Amsterdam

Day One

Took morning train at 0637 hours from Neuchâtel and we reached Genèva Airport at 0755 hours. Bought a SBB supersaver single train ticket at CHF 17 for a single way from Neuchâtel to Genèva Airport. While SBB train ticket from Genèva Airport back to Neuchâtel cost CHF 22.

EasyJet was late again! The estimated departure time was 0945 hours but after a long wait (left photo below) we then boarded our flight EZY 1353 (right photo below) at 1100 hours. Totally disappointed with the punctuality of EasyJet.
Once cleared our customs at Amsterdam Airport, we then took the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station and the journey took less than 20-minutes. The cost of this single trip was EUR 4.20.

Late Lunch

As it already long past lunch due to the delayed flight, I was thrilled to see Amsterdam fast-food restaurant Smullers (left photo below) at Amsterdam Centraal station. Bought a meat burger (right photo below) at EUR 2.50 from the coin-operated burger vending machine called 'automatiek'. The Dutch had taken it to next level on making burger to be available faster. Taste was typical of fast-food burger with slight on the dry side.

After checked-in our hostel, we then started exploring the city.

Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam

Amsterdam has more than 100-km of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, namely Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings.

The canals of Amsterdam built in the 17th century and the Defence Line of Amsterdam built in the 19th – 20th century are both listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2010.

Dam Square

Dam Square is a town square in the Amsterdam surrounded by several well-known buildings. The Dam Square is roughly rectangular in shape, stretching about 200-metres from west to east and about 100-metres from north to south.

National Monument

The National Monument or Nationaal Monument op de Dam in Dutch (left photo below) located on Dam Square is a cenotaph revealed in 1956. Every year on 4 May, National Remembrance of the Dead ceremony is held at the monument to commemorate the casualties of World War II and subsequent armed conflicts. It is made of white travertine stone measuring at 22-meters (right photo below).




The top relief is a sculpture of a woman with a child in her arms and doves flying around her, representing victory, peace, and new life (left photo below). The central relief named De Vrede or "Peace", consist of four chained male figures which represent the suffering endured during the war (right photo below).

Royal Palace of Amsterdam

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam or Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam in Dutch (left photo below) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands located on the west side of the Dam Square. It was built as a Town Hall completed in 1655. The Palace façade was going renovation during my visit.

Admission to the Palace was EUR 7.50 and its opening hours from 1200 to 1700 hours (Fri) or 1000 to 1700 hours (Sat to Sun). Due to the tight schedule, we didn't visit the palace.

Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

Located near to the Royal Palace on Dam Square, the Madame Tussauds Amsterdam museum (right photo below) was the first foreign branch of Madam Tussauds institution. The building was completed in 1917 as second Peek & Cloppenburg store in Netherlands. The Madam Tussauds Museum then moved into upper floors of this building and opened its doors in 1971.

Nieuwe Kerk

The Nieuwe Kerk or New Church (photos below) is a 15th-century church located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace. First completed in 1408, the church was almost completely burned down in 1645. It was then rebuilt in Gothic style and underwent major renovation from 1892 till 1914. The Nieuwe Kerk is no longer used for church service but now as an exhibition space with café and museum store located inside the building.

Magna Plaza

Formerly a Main Post Office, this Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance style building is now a shopping mall known as Magna Plaza (photos below). It is located besides Nieuwe Kerk overlooking Dam Square. The building construction period took place from 1895 till 1899, but in 1987 it was vacated and sold to a real estate developer in 1988. After several years of renovation, the shopping mall Magna Plaza was opened in 1992. The building is now listed as Top 100 Dutch Heritage sites.

De Bijenkorf

Literally known as Beehive, the flagship store of De Bijenkorf (photos below) is another high-end department store overlooking the Dam Square.

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House or Anne Frank Huis in Dutch (left photo below), is a biographical museum dedicated to a Jewish wartime teenage diarist: Anne Frank. The building is located on a canal called Prinsengracht.

During World War II, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people in hidden annex at the rear of the 17th-century canal house for more than two years. She did not survive the war but her wartime diary was published in 1947. The museum was opened in 1960, which has a permanent exhibition on the life of Anne Frank through the original diary, historical documents, photographs, film images and objects that belonged to those in hiding and the helpers.

The museum is one of the most visited museums in Netherlands and often long queues are formed in front of the museum entrance (right photo below).

Admission was EUR 12.50 and its daily opening hours from 1200 to 1900 hours (Mon to Fri) or 0900 to 1900 hours (Sat to Sun), with some exceptions during summer time. Due to the tight schedule, we didn't visit the museum.

Westerkerk

The Westerkerk, or Western Church (left photo below) is a reformed church located in central Amsterdam close to Anne Frank House. Built between 1620 and 1631 in Renaissance style, the Westerkerk has a length of 58-meters and a width of 29-meters.

The more impressive structure is the tower, called Westertoren (right photo below) measured at a height of 87-meters. The crown topping the spire is the Imperial Crown of Austria of Maximilian I.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

Amsterdam Tulip Museum is small private museum (left photo below) just across the bridge from Anne Frank House that showcase the history of Dutch fascination with the tulip and also sells various tulip bulbs in its shop (right photo below).

This museum was established by a Dutch company involved in flower bulbs trading and thus several tulip bulbs can be sold in the museum shop (photos below).

Admission to the museum cost EUR 5 and opening hours from 1000 to 1800 hours daily. This is a must for visitors who are interested in gardening, flowers and tulip history in the Netherlands.

Posthoornkerk

Posthoornkerk or Our Lady Unblemished Received Church (photos below) was built in 1860 in neo-Gothic style. The church was decommissioned in 1963 and now used as for exhibition and concerts.

Amsterdam Centraal Station

Amsterdam Centraal Station first opened in 1889, was designed by a Dutch architect featuring a Gothic and Renaissance revival station building (left photo below). The station façade reflects the romantic nationalistic mood in the late 19th-century Netherlands, with its many decorative elements glorifying the nation's economic and colonial power at the time (right photo below).

Basilica of Saint Nicholas

The Basilica of Saint Nicholas (left photo below) or Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas in Dutch, is located in the Old Centre district of Amsterdam, very close to Amsterdam's Centraal station.

The main façade is flanked by two towers with a rose window in between them. A sculpture of the patron saint is also placed in a niche in the upper section of the gable top (right photo below).

Beurs van Berlage

The Beurs van Berlage (left photo below) is a building designed as a commodity exchange which was constructed between 1896 and 1903. This large brick building was the Amsterdam Stock Exchange from 1903 until 1998. It is now used as venue for concerts, exhibitions and conferences.

Building entrance is under a 40-meters high clock tower, with a sculptural panel on top of the entrance (right photo below).

Amsterdam Canal Houses

One observation is most houses would have metal hook on the house beam sticking out at the top floor (photos below). Reason was historically most houses in Amsterdam were used as storage places where all kinds of goods entered the city by boat. Thus, these goods could be hoisted up from the street using these hooks.

Amsterdam's canals

Amsterdam was formed by a network of canals (photos below), and thus earned its name as "The Venice of the North". A canal tour can be fascinating and relaxing for an Amsterdam experience if time permits.

Flag of Amsterdam

Amsterdam flags could be seen flying from most houses (left photo below) while walking along the city. Though looked rather "gangster-like", this current flag design depicts three Saint Andrew's Crosses and is based on the escutcheon in the coat of arms of Amsterdam (right photo below).

Zeedijk

Zeedijk is a street (left photo below) in the heart of Amsterdam Chinatown. Many Asian restaurants, shops selling Asian products, and even a Buddhist temple 'Guang Shan He Hua' temple (right photo below) are located along the street.

Decided to have our dinner at this Chinese Restaurant 'Wing Kee' (photos below).

Ordered a stewed beef noodle soup (left photo below) and shared a plate of roasted pork (right photo below). Food was comparable to those in any Hong Kong restaurant. After splitting the bill, total price per person was EUR 13.75.

Oude Kerk

The Oude Kerk (photos below) or Old Church, is Amsterdam's oldest building established in circa 1213. First erected from a wooden chapel, the structure was consecrated in 1306 by a stone church. The building holds a record as having the largest medieval wooden vault in Europe. Oude Kerk is now the centre for contemporary art and heritage since 2012.

Damrak Canal

Damrak is an avenue and partially filled in canal. Back in the Middle Ages, this canal was the mouth of the Amstel river before emptying into a bay. On the left along Damrak are the handsome canal houses from the 17th century known as 'Dancing Houses' (photos below). Its obvious to see these tall houses are tilted and appearing asymmetrical, thus the description 'dancing houses'.

Sexmusuem

The Sexmuseum (photos below) or Venustempel in Dutch opened in 1985 featured an extensive collection of picutres, recordings, photos, paintings and artifacts which allows visitors to explore the history of human sexuality. Admission was EUR 4 and thus we didn't visit this museum.

Night Amsterdam

Amsterdam is equally beautiful at night when the sun goes down. It was cooling to stroll along the canal-side streets lighted up with a some of the innovative light installations on the buildings. Here are some of the night scenes taken along Damrak Canal (photos below).

Waag or weigh house (left photo below) and a canal bridge (right photo below) were some of the buildings we saw while walking back to the hostel.