"Pursuit Of The Endless Dutch ..." a Amsterdam Travel Page by Krystynn

There's something about this beautiful country that seems to enthrall me time and time again.

I've visited Holland a couple of times already and yet each occasion I go there, it feels as if it were my very first visit! There's something unique about their food, their culture, their gardens... and even their brand of soccer (Dutch soccer players ROCK!) aptly named 'The Total Football'. Their ultra high-tech international airport is also worth mentioning.

Millions of Dutch people in Holland (or do you guys call it - the Netherlands?) live below sea-level on reclaimed land protected by thousands of kilometers of dunes and dikes.

Need I also mention that Holland's most talented artists included Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Vermeer? You can catch a glimpse of their masterpiece(s) in Amsterdam's huge Rijksmuseum, a powerhouse in the museum world.



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One of the most exciting activities that I'd like to recommend you to do is to hop onto a glass cruiser and sail down the chain of canals in Amsterdam. Later, head straight to the tulip fields and lose yourself there.

I can't wait for the Floriade to be held again in this country (a once-in-a-decade flower spectacle/ event).
The next Floriade event would probably be scheduled in 2012.

In short, I find Amsterdam fun and interesting... A highly Recommended place to visit.

History and Art amidst the gardens of tulips in the Land behind the Dunes and Dikes. That's this vibrant city for you!

THE AMSTERDAM FACTFILE:

Capital: Amsterdam
Area: 41 160 sq km
Population: 15.65 million (wow!)
Language: Dutch
Currency: Euro
Time: GMT + 1 hour
Telephone codes: +31
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz

Visas: European Union residents need their EU papers to enter. No visas are required for travelers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Singapore and the USA for visits of up to 90 days. Aren't we a lucky bunch? :-))

Public holidays: New Year's Day; Good Friday; Easter Monday; Queen's Day (30 April); Liberation Day (5 May); Ascension Day; Whit Sunday; Whit Monday; Christmas Day; Boxing Day.

Local dishes: Steak, chicken and fish... along with soups and stews, are staple fares in a Dutch person's diet. Specialities include gerookte paling (smoked eel... delicious!) and broodje makreel (mackerel in a roll).

Funny fact: A national campaign against swearing has started in Holland.... Railway stations have started to display signs that say: "Missed your train? Cursing doesn't help!" Is the Government beginning to sound a little like Singapore?



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Live from: Amsterdam Art Gallery Vieleers
Credit: Amsterdam Art Gallery Vieleers

"[The tourist] debauches the great monuments of antiquity, a comic figure, always inapt in his comments, incongruous in his appearance; . . .avarice and deceit attack him at every step; the shops that he patronizes are full of forgeries. . . But we need feel no scruple or twinge of uncertainty; 'we' are travelers and cosmopolitans; the tourist is the other fellow."
- Evelyn Waugh on the tourist

Interested to view some interesting postcards I bought from AMSTERDAM?
Then please surf straight to my TRAVELOGUE: Postcards from Amsterdam. These are just a selected few in my current collection of 10,000+ postcards from around the world. Enjoy! :-)

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Footnote: This travel page has been written from my very first impressions of this bustling Dutch city on my first visit in the mid-1990s. Our last trip to Amsterdam was in September 2003. Man, we certainly enjoyed ourselves! I hope you'll find my experiences useful in helping you plan for your forthcoming holiday. Thank you.

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Copyright (c) Krystynn 2004
Please do not take my personal pics without prior permission.
Thanks.