Eating and Drinking, Amsterdam

In this city of sin as Amsterdam is called,
you sometimes get low on energy.
So to get some extra protein's and vitamins,
there is only one thing left to do....

The most eccentric bar in Amsterdam- BananaBar- is situated in the heart of the Red Light District.
In a beautiful 18th century monumental house you will find two cosy furnished floors with special designed bars on which our scarcely dressed girls give you a heart-warming welcome.

Never a dull moment in the Bananenbar because the girls also perform all kinds of incredible erotic tricks. And the Banana is a special part in this scene of course. And if your throat feels dried up by the sight of all these erotic attractions, just ask the girls to fill up your glass again : In the Bananenbar all drinks are on the house !

Service in the most 'natural' style by beautiful hostesses, erotic entertainment on a high level and free drinks. this is the way to go bananas on your night out in Amsterdam !

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Visitors can tell what their special wishes are... Entrance is 40 euros for an hour and includes all your drinks!!! If you ask the girls to preform their tricks for you, you have to pay extra though.

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Amsterdam North is seperated from the rest of Amsterdam by 'Het IJ', a water which you can cross whether by talking the bus or car and going through the IJ-tunnel, or by just walking to the backside of Central station and there, taking one of the free ferries which will bring you across. From the terrace of the nearby restaurant 'Wilhelminadok', you can enjoy a great sandwich and a cappucino, keeping an eye on the cruiseterminal on the cityside of Het IJ, which usual are harbored there, waiting until they leave for warmer places like the Carribean.
If you're in Amsterdam in wintertime, no worries. The sandwiches still will make up for the absence of the ships.

Belgium may be the beer capital of the world, but the Brouwerij t'Ij (Ij Brewery) in Amsterdam produces some very respectable hand-crafted brews worthy of standing alongside some of those that it's neighbor to the south can offer. In a land utterly dominated by mega-production beer(Heineken, Amstel), its nice to know that the art of brewing is still alive and well in the Netherlands.

We took a public bus about 10 minutes from the center of town to the brewery itself. You can't miss the brewery, as it has a giant windmill attached to it. Unfortunately, no one was available to give us a tour that day, so we had to settle for kicking back a few cold ones in their pub. Their Wit beer is particularly refreshing on a hot day (which it was). Their beers can also be bought by the bottle all around town, and I took many home with me.

Brouwerij 't IJ
Funenkade 7
1018 AL
Amsterdam

Opening hours of the pub: From Wednesday till Sunday; from 15:00 to 20:00 hours.

Around the 30th or last Tuesday of April Amsterdam turns out to celebrate their Queens Birthday. No doubt to show thanks for encouraging such a tolerant society.
Most transportation around the city center is canceled. Every cafe, pub, bar, & coffeeshop across the city has a keg bar set end to end on their sidewalk. Plastic cups start piling up. People drag their crap out on the sidewalk for a city-wide flea market. It doesn't seem to matter whether anything sell or not, it's a social thing. Bands & musicians play on every corner. You'll stay & groove to a few songs from one group, then stroll down the canal, the music fading behind you until the next bands' beat picks up where the other left off. Jazz to Reggae to blues to Brazillian style Carnival Drum corps (VERY cool!). And EVERY boat that floats, (and some that don't quite..) gets loaded to the hilt with people & cases of beer. From row boats to near barges complete with generators & live bands. It eventually end up in gridlock. Everyone seems to be THE Captain & has advice and good natured chiding for the other "captains" on their boat handling & skills & on how to best procede. Very Dutch, Very funny! Some of the blue haired geezers & geezerettes on the canal boat tours seem a bit shocked, shocked I tell you, by all the partying going on just outside their windows. But eventually, all the weed smoke in the air mellows them out, too.

I am sure that every path in Amsterdam has been beaten to death by tourists. Just start strolling and everything you discover will be new and exciting!

On our last day we were walking to Centraal Station and saw a small alleyway. We decided to go down and see where it led. The alley opened up into the beautiful courtyard of Oude Kirk. Right across the street from the church was a small cafe. We had a seat, ordered hot tea and listened to the church bells ring for the 11:00am mass. It was the perfect way to end this leg of our journey.

cafe 'de diepte' (means as much as 'the depth')
located somewhere in the red light district has a lot of alternative types and squatter s hanging around...
if you find this place (witch you won't) your a true master in finding bar's

DeGooyer Windmill, here's a 2 for 1 deal for you. Visit a real windmill without leaving A'dam, and have a glass of the most potent beer brewed in town also.

't IJ Brewery and it's brew pub, IJ Proeflokaal, serves on tap several of its own beers. Try the Columbus, it's 9 percent alcohol - and really packs a kick.

This place gets very crowded with locals and in the know tourists. The afternoon we stopped in you could barely get in the door. We had to find a table in the basement (not much atmosphere here, but plenty of good people). Ended up comparing Dutch and American politics with a couple locals (who appeared to be feeling no pain)

Take trams 6 or 10 towards the Javaplein, get off around the Pontanus - you should be able to see the windmill from here, it's just a short walk. When returning you'll have to take either tram 6 or 7 (7 and 10 go in opposite directions here).

There is a lot to see in Amsterdam and like all old cities it's compressed into a small area with narrow streets so root around and don't be afraid to ask as most Dutch people speak excellent English. Here's a picture taken in a bar we found with a Harley nailed to the wall.