Evenaar (Dutch for "equator"), a literary travel book store, was founded 11 years ago by two travel enthusiasts who spend much time personally reviewing their stock for the bookstore. This is not so much a place to buy travel guides (though they do stock Lonely Planet guides); rather it is a place that offers tales of the journey itself, whether spiritual, cultural, physical or emotional. Many titles are offered in both Dutch and English. For the collector, Evenaar offers a separate room with antiquarian travel books from around the world. Evenaar also offers a wide variety of foreign language phrase books; Fijian and Farsi among them. The friend I was visiting has an interest in Bhutan, and I was able to find a lovely book for him. My selection was colorfully wrapped when I indicated it was to be a gift. Evenaar’s website offers just a small selection of their wonderful variety of travel literature. For myself, I purchased a copy of Jeff Greenwald’s, "Shopping for Buddhas", a tale of Greenwald’s search for the perfect Buddha statue. There were several books by Freya Stark that also caught my eye...maybe next time.
On the 10th anniversary of the shop’s opening, the partners published a book of stories about the Equator. I was given a copy, and plan to make my way through it very slowly, using my limited Dutch and relying heavily on my Dutch phrase book. Hours are Monday-Friday, 12:00 N to 6:00 PM, Saturdays 11:00AM to 5:00 PM. Via tram, take 1, 2, 5, 13, 17 or 20 from Centraal Station, and get off at the stop just by Nieuwe Kerk; you’ll find yourself by the Magna Plaza Shopping Center. Walk west on Molsteeg, the street immediately north of Magna Plaza, and then turn south at the Singel. For further information, phone (0)20 6246289, email the store at evenaar-reisboekhandel@wxs.nl, or check out www.travel.to/evenaar, Evenaar’s website.