Shopping in Amsterdam in the most places we found street vendors and traffic free squares where temporary businesses open shop under tents. Cuypmarkt a place like a white elephant sale and waterlooplein flea market are popular with the residents. In the prices Still the waiters expected tips, even a small one, when they waited on. I do not blame them at all, since Amsterdam is not a cheap city to live in, especially if you keep losing your goods to pickpockets.
They have a self-service where you put in the money and get fries, burgers, sandwiches, you are in a hurry and want to grab a bite in Amsterdam, there are Fibo stores, a Dutch type of McDonalds, or whatever. Here we got fries with mayonnaise instead of ketchup. This was, certainly, a new one for me.
A favorite fast food for the Dutch are the croquettes, deep fried mashed potatoes and gravy, tasty enough but I would not go for it again.
Amsterdam is full of pavement cafés, despite its sudden rains. As soon as the sun comes out, tables and chairs appearance, as and now are there and are filled with people in a few minutes. There are also bars that serve beer, wine, and simple snacks any time of the day.
Most of the Dutch dishes "Neerlands Dis" are made with meat, cheese and vegetables. It is usually served with a huge frothy head in small iced or wet glasses with handles. Sausages, ham pea soup, bisque soups, herring are some favorite Dutch tastes.
No we wonder, if they needed a hawker the food had to be bad. Stupid us !
In general even their. I have enjoyed. I have enjoyed. I generaled their. I am afraid that I have a cheese salad. For me, Amsterdam was not the best place for eating, light snacks are not light for tostjes - grilled cheese and ham sandwiches - or donuts and pancakes.
On the streets of old Amsterdam all the way into suburbs, we were quiet taken with ice-cream vendors, who were mostly Italians. Most sell their very fresh ice-cream in vending carts with umbrellas or awnings on top of them, as the outlets One funny vendor made his sales in Dutch but cursed in Italian. When I understand and laughed, he offered me extra ice-cream.
Some housed houses are some of paintings on them, some have a coat of arms that can be wood. The houses are usually built from dark red bricks and their large The façades of the houses are pretty narrow. They are built like that on in the olden times the owners had to pay taxes according to their homes' widths facing the street. Courtyards called hofjes hide between the houses and are filled with flowers to the brim.
We are told that the most part of Amsterdam, there are numerous colorful plaques set in the walls of the buildings as advertisements some adifiers and some of them themselves are beautiful artwork in scenes and figures. the buildings. For example, as advertisement, a baker had a fresco-like representation of an oven with a person feeding the fire and a few other figures around him with the words "de gloyende oven" meaning "the glowing oven" written in the bottom of the frame. These plaques also sometimes show the year when the building was completed.
First place I did not have an anne Frank House in the middle of Amsterdam. First house was was too long lines in front of it, second I was afraid I & # 39; d cry and make everyone miserable. The house is a regular (I think) four story house with three windows at each floor after the first floor, an attic room window, and a red-tiled roof, one could pass on the street and not even take notice. Close to the house, a statue of Anne Frank stands. We heard later that museum was renovated again a few years after we were there.
My husband went inside the anne Frank House with my cousin & # 39; s husband while my cousin and I waited for them outside. When they came out, my husband said it was too crowded inside but he got to see a piece of her diary on display. He also said was was glad I did not go in, for the annex was tragic.
Afterwards we went to the Dam Square to feed the pigeons and disperse some of the sadness we felt. Dam square is a cobbled square with pigeons and out of work people selling pigeon feed.
He is sat there, he is a school teacher by day and he was selling pigeon feed after hours. Actually, his eight year old daughter was selling the grains and doing everything else. He just sat there watching her. I do not know The rules in Netherlands about making the youngsters work, but this young one - for better or worse - was doing all the work. My cousin said the was wastably a refugee or an immigrant and his being a teacher was probably not true.
There are many immigrants from other third world countries in Amsterdam. Some of them, like most of the pizza store owners, work very hard; others are here due to the so-called freedom and the lax laws this country offers.
Some of the immigrants are sellers of some thing or other markets on market days. Many citizens of Amsterdam do their food shopping in these markets by the prices are a bit lower and the produce is fresher. Lots of used or antique books also are on sale in these markets.
They have a circle tram line that connects to all of the touristic sights and if a five day ticket is bought, the sightseeing tour It is also very cheap. Also the canal cruises provide wonderful experiences for people who like to be on water and watch the antique buildings on the sides of the canals.
Once, my cousins took us to a casino by a canal after dress up (since the casino was considered a high class place), I think it was called the Holland Casino. Of course, we were urged to gamble but I I think we had more fun watching the canal traffic than they did losing money inside .
They told us that sometimes in winter the canals freeze and the people cross them on ice skates.
It is now possible to see huge apartment buildings among centuries old houses and this others many Amsterdam dellers who are bound to tradition.
The city & # 39; s largest park is Vondelpark and it used to be where the hippies of the seventies hung out. Still it has its share of bohemian free spirits frequenting it. Also, it is very close to the museum of modern art, but We did not go to that museum. We went to the Rembrandt House and the Historical Museum just before leaving Amsterdam.
"The Night Watch" on commission and the people who ordered it did not like the results Night Watch now hangs in the Rijk Museum. Here, lots of Rembrandt memorabilia are on display as well as his etchings and artwork.
I was surprised to see a Madame Tussaud & # 39; s Wax Museum in this city. It sees, where we are there Madame Tussaud & # 39; s Wax Museum. In Amsterdam it occupied a major corner of the most famous Dam square to where important streets and avenues open.
The Royal Palace dominates the square where they told me that the Queen is often present for for official Dam square is usually crowded not only with pigeons but also with business people, street artists, ice-cream vendors, preachers, musicians, shoppers, and tourists. receptions.
Next to the palace is the gothic Nieuwe Kierk (New Church), except it is not so new, since it is from the fourteenth century and it has a tower that people never got around to completing. efficient procrastinators in the world than those I have come to know. In several different cities of different countries and continents, we came across a few incomplete antique churches.
They showed us whatever they could show us and what we were willing to see and were wonderful hosts. Since then, "Tot ziens!" to a unique city they love to complain about.
