26 Dec 07 - Amsterdam Day 3

Today was pretty much a very slow-paced day, mainly because I had nothing much left to do in Amsterdam and the windmill would only be opened tomorrow. I first headed by tram to another concert theater called Carré. Honestly nothing special about it, not even the architecture. Located very near Carré was this bridge called Magere Brug or skinny bridge. From what I observed on the bridge, there is a mechanism that allows the bridge to be levered up. Not really sure though. Anyway, supposedly this bridge was an ideal spot to take a stop and kiss your partner. Too bad I did not have one by my side today. =D

top (L-R): Carré & Skinny Bridge; bottom: view from the bridge

I then walked towards the Muzeikteater or the Music Theater which is the biggest concert hall in Amsterdam. Nice interior but too bad I could only steal a glance from the glass wall. I proceeded next to the Rembrandtplein where there were some interesting statues of Amsterdam’s famous artist, Rembrandt. Everywhere I went today was pretty deserted and there seemed to be no signs of life even at 11 am.

L-R: the interior of Muzeikteater; Rembrandtplein

This scenario reversed once I reached the Bloemenmarkt or the floating flower market. A long row of flower and souvenir shops were erected along parts of the Singel river. Apart from selling potted flowers/plants, the shops mostly boasted tulip bulbs as well as bulbs of many different kinds of flowers. What caught my eyes were the cannabis starter kits. Yes, you did not read wrongly. The starter kits came in different forms: cans, plastic bags, sachets, etc. I also tried one cannabis lollipop. Contrary to what my friends told me, I thought it tasted not bad, although I never really knew what real cannabis taste like.

Bloemenmarkt or the floating flower market

L-R: cannabis starting kits and cannabis lollipops (they are legal!!)

The shops also sold many different kinds of interesting souvenirs, ranging from wooden tulips of different sizes, magnets, key chains, clogs (these are Holland specialties; you see them almost everywhere in Amsterdam) and miniature Holland houses. In the end I bought 35 euros worth of different magnets as souvenirs for my friends back in Singapore. Another thing that made Amsterdam notorious is the magic mushroom. There was one shop in the opposite side of the market. It sold many different kinds of mushroom; some have the power to give “extra concentration” or “extra energy” and some give extra “simulation” if you know what I mean.

the famous magic mushroom

By now, I have more or less finished the main attractions in Amsterdam, except the windmill which remained close till tmr morning. So I decided to just walk back to the city centre (Damrak) and hanged around in the Dam Square area. Similar to the St Mark’s Square in Venice, it had countless number of pigeons. Notably surrounding the square are Mme Tussaud’s wax museum and the Royal Palace. I wanted to go to Mme Tussaud’s but I thought it would perhaps be better to go to the original one in London. Anyway, the Dam Square are usually filled with many street performers who got very cranky when I wanted to take their photos without first giving them some moolah.

random interesting stuff I saw at 9 little streets

Afterwards I made my way quickly back to the hostel to drop off the souvenirs I bought earlier and headed out for lunch at McDonalds. Then I went behind the Amsterdam central station to take a free cruise to cross to Amsterdam North. There was nothing much to do there so after 15 minutes I made my way back to the “mainland Amsterdam”.

L-R: free boat cruise to Amsterdam North; multi-level bicycle park

Amsterdam being a cycling town, I wanted to experience what it was like to be one of the locals. So I rented a bike for the next 4 hours and I paid 7.50 euros which included 2.50 euros theft insurance. I thought I would just play it safe and pay a little more in case the bike got stolen. Cycling in a foreign city where you drive on the right was at times dangerous. I was still not used to the fact that I had to keep right on the road. Aside from this, it was really fun cycling at a leisure pace around the city. By now I was really familiar with Amsterdam and I could get around easily without map except a few times just to double check my whereabouts. The sunny and lovely weather was perfect for cycling as well. The sights were simply pretty, especially with the canals and typical Amsterdam houses which I thought were really unique. I also made a stop at Rembrandtplein to try a local snack called Olie Bollen. It was basically just dough in ball shape eaten with sugar powder.

L-R: on my bike & the pretty houses of Amsterdam

After 4 hours, I was a satisfied man and I felt I have truly experienced Amsterdam in almost every way possible (except the nightlife). However, I still had the evening to kill so I went to the Amsterdam Arena, the home ground of Ajax Amsterdam. This stadium is famous for its convertible roof, which would cover or uncover the pitch depending on the weather. By far this was the most modern football stadium I have visited. It even had escalators to go up to the stands. The megastore was big although it was closed.

L-R: random view of a canal; Amsterdam Arena