up your passes near the train station if you buy them online! We found that the boat service was very good with its description of the historic sites that we sailed past. On the other hand, the bus service left a lot to be desired. There were few busses on which the sound system worked and absolutely no provision for the lack of information.

What we ate:

Four carrots

L to R: Cheese plate, Raspberry dessert

The food on the Lofn was varied and, for the most part, delicious. My only disappointment was that they didn’t spoil me as some of the other Viking crews did. Generally they told me where the onions and spinach were, but didn’t offer to cook something special for me.







Croissanterie C’est Manifique (Leidsestraat 18, 1017 PA Amsterdam)

Top L to R: Logo, cappuccino
Bottom L to R: Chocolate croissant,
Apple bun

was one of the only places open for an early breakfast in Amsterdam. We had two very nice pastries and two good cappuccinos for a reasonable price. There isn’t much room to sit and eat since this is a take-away place. We had a tiny table next to the mirror where we could see the pastry cases and where we could watch the ladies preparing for breakfast and lunch.

Three and one-half carrots

Café Restaurant Orff (Jodenbreestraat 5, 1011 NG Amsterdam, Netherlands, +31 20 330 0162) is a family/worker restaurant with a

L to R: Logo, Sandwich, squid

limited menu. Dave had a club sandwich with some very good fries, and I had some squid rings. What is surprising is that cost of a Coke and the size; the cost is large and the size is small, about $3.00 for about 8 ounces of fluid. Great service and pretty good food.




De Molenwiek (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 95A, 1017 PX Amsterdam,

L to R:, Menu, Fish and chips, pancake
bites

Netherlands, +31 20 776 6671) is an eatery off of the tourist area with an interesting menu. Dave and I split some fish and chips; then we had some pancake bites! The bites were quite good, but the fish was only fair – surprising for a place on the water.

Three carrots

Sama Sebo (Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat 27, 1071 BL Amsterdam, Netherlands, +31 20 662 8146) is a popular restaurant with daily specials.

Top L to R: Menu, Bread
Bottom: Nasi greng

We decided to indulge in the nasi greng with noodles and naan bread with dipping sauce. It was okay, and probably would have been better if we’d actually had a table large enough for our plates. Service was okay, but not outstanding.














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