Royal Palace (Town Hall) - 1655
by yooperprof
Dam Square is Amsterdam's semi-official "post-card place" with mimes, and the Royal Palace - originally the Town Hall - is perhaps its most photographed building. The baroque-era building (architect Jacob von Campen) was originally constructed to be Amsterdam's glorious showcase of civic pride, so it's probably a "mistake" that for two hundred years it has been used primarily as a palace - first for the Bonapartist (French) occupation forces of the country, and later as the official Amsterdam residence of the Orange Kings and Queens. (The Netherlands may be quite happy to remain a monarchy, but from what I've it seems that the royal family is occasionally popular in Amsterdam.)
The virtuouso poet and scholar Constantijn Huygens declared that this was "the eighth wonder of the world" - and perhaps the interiors merit that description. From the exterior - on Dam Square - it seems like "just another royal palace," even if it is a stately one. When I was here in March 2008, however, the interior of the palace was closed for updating and renovations, so I'll have to come back and visit the state rooms some other time.
You'll want to take a stroll to the rear of the palace as well, where you can look up and see the monumental rooftop statue of Atlas holding up the world. It's actually a 2200 ball of copper, with that pleasant green hue of age.
Amsterdam
by Marionbcn
Drink something when in a coffee shop and have some good time. It's not just a smoke trade place.
To have a smoking-day :) in Amsterdam can be very pleasant, but even a nightmare if you abuse with smoke or spacecakes. At coffeeshop Homegrown Fantasy they have some skunk-based cakes that starts gaming with your mind after an hour or even 2 hours depending on what have you eaten before.
Beware, if the effect is too strong for you than is better to sit down somewhere and drink or eat something sweet.
Cakes (not spacecakes. :) are good for recovering yourself but don't eat too much. If you're really in trouble than is much better to stay inside.
Getting around with some smoke in your pocket is not a big problem here. If you don't do stupid things everything will be o.k. (and if you are not too stoned ;). Take it easy :)
Beware at the passing bikes and trams(everything moves so fast and you are very very slow when stoned, so take care..).
Refuel your car before entering the Netherlands is a good idea. The price of the gasoline is about 1.4usd/liter. In Amsterdam's center there are some car parking houses, but they cost about 2.5usd/hour. If you are thinking about parking out of the center is a good idea to use the AmsterdamArena car parking (under the Arena stadium, the symbol of this parking is the "P+R" signboard) and it cost about 6usd/day (with a tram ticket).
The centruum is full of restaurants, but they are so expensive, like the hotels.
To save some money check the camping sites out of the city (nice bungalows available).
check out the coffeehouses. ...
by jandres
check out the coffeehouses. They are not like the ones at home. Smoking pot is legal and you can buy it in cornor shop. Check out The Bulldog The Orginal, internet access and you can eat, smoke, drink and shop. Check out the Red Light District. The canals are beautiful. Also the sex meusem is different. Tulips, pot, red light district. Friend Mark and Wendy!
Buildings in Amsterdam
by codrutz
About 20.000 buildings make up the historical city centre on 800 hectares. One third was built before 1850. Many of this buildings are carefully preserved and declared national or municipal monuments. Moreover, the city centre is eligible for a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Amsterdam is not a city of churches and palaces, but of monumental mansions along the canals. The only two palaces in Amsterdam are the Royal Palace and the Trippenhuis, but even this was not the home of any royalty.
The long rows of narrow houses are the main feature of the buildings in Amsterdam. And this form was because the city's building taxes were based on house frontage, so the narrow the facade, the less tax. Nevertheless, the depth of the house compensates, making them bigger from inside the seen from the outside. One should enter a 'narrow' house to see the real space inside.
The typical 'step gable' houses features many big windows with shutters all over the facade, allowing as much sunlight as possible.
Another interesting feature of the row canal houses is the pulley on top of 99% of the houses. This pulley is necessary in order to bring the large furniture inside the house. Because of the narrow facade, the entrance door and more over, the space for maneuvering the furniture inside, the stairs and everything, do not permit the furniture to be introduced like in a normal house. Than, the furniture is lifted with the help of the pulley and introduced trough the big windows. Narrow facade, big windowed, and not one missing the pulley canal houses.
Guan Yin Shrine
by jo104
This is Europe's first Buddhist traditional style temple completed in 2000
Admission is free & on Sundays they do recitations of the sayings of Buddha at 10.30
The building is rather attractive from the outside but I did not go inside so perhaps if you curiosity or religion persuades you then it is a must do thing
Open Mon - Sat 12pm - 5pm
Sun 10am - 5pm
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Anne Frank House , Amsterdam
entrance
De Oude Kerk / The Old Church
Virtual bartender
