Nightdream Nation.: Amsterdam - General Sightseeing

Friday, March 16, 2012

Amsterdam - General Sightseeing

Amsterdam is an amazing, stunning and breathtaking city... seriously, it's nearly TOO amazing, stunning and breathtaking - no kidding. Literally every building is a small piece of art itself. Even though it's a pretty small town with only around 750.000 habitants, I really, really recommend it to everyone to visit Amsterdam at least once in their lifes (just be smarter and choose spring or summer so it won't be as cloudy and windy as I experienced Amsterdam).

The clichés are true by the way: the cheese, the tulips, the coffee shops, the bikes, the huge windows without curtains. Everyone, no matter of which age or social status, is riding the bike and normally the bikes tend to be old, cheap and rusty. The people seem to be nice and really relaxed as well although it's a bit hard to tell because Amsterdam is overly crowded with tourists.

The only thing I really didn't like was the food. It's very expensive and highly lacks of quality at the same time. This might be the reason why despite of all the greasy food the people here are generally slender.. and I assume that it's one of the main reasons why it's not forbidden to consume cannabis since only with the munchies you can stand this gross stuff..!

My first post about Amsterdam focuses on the general sightseeing every tourist does.

The Royal Palace, the Paleis, at the Dam square

Just on its right side, the Nieuwe Kerk, the New Church

The National Monument (the thing behind the lion which looks like a phallus)

Westerkerk, close to the Anne Frank Huis

Looks like a small castle, doesn't it? And it's just the central station!

This is the house where Rembrandt used to live

De Waag

Oude Kerk, the Old Church, located in the red-light-district

And this spectacular building which looks like a little Hogwarts is just a plain shopping center!

The Rijksmuseum at the Museumsplein where the Van Gogh museum is located as well. Did you notice the solar panels on the rooftop? But I didn't enter and visited the Van Gogh (entrance: 14 €) instead which also features other artists in temporary exhibitions. Sadly, his most famous work "The Starry Night" is in New York, so you have to please yourself with the "Wheatfield with Crows" (which is really small by the way) and his other pictures.

Tourists taking pictures at this rather simple sightseeing-thingy

The Concertgebouw, a concert hall

Albert Cuyp Market, a market on a large street - if you'd like to go shopping for real don't even consider this market because the stuff there is pretty cheap and ugly... but it's really nice for a simple walk