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Published: October 23rd 2011
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Long ago, I did my Euro-tourist scramble: eating to the clock to board a bus at 7:40 am to travel 8 hours to scale a fiord in Norway. I was determined to make my vacation into an educational experience so I would visit every museum, monument and Michelin- starred restaurant (because I also care what crosses my palate). But in Amsterdam I was in control. no tour guides, undaunted by schedules. I can sleep late, I can go where I want to explore, the Rijksmuseum, a vegetarian tasting dinner at d'Vjiff Vlieghen, or a casino (alright the casino wasn't my idea).
As soon as we arrived at the NH City Centre (yes, it is so centrally located at 288 Spuistratt, we can walk everywhere), we step out for a walk through the inner canals: the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and the Prinsengracht. It’s truly the Venice of the North.
Every day we choose a different neighborhood to explore: The Centrum (our hotel home) cozily perched near Dam Square, Koninklijk Palace (it’s the official Queen Beatrix residence, but she pays .50 Euro a year to live there and actually lives in The Hague, the late Gothic Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), the
national Monument across the way, The Jordaan, where the brick layers and carpenters who built this city lived (by the 1970s this district became the Yuppie stronghold it is today), the Southern Canal Belt, the Museumplein (we saw a slew of Rembrandts and Vermeers at the Rijksmuseum, tried to take in 700 paintings and drawings at the Van Gogh Museum.
While trying to locate the mythic Oude Kerk (Old Church), I spy it down a narrow alley. Yes it is impressive, massive & imposing. I turn around and notice that all the windows and doorways of the buildings in this part of town have red fluorescent lights over them. What is this? Suddenly the shudders rise and scantily clad girls are splattered across the windows like those Garfield puppets you used to see spread out on car windows. Whoops! I haplessly had wandered into The Red Light District. It is already dark and it is quite creepy. But by day, it is quite harmless with tons of tourists checking out each window (even wives sweep through the streets with or without their husbands).
On another day, we stroll past the Westerkerk and arrive at Ann Frank House on
the Prinsengracht, where Otto Frank, his wife and two daughters, Anne and Margot, went into hiding in July 1942 until they were betrayed in August 1944 to the Gestapo. Nearly one million people traipse through the narrow floors of this canal house. The Franks lived in the top two floors, it’s entrance hidden by a bookcase. There was black fabric covering the windows and Anne Frank could never go outside in over two years. I saw grown men and tattooed teens wipe tears from their eyes roaming the rooms of this solemn place.
I’m a fanatical fan of Dutch cooking, so each night was a major dinner. After our museum tour, it was dinner at the world famous D’Vijff Vlieghen, open since 1629 with original Rembrandts on the wall and visited by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Esther Williams and Orson Welles. Our concierge secures our reservation on short notice. I choose the 5-course vegetarian tasting: mesclun, goat cheese and eggplant in puff pastry, garlic spinach soup, pulses in what seem to be egg roll wrappers, medallions of courgettes and mushrooms and a vanilla yogurt bombe with fresh blackberries. Astonishing!
The next night was a visit to Het Tuynhuys in
Collage of Amsterdam
The views from the canal intrigue the Southern Canal Belt where my confit of duck salad with frisee frizz was creative and well done (all salads seem to include meat in the Netherlands), saddle of hare with potato gnocchi and sautéed baby Brussels sprouts with cabernet glaze was supernal. Even the lime pie, lime sorbet and fig compote to complete the meal was perfectly conceived. My coffee added 3.95 Euros ($4.50 US) to my bill. An improvement over the previous night’s coffee at 6 Euros ($6.85 US).
Which brings us to the Amsterdam lowlights: prices, astronomically inflated: breakfast seems to be 15 Euros around this burg ($17.25 US). No one in New York would dare charge $7.00 for coffee. Main courses at dinner run 22-35 Euros ($25.00-$40.00). Desserts are 10-13 Euros ($11.40-$14.82 US). Yet it didn’t stop the Dutch (in a severe recession) to bop into dinner around 9 PM, cackling in Dutch while ordering wine, appetizers, main courses and desserts like they were going out of style.
Our concierge recommended Luden for our final dinner, not expensive she says (26.5 Euros, $30.21 US): chicory gratinee baked to perfection with cheese and shrimp, leg of duck and duck breast with lentils, chocolate mousse with
Dam Square/Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)
Hopefully your hotel will be in walking distance to Dam Square. Pictured is the Gothic Nieuwe Kerk vanilla crème sauce and whipped cream. Great, but I resent $30.00 per person being the bargain prix fixe. We walk off dinner on the pedestrian street Kalverstratt.
I’m sad about leaving: goodbye blond people, goodbye dignified language and how will I get around without canal boats? The canal bus was expensive ($17.10 US) but gave us a canal’s eye view of Amsterdam and was very relaxing and provided an opportunity for shooting dramatic video.
Hotel NH City Center
Spuistraat 288-292
1012 NX Amsterdam, NH
+31 020 420 45 45
nhcitycentre@nh-hotels.com
d’Vjiff Vlieghen
294 Spuistraat
born 1629
open dinner only 6pm-10pm.
Ann Frank Huis
Prinsegracht
Het Tuynhuys Restaurant
28 Reguilersdwarstraat
Luden Restaurant
302-306 Spuistraat
Canal Bus
Prinsengracht (opposite Ann Frank House)
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