Netherlands History

Amsterdam... land of water and land, history and culture, coupled with modern 'liberties' and lifestyles. Our holiday here was a mixture of highs and lows, some things we absolutely loved, and other things made us feel very uncomfortable. I guess this can be said of most cities in the world, as there is good and bad everywhere, but for us, we had never encountered this type of element before.

We neither loved nor hated it. But we are glad we went.

What appealed to us was the lapping of the waters as our canal boat gently steered down the canal, watching the towering, skinny buildings on either side of us. Watching the young lady sunbathing on the roof of her river-boat; the young man beating his dust-filled carpet with a rod; the young girl curled up on the windowsill overlooking the canal, engrossed in the novel she was reading.

It offers, to the viewer and visitor, an intimate glimpse into the life of Amsterdam and is very special.

A typical Dutch city with much to offer. History: critical battles during WW2. Culturaly: fashion capital of the Netherlands with Academy of Arts. Shopping: a nice centered shopping area (traffic free!) with lots of small boutiques as well as all the big brands. And most important: lots and lots of restaurants, cafe's, bars and disco's, all centered around the square 'De Korenmarkt'.

StayOkay are indeed great hostels to stay at: clean, good service, safe. There's one at the Vondel Park, the other is more downtown. If you're at the Vondelpark, shun the park itself at night, but walk a bit further towards the canalside square with a great Irish pub and a Hard Rock Café. For the history-greedy, make sure to visit the Anne Frank House. An unforgettable experience indeed.

My home town! Best to visit churches and not too bad if you like book shopping. Avoid the Hoog Catharijne shopping center as if it were mortal sin. When checking out the churches, don't forget st. Catharine's cathedral, which is a nicely restored gothic church from the 15th century. If you feel like a stroll, check out the windows of all the antique stores along the Oudegracht.

When you're in Amsterdam, you should visit the Amsterdam ArenA. Home of AFC Ajax, one of the most succesfull soccerteams in the history of football!