It's much more than vice city

The canal tours don't ever seem to get old, and each company seems to have its own different route through the canals. The city (the whole country, for that matter) goes crazy for Queens Day... Look for the entry on the Dutch holidays.

Quick Tips:

Communications tip: PTT phones are pretty cheap when calling abroad. If you are trying to keep in touch with home, get a 10-euro phone card for the PTT (the green pay phones) at post offices or train ticket counters in the stations. The green phones aren't as easy to find as the Telefon blue phones, but they are fairly common still.

Best Way To Get Around:

Much of the city is an easy walk. The museums along the Amstel and Dam Square with Tussauds, the palace, and Old Church are both easy walks from Centraal Station. Likewise, the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and concert hall are close to Restaurant Row and Vondelpark. These two centrums are a medium-length walk from one another, or a quick tram ride apart.

This Tussaud is different from any other I've been to. The museums in London (both the original and the Rock Circus), New York, and Copenhagen (I can't tell if the latter is/was an official Tussaud's) all focus primarily on celebrities. Tussaud's Amsterdam is mostly a historical wax museum. Once patrons get off the elevator, they are introduced to the large "Spirit of the Dutch" character, with windills sprouting from his body and hair reminiscent of William the Orange. The Spirit walks visitors through the history of the country and of the city, using panoramas and other wax figures as illustrations of his tale. Dutch explorers and the Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt are also represented. The representation of the painting of one of the Masters' paintings (a walk through model of one painting) is one of the more interesting rooms.

There is one section that is devoted to the animation of the wax figures. I found this area interesting as well. It serves as a transition between the history section and the more contemporary part of this museum. Now you see the more familiar sites for Tussaud's, with the likes of Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Nicolas Cage on display. There are Dutch stars too, including the de Boer brothers of soccer fame. This area also has one of the best views of the city you're likely to get--a fisheye window looks down on Dam Square and all the way down the busy, colorful Damrak to Centraal Station.

One final room is for famous people of the past and world leaders. Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Einstein, and Mandela are on display here.

Kids should enjoy Tussaud's, and parents who are afraid to expose their children to the city might like this alternate form of entertainment. The quality of the figures lives up to Tussuad's best. Personally, I think the view of the Damrak alone is worth the admission, but the museum as a whole is fun.

This is the actual building in which the Frank family hid from the Nazis during WWII. From the outside, it looks like a normal typical thin Dutch house, and even in the room that shows a film about the Frank family's plight, it also looks like it would be a traditional room. Then you go up one more flight and see the open secret door behind the bookcase. Now you're about to enter Anne Frank's world.

Behind the bookcase is another staircase. Up this case, you enter a series of room which don't share the luxuries of wallpaper and are poorly lit. It is these rooms where the Franks lived in hiding. There are little descriptions in these rooms to illustrate how the rooms fit into the diary. For instance, over Anne's collection of newspaper clippings (of famous actors and favorites), it reminds people how Anne would think of her pictures. There are also descriptions of why the rooms are the way they are. For instance, telling about the heavy sheets over the windows so others couldn't see the hidden residents. These are probably the most emotional rooms of the complex.

Moving across towards the front of the next building (as the house next door is an annex now to the museum), there is a room discussing the reaches of the diary and discussing racial strife that is still alive in the world. There is one section that focuses on Neo-Nazis and how some still are convinced (and are trying to convince others) that the Holocaust never happened and that Anne Frank is a fictional character.

This museum is moving and informative. As somebody who is interested in WWII and in racial relations, I find the Anne Frank house a must to visit.

Artis is small, at least in comparison to the zoos I know. Situated in the middle of a city block, there was nowhere in the park that I can remember not seeing the three-story buildings surrounding it.

One thing that struck me was how many of the large exhibits were so unnatural-looking. The monkeys and goats are on concrete islands with little that would make me believe the animals were in their natural habitats. As someone who believes somewhat in animal rights (I'm no PETA person though, ;)), I felt bad for these animals.

When I went (May, 2003), many of the buildings were undergoing renovations. The elephant house for instance was closed, so I didn't get to see everything.

This may sound like a negative review, but there was a number of fun and cool stuff here as well. Artis seemed to have a nice "collection" of penguins and kangaroos, and there is a grand old building which houses the aquarium and natural-history-style museum. There are skeletons and skulls in this section, as well as some child artwork and a small section with panoramas. The aquarium is small, but one part I thought was really interesting was a mock-canal, made out to look like one of the regular Amsterdam canals. The water itself is cleaner although there is the occasional license plate thrown in for the fish to swim around.

Artis considers itself to have five focal points within its gates, the zoo and aquarium are a couple of them, as are geological studies (which I didn't experience while there), a planetarium and a botanical garden. With that latter part in mind, there is a nice little Japanese rock garden right near the aquarium.

The planetarium is right near the entrance to the park. The shows are free, but they are in Dutch. I didn't inquire about translations, as I wanted to practice my Dutch a little. Around the planetarium theater are astronomical displays, many of which are hands-on.

Artis as a stand-alone event may leave a bit to be desired. The size of the park and the exhibits make this one of the more dull zoos I have been to. But it is a nice time, especially on a nice day. What I found to be a good day was doing the zoo and the Dutch Resistance Museum in the span of an afternoon. These two sites are not even a block apart from one another, and both are small but interesting in their own ways. For those who might get overwhelmed by the Nazi aspects of the Resistance Museum, Artis should be a good way to relax afterwards.

Amsterdam is a city that is best explored by walking. The main sites are all pretty close to one another and any nook can offer a store worth exploring. The streets and lack of parking make cars an inconvenience. Too much walking though can get to one's feet, and when you start to feel an ache, it's a good time to hit the canal tours.

A number of companies near Centraal station and along the Damrak offer canal tours of the city. They all are similarly priced and the routes are all pretty much the same. All the boats are also more or less uniform, being long, low boats with glass canopies. The tours have recorded narrations of the sites you'll see, and the short descriptions are offered in Dutch, German, French and English.

Being as the canals are low to begin with and that these boats are pretty deep, you'll find yourself looking up a lot. Also unless you're on a water taxi (which isn't a tour), you have no chance to get out and look around. The canals only can get you so close to some sites, and therefore you don't get to see the likes of the Royal Palace or Dam Square.

What you do get to see however is the impressive artwork along the bridges, as pedestrians are not able to really appreciate. Also, these canals were the lifeblood of the city centuries ago. Back when shipping was the Dutch financial backbone, the canals were used to transport things products to and from the docks.

Because of the design of the city, there are no bus tours of the city. The canal boats are the best alternative. And it offers some insight into the past. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." So when in the Netherlands, take an hour to do as the ancient Dutch did.

The soccer leagues in European countries are organized very differently than anything we have in the United States. Their performance is measured every season, and those teams that do well (in the lower divisions) have a chance to replace teams doing poorly in the next division. However, like major league baseball, there is little if any revenue sharing, so some teams play in rundown, 1,500 seat parks while the better teams have larger, state-of-the-art fields. Ajax Amsterdam plays in the biggest park in the country.

Ajax is one of the top soccer teams in The Netherlands. As I write this, they lead the Dutch EreDivisie by four points, and they always seem to finish their seasons within the top handful of teams. As one of the big teams, Ajax draw well. The Arena therefore holds over 51,000 people, and the team sells out just about every game.

Where many other parks in the country look somewhat like warehouses or like high school fields, the ArenA feels very much like a US football stadium (and to boot, the NFL Europe Amsterdam Admirals play here as well). The stadium is one of the few two-tiered parks in the country, and one of two retractable roof parks. The upper walkways are also like the fields here. They are pretty wide and have food concessions stands all along the walk.

When the seats are empty, the place is very colorful. The seat backs come in a multitude of colors, forming a triangular rainbow of sorts. The sight lines are okay. My seat was in the last row (around mid-field) and while everything was far away, I could still see the whole field. The scoreboards, as are many of the scoreboards in Europe, leave much to be desired. They tell spectators of the current lineup and show the game in action (as well as replays), but they don't give you much other information.

Down on the ground floor is the Ajax museum and team shop. Being one of the famed teams in Europe, Ajax has quite a bit to show off. Hours for the museum change depending on if there's a game or not.

Getting to the Arena is fairly easy. The Amsterdam Metro stops in close proximity to the stadium. Also nearby is the national train hub of Duivendrect, where north-south and east-west trains serving the country all stop. So traveling near or far, there are a few options. There is also parking in the area for those with a car.

Unlike any of the other teams I have dealt with in the country, Ajax has their own travel department. They offer packages to see games that include city tranist passes, canal tours, Ajax museum tours, game tickets, and hotel accommodations. Other options can be added as well. The packages are a little pricey, but it's easy going where other teams don't do much for foreign travelers.

Like any other country, The Netherlands has its own set of holidays. One thing that is convenient in Holland though is that three of these holidays are within a week of one another, even though only two are really connected to each other. It is the first of these holidays which stands alone, and which is the most fun.

30 April is known as Queens Day, or in the native Dutch, Koninginnedag. This is Queen Beatrix’s birthday. The whole country turns into a giant birthday party. I’ve never been to New Orleans, but I would guess Queens Day is a (surprisingly?) sanitized equivalent of Mardi Gras.

How is it sanitized? Well, it’s a family holiday celebrated around the country. Last year I started the day out in a small town in Limburg county, about a three-hour journey to Amsterdam. As I was waiting for the bus, the village children were setting up for a bicycle procession through the town, accompanied by a small musical band. Everyone was wearing orange, or the red white, and blue that represents the Dutch flag.

The larger the town, the greater the celebration. So as Amsterdam is the popular capital of the country, it is home to the largest celebration. From Centraal Station and down the Damrak, trams are not operational. Instead the streets are pedestrian-only, with shops and bars opening up outside counters. Some bars set up portable stages and host live music or DJs. It’s half flea market, half block party. Some people are in costumes while others wear those same Dutch colors.

In this city famous for its sex industry, there is no over-exposure to such things on this day. No Mardi Gras-esque flashing, no beads to be traded. Besides, if you really are missing this stuff, the Red Light District remains open, although here too the bars are busy outside. On the eastern-most side of the district, there is a mini-amusement park set up on Queens Day. This again shows how this holiday is more family-oriented than what transpires in New Orleans.

If you are planning to go to Amsterdam for the day, I’d make a few suggestions. First off, get a hotel. By this I mean don’t expect to get to some other city by the end of the day. The first time I was in the country I was staying in Nijmegen. However in both Amsterdam and Arnhem (where trains to Nijmegen stop), the party had flowed onto the train tracks and I was lucky to squeeze onto one train. I made it as far as Arnhem, and then had to jump on a bus instead of another train. From what I understand, the NS (Dutch trains) now plan for such events by cutting down train service on some routes. So again, plan to stay the night. Also be prepared to walk. It’s the best way to see everything, and as I mentioned, as you get closer to the city center, there are no real other transport solutions except the Metro.

A few days after this nationwide party--4 May to be exact--is War Remembrance Day, and the 5th of May is Liberation Day. These days signify the end of WWII for Holland. War Remembrance Day is a somber day, quite the opposite of Queens Day. At a certain time Beatrix lays a wreath at the memorial in Dam Square and the whole country partakes in a minute of silence. In most if not all towns, speakers are set up and the people come out to listen to the Queen speak and honor the moment of silence. Next year, the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII, expect special events on these days. For that matter, this September (2004) will be the 60th anniversary of the failed Allied offensive of Market Garden, and events are being planned for Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Arnhem… The cities where Allied paratroopers dropped during the operation.

If you are intending to visit The Netherlands, the end of April and the start of May is an ideal time to visit. Not only do these holidays offer insight into the Dutch people, but the weather is often lovely at this time of year. Other seasonal events, such as the Keukenhof--or the famed tulip displays and fields--are open at this time of year too.