Day 4
Melkwegbridge, Purmerend. Wow, what a bridge! Next to a large bus station with a covered bicycle park, and crossing a canal, it has two parts. A pedestrian bridge that arches straight high diagonally over the canal and a flat bicycle bridge with two 90-degree curves. It is lit with lovely LED lights.
Hotel Inntel, Zaandam: In the NM Bizzarium series, this modern hotel is 10 stories painted in varying shades of green with different roof lines and jut-outs on the facade. Part extends as an overpass over a major street.
AMSTERDAM
Kissing Couple XXXL. Very large, colourful (shades of blue) sculptures made after the famous Delfts Blauw mantle-piece figures of a historical kissing couple. The male statue is 8.8m high and weighs 3200kgs, the female 8.2m high and weighs 3500kgs. Next to a small ferry dock to Zaandam.
This was a long drive. Because of road closure and that this is in an industrial area. I don’t think Google Maps knew of the ferry.
REM Eiland. The REM island was a platform originally built in Cork Ireland to be used for TV broadcasts as it was just outside territorial waters (6 miles off the coast of Noordwijk). Starting on August 15, 1964, it operated until Dec 14, 1964 when the Dutch government outlawed even this. It was moved here in 2011 and a restaurant was opened. Reviews suggest the food is average. There were no signs with opening hours.
Het Schip. Iconic 1919 apartment building used for social housing. The museum is about the architecture of Amsterdam and the style developed in the city (the Amsterdam School) plus a restaurant.
The 45-minute tours (3 pm in English) are included. 15 Free with NL card
Cafe Papeneiland. Traditional canal-side cafe serving coffee, beer, and apple pie. Would not let me enter without an EU vaccination QR code. When I sat down outside and pulled out my computer, they had me put it away as computers are not allowed on their terrace.
Adam Tower. Not that tall but still get great views of the city from the observation deck/lookout as the top rotates. Known for its very fast lift with a light show. Ride an exhilarating swing that goes out past the building or take the roller coaster. Restaurants and bars with good food. Buy tickets ahead of time as very popular. Best accessed by the free ferry from central station. 15
Eye Film Museum. Huge collection of Dutch and foreign movies and film posters in a contemporary cultural centre. The restaurant has good views.
De Fietsflat. The bicycle parking lot for thousands of bikes.
I found a great place to park free and had a walkabout.
Magere Brug (skinny Bridge). This pedestrian bridge is relatively wide until it narrows considerably in the middle where there is a drawbridge.
InterContinental Amstel Hotel. A 4-story hotel with a great lobby: high ceilings, decorative decor.
Shadow Wall. In WWII, 200 Jewish residents along this street were murdered in concentration camps (mostly Auschwitz and Sobibor). The top of the canal wall has their names on plaques opposite the houses they lived in.
National Holocaust Nemer Monument. Lists thousands of names on brick walls topped by mirrored polyhedrons.
Botanical Garden. Has a large greenhouse at one end next to a canal, the usual gardens, and then several buildings between it and the street. NL card
Waterlooplein is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. The square near the Amstel river is named after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The daily flea market on the square is popular with tourists. The Stopera city hall and opera building and the Mozes en Aäronkerk church are at Waterlooplein.
Waterlooplein was created in 1882 when the Leprozengracht and Houtgracht canals were filled in. The square became a marketplace when the city government decided that the Jewish merchants in the nearby Jodenbreestraat and Sint Antoniebreestraat had to move their stalls to the square. The Waterlooplein became a daily market (except on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath) in 1893.
During World War II the Jewish quarter was emptied of its residents as the Nazis rounded them up and sent them to concentration camps. The Waterlooplein market had disappeared by 1941. After the war, the Jewish quarter was left deserted, and the Waterlooplein market became a flea market. The market currently has some 300 stalls and is open every day except Sunday.
In 2005, the Jewish Historical Museum presented an exhibition of paintings and photographs depicting Waterlooplein. The exhibition included works by Wolfgang Suschitzky, Max Liebermann and Oskar Kokoschka.
Tuschinski, officially Pathé Tuschinski, is a movie theater located in the city centre near Rembrandt Square. The movie theater was founded during the Roaring Twenties. It is included in the list of Rijksmonuments of the Netherlands. It was elected the most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out. The main auditorium hosts many premieres of Dutch, American, and European films.
The Nouveau building was commissioned by businessman Abraham Icek Tuschinski at a cost of circa 4 million guilders. Construction started in 1919 and first opened its doors on October 28, 1921. On the next day, Dutch newspaper Het Vaderland wrote: ‘We declare before us generously that the wildest expectations have been exceeded and that Mr. Tuschinski has donated a theater to our country, of which are unparalleled.
When it first opened, the theater contained electro-technical features, then considered revolutionary. Its unique heating and ventilation system kept the temperature even throughout the building.
World War II. During the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War II, Theater Tuschinski fell into German hands and was given the non-Jewish name “Tivoli” by the Nazis. In July 1941, a fire broke out at Tivoli, whereby murals painted by Pieter den Besten were lost. After the end of the war in 1945, the original name was restored.
From 1998 to 2002, the theater was renovated in its original style. It was also expanded, with a new, more modern wing that connects to the original building via a corridor. The new wing added three extra auditoriums to the Tuschinski.
The western facade is flanked by two towers. It is decorated with ceramic sculptures and contains several leadlight windows. The facade blends several architectural styles: Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil and the Amsterdam School.
The building contains Asian influences while the lobby was designed in a way to offer theatergoers the feeling that they are stepping into an illusion. The Tuschinski’s main auditorium has served as both a movie theater and a live performance space since its opening. In addition to a film screen, it also contains a stage and an organ.
Called the most beautiful cinema in the world, it offers current films from around the world in their original language and subtitled in Dutch. Films 9 in the mornings and 14 afternoons. Tours at 9 and 11 am. Would accept BC vaccination card.
Bloemenmarkt. A flower market occupying barges along a block of the canal. Sell bulbs, plants, seeds, and knick-knacks.
Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. On the east end of Dam Square, it is modern with metal sculptures. Plush lodging with acclaimed dining.
De Bijenkorf (Dam Square). A huge square with a large WWII monument at one end, a neoclassical palace, and a 15th-century church. A large group of Syrians was protesting Bassad Assad’s rule waving flags and playing music.
Magna Plaza. Upscale shopping mall in a neo-Gothic building since 1992, with luxury brands. Most of the 2nd-floor store spaces were empty and the 3rd-floor food mall was closed.
Day 5
Albert Cuyp Market. This huge open-air street market extends for blocks. Mainly clothes and food stalls.
Cafe Karpershoek. Established in 1606, it has good atmosphere, several tables inside and outside.
Int Aepjen Bar. A nice small (only 3 small tables inside and 2 outside) typical local pub dating to 1490 serving only small snacks. Very authentic and packed with locals. Good beer selection.
Beurs van Berlage. Vast former stock exchange building with a square tower used for events and exhibitions. Has 4 large halls. Can’t be entered. Free
Body Worlds Museum. Preserved human and animal remains are in a range of poses at this anatomy exhibit. Real bodies are preserved in formalin (all but the eyes). Have a system to determine one’s happiness. 20 no NL card
Monument Indië-Nederland Amsterdam: A large dark brick monument with two central towers fronted by a female figure flanked by two lions and a large pool. This has side wings of six arches on each side with a seating area.
Electrische Museumtramlijn (Electric Tram Museum). With covid, it is only open on Sundays. I think I have been here before.
After a few days in Amsterdam, I saw some places around the city and then headed east.
Rembrandt Tower. is an office skyscraper in Amsterdam. It has a height of 135 meters, 36 floors and it has a spire that extends its height to 150 meters. It was constructed from 1991 to 1994. The building’s foundation required piles 56 meters long and two meters in diameter. It is the first building in the Netherlands constructed with a concrete core and a steel frame. It is currently owned by MBM Corporative Worldwide INC.
Incidents. On 11 March 2002, an armed man stormed the building and took 18 hostages. He claimed the motive was because of his recently bought widescreen TV that he had bought because of the black bars that would be shown while watching widescreen VHS tapes, these bars would still be shown on a widescreen TV, he claimed that this was misleading. He was especially angry at Philips, which used to have its headquarters in the Rembrandt Tower but had relocated a few months before, in July 2001, to the adjacent Breitner Tower. The man shot himself hours later in a toilet.
Arboretum De Nieuwe Ooster is a cemetery in Amsterdam located in Amsterdam-East and has an area of 33 hectares. The cemetery opened on May 1, 1894. It is nowadays called De Nieuwe Ooster, because of the construction of the Begraafplaas Crematorium Gedenkpark in 1994. The landscape architect paid a lot of attention to the trees in his design.
In 2003 the cemetery became a national monument complex with a number of national monuments such as the De Nieuwe Ooster entrance gate. In 2005 the site was declared an arboretum. There are many varieties of shrubs, roses, elms, chestnuts, oaks, birches, magnolias, conifers, and rhododendrons.
The Netherlands Funeral Museum Tot Zover, which opened at the end of 2007, is located on the site.
There are several memorial monuments and signs on the Nieuwe Ooster regarding the Second World War
There is a monument to 18 resistance fighters who were executed in 1942, designed by sculptor Hildo Krop.
The Buchenwald Memorial to those killed in the Buchenwald and Ravensbrück concentration camps. This 1956 memorial contains an urn containing earth from all the martyrs’ places in Europe during the Nazi rule.
The plot of the fallen allied soldiers in the southeastern part of the cemetery. This cemetery falls under the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; more than 300 dead from the Second World War are buried there, from countries of the Commonwealth. The identities of nearly fifty of them are unknown.
The monument “Never again Auschwitz” has been located on the Nieuwe Ooster for sixteen years. It was unveiled in January 1977, designed as a grave covering by writer-sculptor Jan Wolkers. In 1993 this monument was moved to Wertheim Park.
The SLM disaster of June 7, 1989, with the colorful team.
The Bijlmer disaster on October 4, 1992.
Day 6
Python Bridge. This orange metal bridge arches high over the canal. Officially known as High Bridge, it spans the canal between Sporenburg and Borneo Island in Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam. It was built in 2001 and won the International Footbridge Award in 2002. The bright red bridge spans 90 meters and only carries pedestrians.
The visually similar Lage Brug (Low bridge) is nearby. It is similar but without the high elevation, which allows cyclists to ride over it.
Day 9
I parked for the night at a service center about 20 km south of Amsterdam. The next morning, a truck overturned on the highway blocking four lanes and causing a huge traffic line that extended back forever.
I was able to pack all my clothes and finish packing a box that I was mailing back to Canada by post. I threw out all my bedding, towels and clothes. I also left many useful things at the service center (good frying pan, dishes, cutlery) next to a covered area with a large garbage can. Hopefully, someone will take them and get some use from them.
By the time the traffic had partially cleared, I drove into Amsterdam, mailed my large box for home, had a difficult time finding free parking, and had a mad rush to see as many museums and other attractions in Amsterdam as possible.
Museum Van Loon. This wealthy family’s house was a little dated to be really interesting. NL card
Portrait Gallery of the Golden Age. One of the three parts of the Hermitage Museum, this was the least interesting. The Romanov portion was the best. NL card
Museum Willet-Holthuysen. Built-in 1680-85, it had several owners until the Willet family bought it. He was a wealthy art collector. When he died in 1895, the house was donated to the city. There is some nice Venetian glass, carpets, and floors, and marble wainscotting – a lovely house. The art was not great. NL card.
Hotel De L’Europe. An elegant hotel situated on a bend of a canal. There is rarely a problem exploring the lobby of hotels. I always use the bathroom.
Amsterdam Museum. The permanent exhibit has the history of Amsterdam. Two temporary museums (one on the golden carriage) that require a 5 surcharge above the NL card.
Allard Pierson Museum. Has three exhibits. I enjoyed the one on Art Nouveau. Another was on Creative Amsterdam.
House Boat Museum. Visit a boat built in 1915, used for hauling gravel, sand, and timber until 1967, and then converted into a houseboat. It has had 4 owners since. It is lovely inside, quite roomy and airy. The tiny captain’s cabin was where the family lived before conversion. Before about the early 80s, sewage was dumped into the canals. Then septic tanks were made a requirement. Now all are connected to city services that provide sewage, water, and electricity. 4€, 3.50 with NL card.
Anne Frank House. This is just about always reserved out weeks ahead. I had a reservation for today at 9 am, but the website would not progress past “use a valid email format”, so I walked by to see if could see it, but the day was completely reserved. 1with NL card.
Tulip Museum. All about tulips. 5€, not on NL card.
Electric Ladyland. Seen by reservation for one-hour guided tours starting at 2 pm, Wednesday to Saturday. They use ultraviolet (black) light to see the fluorescence. See rocks and a lot of painted objects, so not so interesting. I showed them my Canadian passport – every page lights up with fireworks and many other nice things. 10 not on NL card.
Kattenkabinet. All things cat with some high-end cat art. The nicest thing about this is the lovely old mansion the museum is in. There are four real cats. 10 not covered by NL card.
Diamant Museum. This small museum gave an excellent explanation of all things diamond. There were some large real diamonds but also replicas of all the famous large and oddly colored diamonds. The diamond industry started here in about the 1470s when Jews were being discriminated in Spain and finally expelled completely in 1492. Other Jews from around Europe joined them. Only 20 countries in the world have diamonds and there are none in Europe. Canada now is third in diamond production behind Russia and Botswana. Only 5% of diamonds mined are used as gems in jewelry, the rest are industrial. There are enough diamonds in storage to provide a cup full for every US citizen. Very interesting.
Moco Museum. A modern art museum, they had a lot of the usual contemporary art. The highlight was a Banksy exhibit. 18€, half-price with NL card.
After my busy “museum” day, I drove back to My California in Naarden to get there before they closed at 5 pm. They wanted the camper completely empty so I threw out anything that I had left for my last day in the Netherlands – more bedding and towels, power inverter. There was some stuff I wanted to keep. I had gotten the XXL box at the NL post office and filled it – tent, binoculars, camp cook set, clothes, and a pillow to finally fill it out. After I got to Amsterdam, I mailed it for 88, including 500 insurance. It was very efficient.
It was sad to finally leave the California. I had driven almost 200,000 km throughout Europe and western Asia. I had slept in it almost 740 nights, saw 54 countries, 280 Nomad Mania regions, and countless items in the Nomad Mania series. I had eaten 98% of my meals in it. It was the ideal vehicle for seeing Europe and had become my home.
I caught a taxi to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to catch my flight at 9:20 pm to Rome. The taxi was 65E – OMG.
The airport was super busy and looks nice but was a little frustrating – the electric plugs that were everywhere didn’t work, no wifi, land not many places to eat (I waited in line for 30 minutes to get a large fries).
