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Published: December 18th 2007
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Which plant is Amsterdam famous for?
A) Carrots
B) Tulips
C) Ferns
D) Marijuana
E) All of the Above
Which of the following items cannot be found in an Amsterdam coffeeshop?
A) Food
B) Marijuana
C) Water
D) Coffee
E) All of the above can be found in an Amsterdam coffeeshop
Which of the following was an influence upon Vincent Van Gogh?
A) Impressionism
B) Japanese graphic art
C) Realism
D) All of the Above
To clear up any confusion right from the beginning, The Netherlands refers to the country. Holland refers to the two largest (among 12) provinces in the Netherlands. People who live in the Netherlands refer to their nationality and their language as Nederlander. English speaking people refer to the people and the language as Dutch, because the English confused Nederlanders with Germans, who are Deutsch.
Amsterdam is a beautiful city, built on the River Amstel. The city built many canals in the 17th century to improve transportation. The canals were built in a semicircle and connect to the Amstel River. In between canals, there are generally about 2 to 3 streets. Our charming hotel, located on the Singel Canal, was a perfect
place from which to start our explorations for the weekend.
A crisp, sunny winter morning greeted us as we walked towards Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square). Houseboats, replete with plants and the requisite bicycles, dotted the canal. Sunlight glanced off of the market as shopkeepers began to open their floating retail stores. Slowly, buckets of tulips of all shapes and colours appeared as we made our way to the Leidseplein, where we enjoyed an early lunch—Dutch pancakes. Dutch pancakes are light and thin, often topped with sweet or savory foods—Jason opted for ham & cheese, while I had strawberries and whipped cream. (This was after my breakfast 4 hours earlier which consisted of boiled eggs and toast with chocolate sprinkles! You should really try it sometime—the sprinkles get all melty and good)
Afterwards, we walked a short distance to the Museumplein. The Museumplein is a park that sits in between the Rijksmuseum (a Dutch art and history museum - most of Rembrandt’s works are housed in the Rijksmuseum) and the Van Gogh Museum. Our mission for the day was to tour the Van Gogh Museum. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, but it was worth patiently wading through the
Lunch
Yum, pancakes and beer crowds to glimpse Van Gogh’s beginning paintings and follow the evolution of his art.
The whole vibe of Amsterdam was very laid back. We planned our day loosely to allow lots of time to wander and just take in the city. In our wanderings we found out that the International Documentary Film Festival was in its last weekend, many of the films playing at the Tuschinski Theatre. The Tuschinski Theatre is a grand art deco theatre built in 1921. We finished the night by returning to Tuschinski Theatre. Unfortunately many of the more thought-provoking documentaries were sold out (many of them were also at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival-darn!). It was just exciting to be there, though. With a chorus of sighs and pops from the sounds of Grolsch beers being opened in the theatre, we watched “The Last Waltz,” a documentary directed by a young Martin Scorsese about The Band’s last ever performance, with special guests such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, and Ringo Starr, amongst others. It was fun to see these rockers in their heyday.
On Sunday, we learned what life next to the North Sea is like.
Due to its location, Amsterdam is subject to weather that can change frequently. No natural barriers protect Amsterdam from the North Sea. Half of the Netherlands sits below sea level. Therefore, Saturday was warm (which means about 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit) and sunny. Sunday morning started cool (32-40 degrees Fahrenheit) and sunny. Sunday afternoon brought sever winds and a whole lot of rain. The streets were soon covered in water and I am sure that the Netherlands’ world famous dike system was put to the test. Since we didn’t drown, the dikes must have worked!
On Sunday morning (before the rain), we headed over to the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank house is actually a warehouse and office building where Anne Frank’s father manufactured and sold jam. The ground floor housed the warehouse and the factory; the next floor housed the company’s offices, and a bookcase, which hid a stairwell which led to the top two floors where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis.
The museum also has an exhibit that highlights the problems that occur when a tyrannical, even if democratically elected, government suppresses freedom by spying on people, scapegoating groups of people, and
Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank house is directly behind Jason, the Anne Frank museum is to Jason's left, and our transportation is to Jason's far left severally regulating free speech. The museum next door to the Anne Frank house, showed a film and voting booth that analyzed several freedom issues. Examples include:
The UK has posted cameras (CCTV) on nearly every street corner, train station, and at least one public toilet (at least they post a sign telling you that they are watching you). Should the UK spy on its citizens to combat terrorism?
The United States listens in on phone calls made by and received by US residents. Should the US spy on many of its own citizens to combat terrorism?
Many European governments ban holocaust denial. Should the Europe restrict free speech to combat hate?
France bans the wearing of crosses, jewish stars, and turbans in public schools. Should France protect students from religious antagonism by restricting religious expression?
Afterwards, we jumped on a canal tour boat just in time for the rainstorm. A canal tour boat sits very low in the water so that the boat can travel underneath Amsterdam’s canal bridges, which were not built with the idea of enabling modern day tour boats to travel underneath. Luckily for us, the tour boat is enclosed in glass
Our canalbus
This tour would have sucked without the cover. that protected us from the rain. However, the tour boats are also equipped with heaters, which caused the ceiling and the windows to fog up. We had to open the window next to us to take pictures. This allowed the rain to drench our table.
The canal tour ended at Amsterdam Centraal, Amsterdam’s primary train station. We walked a few blocks down a street that went around the Red Light District to Dam Square. In just a few blocks, we passed lots of high end shopping, a sex museum, and several restaurants. By the time we entered our restaurant to eat lunch, our clothes were entirely soaked!
Amsterdam was a nice break from the bustle of London. There was no need to hurry; everything we did this weekend was at a leisurely place. Amsterdam is just the sort of place to go and just relax.
Trivia Answers: 1) b; 2) d; 3) d.
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Cathy Mitchell
non-member comment
Tulips!
Hey! Did you guys know that I LOVE tulips!! Of course I knew that Amsterdam was famous for tulips! Have you not heard of Dutch tulips? When you study/learn about tulips, you see pictures of rows and rows and fields and fields of tulips in Amsterdam. I'll bet the place is breathtaking in the spring! Love you guys lots! Wish I was with you! Oh yeah-I forgot, we're getting plenty of rain here in Seattle! Oh well, wish we were together in one place or the other! Love, MOM!