Amsterdam – The Sights

My sister N’ku and I arrive in Amsterdam early on a Sunday morning and take bus 197 from the airport to Leidseplein where our AirBnB apartment is located. After a refresher nap, we decide to take in the sights.

We walk to The National Monument in Dam Square to join the Sandeman Amsterdam Free Tour. Our tour guide, Rob, an American, gave us a good introduction to the city and some historical tidbits.

On our second day, we sleep in, then use a Holland Pass voucher on a pleasurable Blue Boat canal tour.  We enjoyed the canal cruise so much we opted to use another voucher for the 100 Highlights Cruise offered by a different company later on in the week. Trust me when I say just go with Blue Boat.

I took pictures of historic buildings, close-ups of plaques on these buildings, pretty canals (pictures never do them justice), and just whatever caught my fancy.

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Nationaal Monument (National Monument)

A World War II monument built in 1956. The wall contains 12 urns of soil from Dutch provinces (and Indonesia) that were execution grounds or war cemeteries. 

Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace)

Initially built as the Stadhuis (town hall) in 1648 it is now used occasionally by the Dutch royal family for official functions.

The House with the Narrow Façade at Singel 7

Shown by our tour guide as one of the narrowest houses, what we see of the red building in the center is actually the back, and the front is bigger. The true narrowest house in Amsterdam is at Oude Hoogstraat 22.

A View of One of Many Canals

There’s a tram crossing over it.

The Seven Archstone Bridges of the Reguliersgracht (Regulator’s Canal)

The I amsterdam sign at the back of the Rijksmuseum (State Museum)
“I amsterdam” begun as a marketing campaign and this sign is now a great photo opportunity for tourists.  There’s another now that greets you at Schipol airport. The Rijksmuseum behind holds an unrivaled collection of Dutch art. It recently re-opened in April 2013 after a 10 year renovation period. Aren’t I lucky! 

Centraal Station (Central Station)

The transport hub of Amsterdam, it was designed in part by PJH Cuypers who also designed the Rijksmuseum above.  No wonder they look similar. It rests on 3 artificial islands of about 9000 wooden piles in the old harbour. 

Oude Kerk (Old Church)

This basilica has been built and expanded over time since its beginnings as a wooden structure in the early 12th century. The floor consists of about 2500 tombstones. 

Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) 
This dates back to the 14th century when the population of Amsterdam outgrew the Old Church. Since the early 1800s, Dutch monarchs have been crowned here.

Het Hooten Huis No. 34 in the Begijnhof

Dating back to 1420, this is the oldest surviving house in Amsterdam. It is one of only two “wooden houses” remaining since the construction of buildings with wood was banned in 1521 because of fires. In actuality, only the front is wooden. The Begijnhof itself is a sanctuary built in 1346 for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood.

Anne Frank House

Ducks in Vondelpark
We met a number of interesting characters at the park. It’s definitely a great place for people watching. 

The Dancing Houses
I could do a whole blog post on the iconic Amsterdam grachtenhuizen (canal houses)

Fietsflat (Bicycle Parking Lot) near Centraal Station

This free lot is 3 stories high and can house 2500 bicycles. 

EYE Film Institute

NEMO Science Center