To start off my weekend in Amsterdam, I had a traditional English breakfast at the hostel I’m staying at, Hostel Van Gogh, before heading to the Rijksmuseum, which fortunately for me was only a five minute walk since I lived in Museum Square in the borough Amsterdam South. At the Rijksmuseum I got to learn and experience the beauty, magic and wonder of Amsterdam’s history through incredible collections of artwork from sculptures to paintings to stained glass and mosaics.
A highlight of the museum was seeing the strikingly colorful 1887 self portrait painting of Vincent Van Gogh in which he portrayed himself as a fashionably dressed Parisian. Another highlight of the museum was seeing the famous 1642 Dutch Golden Age painting of The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn. Its colossal size, its dramatic use of light and shadow, and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military group portrait was quite extraordinary to witness in person.
After spending almost three hours at the Rijksmuseum, I took a 75 minute open boat canal tour where I got the chance to get an up-close look at the landmarks and monuments of the historic city from the water and enjoy commentary from Harry, our tour guide, about the sights along the way.
Below are 8 fun facts I learned from Harry as we cruised the Amsterdam canals:
- As we set out from the Intercontinental Amstel Amsterdam, which is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam and located on the Amstel River, the Harry explained that Amsterdam was originally founded in the 12th century as a fishing village. The village derived its name from the Amstel River and the dam that was built in 1220 to avoid the floods from the ZuiderZee (South Sea) entering the inlands. Over time Amstellodamus evolved into Amsterdam.
- There are 165 Amsterdam canals that combine for a length of over 100 kilometers (about 60 miles). The Canal Ring became part of the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2010.
- The Zuiderkerk, or South Church, was the first church built in the city for Protestant services and was built between 1603 and 1611. French impressionist Claude Monet painted the church 13 times during his visit to the Netherlands and harry stopped for us to admire the exact angle as the Monet painting with the Groenburgwal canal leading up to it.
- There is a row of tilted houses that are called Dancing Houses. The houses were built for the wealthy bankers and merchants and did double-duty as both houses and work spaces. The soil was so swampy that they had to be built on stilts and that caused them to wobble and sink into the river, so now they are each a little off kilter.
- Amsterdam has a total of 1,281 bridges, which is more than three times as many as Venice, Italy.
- Of the 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam, the Magere Brug (also known as the Skinny Bridge) is the most famous. Approximately every 20 minutes, the Dutch draw bridge opens to let boats pass through.
- 2,500 houseboats line Amsterdam canals and many have been afloat for more than a century. There are different types of houseboats and the concrete kind are the most desirable as they don’t need to be taken to the shipyard for repairs. Amsterdam has laws about the houseboats and the wooden ones need to be repainted every three years. Most are residential, but visitors can find houseboat hotels, rentals and even a Houseboat Museum.
- Like Maastricht, Amsterdam was once surrounded by defensive walls. Built in the Middle Ages, the walls of Amsterdam were meant to defend the city against an attack. The walls were torn down in the 19th century, but remains can be seen when cruising the canals.
Once the canal cruise ended, I grabbed dinner on my way back to my hostel. Upon nearing my hostel, however, I noticed that an event was going on that was attracting a large crowd. I went to check it out and noticed that Amsterdam was hosting the 2019 Urban Sports Week and men from around the world – America, Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Australia – were competing in a BMX Biking competition (How cool is that?!).
On my second day in Amsterdam, I went to the most famous breakfast spot in Amsterdam, The Happy Big Pancake Shop, where I got a traditional Dutch pancake with strawberry, maple syrup, and whipped cream (YUM!).
After eating my delicious Dutch pancakes, I went to the Amsterdam Museum were thousands of works of art and objects together told the story and history of Amsterdam from the early Middle Ages through the Golden Age to the Amsterdam of today.
A highlight of the tour was learning that since 1975 the Amsterdam Museum has been located in a spectacular building on the Kalverstraat, where in the Middle Ages Saint Lucien’s Monastery was situated and in 1578 the City Orphanage (Burgerweeshuis) was established. The orphanage was home to thousands of children between 1580 and 1960, many of whom had lost their parents to the plague. In memory of the time of the orphanage, the Regents’ Room (Regentenkamer) and orphans’ cupboards in the inner courtyard have been left intact and The Small Orphanage (Het Kleine Weeshuis), a family presentation where you can find out all about the world of Amsterdam’s orphans, was established.
After spending about two and a half hours at the Amsterdam Museum, I made my way to A’DAM Lookout in Amsterdam North. Upon arriving I got my picture taken against a green screen backdrop that depicted me both sitting and pretending to fall off of a metal bar over the edge of Amsterdam and got to experience a light show on my way up to the 20-story rooftop. Once I got to the rooftop, I got to go on the over-the-edge swing and view the entire city from an indescribably breathtaking and exhilarating view. After my one minute swing ride I spent about an hour and a half exploring the amazing 360° view while enjoying some fresh strawberry and Oreo rolled ice cream.
I ended the day with dinner at Café Luxembourg were I treated myself to some pesto ravioli with fresh basil and tomato.
On my third and final day in Amsterdam I simply went to Van Wonderen Stroopwafel near the Amsterdam Flower Festival were I got a large chocolate dipped Stroopwafel with M&M’s before heading to the train station to head back to Maastricht.
Sarah's European Voyage 