![]() ![]() Remember that Amsterdam, at its heart, is a busy port. While you have to pay to take in a movie, the cafe and its terrace are open to all who are prepared to buy a cup of coffee or light meal and offer a front-row seat to watch barges chug along the Ij against a backdrop of the city skyline. One of Amsterdam’s newest landmarks is a stark, white film institute, called the EYE, perched on northern bank of the Ij waterway. Look out for the Picasso sculpture of a fish in one of its meadows. You can rent inline skates, but it’s mainly just a great place to lay down a blanket and sit for an hour or two watching the world go by. The 116-acre park (47 hectares) has ponds, tree-lined pathways, kids’ playgrounds, an open-air theater and cafes. The city’s most famous park is just a stone’s throw from Museum Square and a great place for a picnic. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This short covered passageway is home to – among other things – a handful of much smaller portraits of civil guards similar in style, if not size, to Rembrandt’s famous work. ![]() If you don’t manage to get into the Rijksmuseum to see Rembrandt’s “Night Watch,” right around the corner from the Begijnhof is another hidden (and free) gem of the city, the Schuttersgalerij, or Civil Guard Gallery, of the Amsterdam Museum. The courtyard also holds a small English Reformed Church and a Catholic chapel. ![]() It’s right in the middle of town and reachable by a gateway at the end of a lane leading off one of the city’s busiest shopping streets, but it is almost eerily silent. The Begijnhof is a small grassed courtyard surrounded by beautiful 17th- and 18th-century houses that were originally built for pious Catholic single women. The clatter of trams and ringing of bicycle bells can be an assault on the ears, but there’s a hidden oasis of peace in the heart of Amsterdam if you need a little quiet time. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |