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 Colorful Amsterdam

A Bouquet of Fun, Culture in Short Stay

By Larry Taylor

Before  experiencing Amsterdam think of the city  as a painter’s palette–having a variety of colors ready for you to dip into.

Along with the magnificent Rembrandts, Van Goghs and Vermeers to view at famous museums, there are the vibrant rainbow shades of the floating flower market, complemented by subdued ochre tones of old city buildings–bordered  by blue canals. And everything in this gallery of a city is easy to get to and easy to see. Whether by boat, foot or public transportation, no place is more than a few minutes from the heart of the old town.

Traveling by water is the first thing that comes to mind. We found on a recent four-day visit this capital of the Netherlands, is laced with 40 concentric and radial canals, containing some thousand bridges, tying together cobblestoned streets. This makes it obvious. First thing–take a canal tour of the city.

Canals and Dikes

These canals are fed by the country’s famous dikes. For centuries the low-lying Netherlands has been faced with the type of problems wrought by the recent Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Having mastered the task of holding back water after 2,000 years of experience, the Dutch reclaimed much of their country from the North Sea. 

To accomplish this feat, the people who settled these marshy lands in the first century began successfully building dikes. In 1287, these structures failed, and their farmland was flooded. From that point, perfecting the construction of dikes became the first order of business, with windmills being built to pump the excess water from the land. Today  27 percent of the land is below sea level with 60 percent of the country living on it. In the 17th Century, government ingeniously decided  to utilize all this excess water by building canals to link the town and country.

Canal tours are readily available at docks throughout the city. You can select a personal ride on a beautifully crafted salon boat or opt to go on a group canal tour. On the way, you’ll pass rows of lovely, picturesque structures dating back to the 17th Century, Netherlands’ golden age. Mostly these were built as narrow-fronted, multi-storied merchants’ houses. (Back then taxes were charged based on a building’s width.)

They are characterized by the traditionally Dutch ornamented gables. All uniformly fit the earlier era–no glaring examples of modern architecture to break up the antique look. If owners want to build new buildings or restore old, they have to submit plans guaranteeing the look of the original will be maintained.

As you float down the canal you’ll see houseboats, as well, with colorful gardens of potted flowers spilling over  railings. Window boxes filled with blossoms brightened many a boat, while others looked like gardens themselves.

Museums and Tourist Sites

Some water craft are dubbed  “museum boats,” linking the city’s cultural centers. The Mecca for many is the Rijksmuseum. The voluminous gallery features one of the world’s most renowned collection of Dutch and European paintings–particularly celebrating Rembrandt. As you enter, the Dutch master’s epic “Night Watch” looms before you. The collection goes on for several floors and includes masterpieces by countrymen, including Van Gogh and Vermeer. Make sure you give yourself at least half a day here.

Another warning, after leaving the Rijksmuseum, don’t be tempted to walk the block  to visit the equally famous Van Gogh museum. Be rested when you take in the some 200 paintings and 500 drawings.  Also among museums to attend  is Stedlijk modern art museum with its formidable collection of Dutch and international art from 1850 onwards.

On a smaller scale, but a must-see for us, was the Rembrandt House Museum, located in the Jewish quarter, where the artist lived and worked. On display are his furnished living quarters and his workroom. On hangers along the wall are armor and period clothing in which he dressed many of his subjects. His brush and palette still sit in front of his easel.

Most interesting, though, is his original printing press on display. He used it to produce  his etchings. Using replicates of plates from 1646, a guide printed an etching, demonstrating how  his work was done over 350 years ago. We were lucky enough to purchase the printed example; others from original plates can be purchased in the museum’s gift shop.

Most boat tours pass the Anne Frank House where the young Jewish girl, her family and  friends were hidden away during the Nazi World War II occupation. As is well known, she and the others were discovered and shipped off to concentration camps to die. Hunched over, walking through their cramped attic quarters was a very moving experience. Also poignant was the display of memorabilia and excerpts from her diary.

The hub of Amsterdam is Dam Square. There is always lots of activity here–jugglers, mimes, musicians giving impromptu concerts. The magnificent  Royal Palace is on the edge of the square. Across from it is the gothic Die Nieuwe Kerk (new church), dating from 1414, where kings and queens are inaugurated. It is worth a visit to marvel at its vast interior, and to see the interesting art exhibits on display.

A few blocks away is De Oude Kerk. Built in1250, it is the city’s oldest building with the oldest timber roof in Europe. Inside, the windows are of lovely Crabeth stained glass, and the floor is paved with the tombstones of heroes and celebrities.

If you are into art deco,  you’ll definitely want to look in on the American Hotel, located near the Rijksmuseum. Built in 1902, it is listed as an historical Art Nouveau property and has kept its original decorative features. The restaurant is especially ornate–a good place to have lunch.

A short walk from the floating flower market (where everyone goes) takes you to one of the city’s loveliest, lesser-known areas, the Jordaan neighborhood. Its name comes from the French “jardin” for garden. All the streets are named after flowers. The attractions here are the lovely inner gardens, the Begijnhof and the Beguines. According to guidebooks, the most peaceful place in the busy inner city, the Begijnhof is a lovely courtyard with a small church, a chapel, gorgeous houses and lush gardens.

The Beguines were widows and unmarried women, who led austere lives dedicated to nursing and caring for the poor. In their peaceful courtyard you’ll see the oldest preserved house in Amsterdam. The temptation in the Jordaan is to sit back on a bench, ignore your itinerary, and take in the sublime beauty.

Most everyone has heard about Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District. If you’re curious,  join the throng checking out the apartment windows with ladies on display, scantily attired  in bikini underwear.

Seeing the city provides a good workout, and at the end of the day , you’re sure to have a big appetite. Amsterdam is famous for fine international cuisine; we decided , while here, to  go Dutch.  The highly recommended d’Vijff Vlieghen (translated as the Five Flies) is one of the spots that we thoroughly enjoyed. The unusual name originates with the first inhabitant of one of the five adjoining 17th century houses that make up the dining establishment–Jan Janszoon Vijff Vlighen.  There are nine small interconnected dining rooms, including a Rembrandt Room which features four of the artists’s original sketches. Each of the rooms has its own distinct style, but all feature what is called New Dutch Cuisine.  My wife enjoyed Monk fish while I had a perfectly prepared sole.

Restaurant Indrapura offers an exceptionally delicious “rijsttafel” from Indonesia, once a Dutch colony.  Here the traditional rice table that we selected included an array of meats, vegetables, and rice, all kept on our own warming table. Salads and condiments perfectly complemented the entree. Furnished in colonial style, the restaurant is centrally located at Rembrandtplein.

Biking and Out-Of-Town Tours

It’s not automobile traffic you have to watch out for on small side streets. It’s bicyclists to be wary of. Almost everyone in Amsterdam has a bicycle and, for visitors, a bike is easy to rent–and practical. The maximum distance in the inner city is 5  kilometers  (3-1/4 miles) on average. In fact, there are around 600,000 bikes for Amsterdam’s 700,000 residents. The narrow streets, bridges and canals make cars inefficient, not even taking into account parking problems.

Whether by pedal, public transportation or on an organized tour, you should get out of the city into the countryside–even if you can only spare a day of your short stay.

We took a tour to Marken and Volendam, picturesque fishing villages, less than an hour from town. It was a beautiful summer day. Highways followed the dikes, and we could see beyond these large mounds covered by green grass, to the sparkling sea. This was a  Sunday, and there was a steady stream of people riding bikes along the tops of the dikes.

In Marken it was as if we stepped back in time. Fronting the sea, there were houses on pillars, painted in traditional green. Lots of people were on the beach in this area, some wind surfing or sailing boats. A few sunbathers were in the water, mostly children, squealing as they braved the cool sea.

Volendam was filled with tourists browsing in curio shops. Some shops featured  old-time wooden shoes, herring and cheeses, as well as the more traditional take home item–tee shirts.On the way back we visited a cheese factory to see how cheese was made. We brought back a couple of blocks of Edam to give to friends when we got home.

Another worthwhile side trip is to visit The Hague and Delft. The Hague is the country’s seat of government. Among things to see are the 13th Century Parliament Buildings, Queen Beatrice’s residence and the International Court of Justice.

The big attraction for us, though, was the Mauritschuis museum with its splendid collection of Dutch painters. This gave us a chance to see  Vermeer’s famous “Girl With A Pearl Earring.” It shares prominence here with Rembrandt’s celebrated “Anatomical Lesson of Dr Tulp.”

We finished our afternoon by driving  through the bucolic countryside to Delft. We walked through the historic center of town and saw the site where Vermeer lived,  now Maria van Jesse church. As all tourists do, we toured the Royal Dutch Delftware factory viewing the centuries old process for making this entirely hand-painted blue and white glassware. On the way out, our driver stopped at the spot on the Lange Geer canal where Vermeer painted his 1660s masterpiece “View of Delft.” Of course, the scene has changed but we could still see the old church towers. The modern city remains, like the Netherlands on the whole, a work of art.

I.T.B Amsterdam was of great help to us in getting around the city and country. Its website: http://www.itbamsterdam.com By phone, call I.T.B.’s U.S. representative at Virtuoso (866)401-7974. For information on Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general, go to http://www.holland.com http://www.virtuoso.com

We stayed at SAS Radisson, a comfortable five-star hotel, centrally located in a quiet part of town. Contact: www.radisson.com or phone (888)201-1718.

Photos By Gail Taylor

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