NLD: Amsterdam Old Town

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The capital city of the Netherlands has always been one of my favourite places in the world. Originating as a small fishing village in the past, Amsterdam literally means a dam in Amstel River. It's colloquially known as the 'Venice of the North' due to the numerous canals that contribute to the wonderful landscape of the old town area.

Let me begin this post by recapping what I mentioned in my previous post on CitizenM Schiphol Airport Hotel about my BFF and I getting ourselves the 2 Days Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket each, which is priced at €26.00 (~S$41.45), from one of the train ticket counters at Schiphol Plaza.

There are many trains that go to Amsterdam Centraal throughout the day. I was really glad I could enjoy my stay at the hotel aforementioned without missing out on many of the things that the city has got to offer.

It's not difficult to get a seat.

The average journey time between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Centraal is 15 minutes as it varies across the different train services. Upon arrival at the latter we checked out the northern area first, though we didn't cross the river to get to Amsterdam Noord.

Eye Film Museum is on the left, while A'Dam Lookout is on the right.

What a sight at the bicycle parking area!

During our stay, the weather was lovely with daily temperatures ranging from 11 to 20 degree Celsius.

Who wants to take a canal cruise with me?

The famous Victoria Hotel was the first hotel in the country to have electric lighting.

Basilica of St. Nicholas is the city's major Catholic church. It was built between 1884 and 1887.

It's opened to visitors on Sun-Mon: 12 noon - 3.00pm and Tue-Fri: 11.00 - 12.30pm, 1.00pm - 4.00pm

I mentioned about Nieuwe Kerk (lit. New Church) located at Dam Square before, so here's the grand-looking Oude Kerk (lit. Old Church). As the oldest building and the oldest parish church in Amsterdam, it was founded in 1213 and consecrated in 1306.

Interestingly, the Oude Kerk is situated in the city's red light district. While the area sounds dodgy, of course, it's not particularly unsafe as there are lots of people walking past.

Do respect the workers by not taking photos of them.

No photography is allowed inside, so many people simply take a snap from outside.

Cannabis is actually illegal in the country, but it's tolerated. Confused?

Grachtengordel (lit. Canal Ring) has made it to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2010. There are 165 canals with a total length of approximately 50 km and 1,281 bridges.

If interested, you can order canal cruise tickets online.

Care to caption this lovely photo?

Can someone enlighten me on what that drawing is supposed to convey?

The house of the Jewish wartime diarist, Anne Frank, is located on a canal called the Prinsengracht. Take note that tickets to the museum can only be bought online for specified dates and timings. The website states that "80% of tickets for any dates are released exactly two months in advance [and] the remaining 20% are released on [the] website on the day."

The museum first opened its doors to the public on 3 May 1960.

The Netherlands has become one of the most culturally liberal countries in the world that recognises LGBT rights. Not surprisingly, Amsterdam is one of the most LGBT-friendly cities across the globe. Homomonument, a memorial unveiled on 1987, commemorates all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their homosexuality.

The triangular Homomonument is located next to Westerkerk.

We then walked to Bloemenmarkt and Albert Cuyp Market before taking a tram back to Amsterdam Centraal and onward to the hotel to relax after a fruitful day of exploration.

"Please remember to check out." In Singapore, we call it "tap out" when alighting.

We headed to town again in the evening to grab dinner. Anyway, I love the coat of arms of Amsterdam, which features two lions holding on to an escutcheon topped with an imperial crown. The motto at the bottom reads "Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig" (lit. Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate).

Along the way, we dropped by one of the branches of Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the country, to check out some products related to Indonesian cuisine.

Old Indonesian spelling is still used, e.g. babi ketjap (Indonesian braised pork with sweet soy sauce) instead of babi kecap.

Rijksmuseum is a the largest national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam, which was originally founded in The Hague in 1800, but was moved to the capital city in 1808.