Amsterdam: Of Masters and Canals and
Oh So Sinful Cheese!

chillibreeze writer — Koeyli Jaluka

Situated in Northern Holland, Amsterdam is the most vibrant city in the whole of Netherlands. Its famous museums, flower markets and queer pubs make Amsterdam one of the most colorful cities in the world. As soon as you land at the Schiphol Airport, the beauty of the city overwhelms you and you begin to realize what inspired great masters like Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Being the city with more number of bicycles than people, the best way to move around in Amsterdam would be to rent a bike (An ordinary bicycle and children's bikes will cost you approximately EUR 6 per day or EUR 25 per week). Numerous cycling routes have been mapped out for tourists and they provide a fun way to explore the city. Another great way to explore the city is by going on a cruise along the canals. Canal cruises are an out of the world experience, lasting for more than a couple of hours and some even including a pizza and ice-cream dinner!

Must-sees and Must-dos: A must-see is the Anne Frank house, located centrally. This is the refuge from which Anne wrote her famous diary during World War II. The Rijks museum is for art lovers; it is the largest museum for art and history in the Netherlands. The Van Gogh museum is a treasure and houses 206 of the master’s works. This museum is situated on the Museumplein in Amsterdam. Another famous Dutch painter was Rembrandt, whose house has been converted into the Rembrandt House Museum.

The Artis zoo in Amsterdam is a zoo with an amazing variety of animals where you can see desert antelopes and llamas. If you walk further through the zoo, you can see a real coral reef and a tidal forest as well as a real canal. On Sundays, the zoo has a special attraction; you can go for a guided tour of the park where the guide tells u some absurdly funny stories about the animals residing in the zoo.

Wining, Dining and cheese: Dutch drinks, rather than food, have a more important presence during a traditional dinner which comprises of pea erwtensoep - a thick pea soup served with smoked sausage and cubes of bacon with brown or white bread as an accompaniment, hutspot - a potato, carrot and onion stew, groentensoep – clear consommé with vegetables, pasta and meatballs and boerenkool met rookworst – kale and potatoes served with smoked sausage. Seafood is extremely popular in the Netherlands, particularly herring; so when dining in Amsterdam, do not forget to order fish. Desserts in the Netherlands are very gastronomically pleasing. With over twenty-five different varieties of pancake or pannekoeken as well as waffles, pastries and cakes, you really have plenty to choose from. Apart from all this is the sinfully delicious cheese of Holland. The total cheese production in Holland is 30 million pounds per week. Not surprisingly, Holland is the world's largest exporter of dairy products.

Amsterdam is a visual paradise and a great place to visit all around the year, as temperatures are rarely extreme. A walk down the narrow streets of Amsterdam or a cruise down its waterways, shaded by lush greenery makes you fall in love with this enchanting city.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

 

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—About our writer: "Born and brought up in Calcutta, Koeyli loves being mobile and is forever willing to be on the move. Wanderlust and food are the two sins she claims to indulge in. Koeyli loves to spend time with her baby son and husband. Reading is an obsession with her and writing, a passion."

 

 

 

 

 

 

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