Wander the canals and other Amsterdam, Netherlands Things to Do Tips

Upon arrival in Amsterdam we decided, because of limited time, to spend some of our time just walking along the various canals in the city. In Venice, Italy the canals are all haphazard, put in place where the water was, here in Amsterdam it is all in straight lines, all dictated by man. You realize one of the problems having a city built around canals when you see something on the other side of "the street" (read canal also) and you have to continue down the canal till you find a place to pass over the canal, then backtrack to the place you want to go.....

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Holland or the Netherlands, does not matter who named it or how it is spelled, it is a place of water and the inhabitants have taken to it like ducks. Even here in the big city of Amsterdam you can see many people living in houseboats along the canals, some very elaborate and some with wood siding like in a stationary home. In the third picture here you can even see that the houseboat has an address and even a mailbox...now what does the person do if he moves the boat 50 meters down the canal, does that change his address???

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As I said we had limited time in Amsterdam, but we did pass by Madam Tussand's Wax Museum and it had been recommended to us by several people, so I have added it here so you can recognize the building.

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Phone: +31-20-5230623
Address: Dam 20
Website: http://www.madametussauds.nl

This may be one of the more colorful and friendly corners of this big city. Here we found people with smiles on their faces after smelling the blooming plants on sale here. This is well worth your time to find and enjoy, even if you are NOT a flower lover, the smells and colors will attract you for sure.

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Address: Singel

If for nothing else I would visit the Neuwe Market just for this beautiful building, Der Waag (or Weighing House). This was originally part of the city walls, called St. Anthony's Gate, but was later used for a weighing house and also a guild house.

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Address: Nieuwmarkt
Website: http://www.amsterdamescape.com/NieuwmarktAmsterdam.html

Here in the Rembrandt Plein (Rembrandt Square) is a statue of Rembrandt. Why have a statue of Rembrandt, that is easy to determine...come on you all know the most famous Dutch painter. But who in the world are all these smaller statues scattered around the base of Rembrandt's statue, are they like Santa's Helpers...are they apprentices???, or maybe guards?? I read somewhere that it mimics one of his paintings,does anyone know.
The area surrounding the square is filled with small restaurants where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and just watched the world walk by. I read that this is an area favored by the gay and lesbian crowd and the square has been used for gatherings. It is a beautiful area to visit.

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Address: Rembrandt Square

Walking the streets of Amsterdam brought us this surprise, the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Temple, on a small side street, sandwiched between some modern buildings...it was impossible to get a good photo, not enough space on the street. But in typical asian architectural style with the sloped roofs and arched corners it made a bright addition to this street.

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Phone: +31.20.420 2357
Website: http://www.ibps.nl
Other Contact: Email: info@ibps.nl

This beautiful spire with clock adorns the Zuider Kerk (South Church) built in 1603, it still stands visible between all the newer structures.
What I found on the internet:
The Zuiderkerk, built between 1603 and 1611 (tower completed 1614) was the first Protestant church to be built in Amsterdam after the Reformation. Its architect was Hendrik de Keyzer, who is also buried here, according to a memorial with verses by Joost van den Vondel. The rectangular basilica-type triple nave church, with six sets of coffer-vaulting, originally had 16 stained-glass windows, but these were removed as early as 1658 to let more light in. The Zuiderkerk ceased to be a church in 1929 and its art treasures were then stored elsewhere. (at http://www.planetware.com/amsterdam/south-church-nl-nh-zuikrk.htm)
Sorry to say that the Zuider Kerk website does not support any language except Dutch.

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Phone: 020/553-7977
Address: Zuiderkerkhof 72
Website: http://www.zuiderkerk.amsterdam.nl

I read that the narrowest house in Holland is located in Amsterdam..well we did not find it, but we did find many other buildings that reminded me of the small cutouts that are usually used to decorate the scene from model railroads. We did find a street in busy Amsterdam that in the middle of the day was almost deserted. The second picture shows the diversity in a single row of homes. The third looks to be someones idea of "my home is my castle". The fourth is adorned with a beautiful mosaic of tiles with Christiaan Huygens, the Dutch mathematicians name on it (if you want to find out who THAT IS: http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Mathematicians/Huygens.html), but WHY he is pictured on this particular building is a mystery to me. The last picture, which may not be the smallest house in Amsterdam, for sure must be three of the most crowded, they do not even have room to stand STRAIGHT....did this give them the idea for that tower in Italy ???? ^O^

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