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Amsterdam, City of Bikes and Canals

by Vera Marinkovic

Amsterdam is more than just sex in the city. It is the city in a country that most people call Holland, but its correct name is The Netherlands and Holland is just its biggest province.

Vera in oversized clog

It is a lively city with so much to see and do. It is famous for its canal houses with their tall, narrow facades and ornamental gables. Amsterdam consists of about 90 islands cut by over 100 kilometers of canals, and linked by about 400 stone bridges.

Typical Amsterdam Canal with houseboat              Central Station

Top 10 things to do in Amsterdam:

1. Visit the Rijksmuseum- there you will find the priceless collection of Vermeer's paintings along with several of Rembrandt's finest works

2. Walk through the Red Light district (De Wallen)- A real must see for anyone visiting Amsterdam. This is famous prostitution district, where prostitutes offer their services from behind a window or glass door typically illuminated with red lights.

3. Visit the Anne Frankhuis (Anne Frank House)-house where the young Jewish girl hid away and wrote the diary during the German occupation of  World War II

4. Take a Canal boat tour-trip to Amsterdam would not be complete without a boat ride through the canals

5 to 10.......under construction.....

Books to read before travelling to The Netherlands:

1) The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (tells the story behind one of Vermeer's greatest and most enigmatic painting)

2) Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (the story about Dutch painting possibly by Vermeer)

3) The Diary of Anne Frank

Movies to see before travelling to The Netherlands:

1) Girl with a Pearl Earring directed by Peter Webber

Happy Travelling!

Editor Red