The
Netherlands
:
Amsterdam
[This section is in the earliest
stages of development: 28 December 2003
6
]
I have visited
Amsterdam
far too infrequently for such a wonderful city, and writing
about it makes me want to return immediately. My sister recently had the good
fortune to live in
Amsterdam
for a
year.
In the
summer of 1978, desperate to escape
London
,
I screwed my courage to its sticking point and hitch-hiked via Folkestone and
Ostend
all the way to Schipol, at which point my confidence
failed, exhaustion overtook me, and I took a bus into
Amsterdam
.
I checked in at the youth hostel close to the red-ight district. The journey had taken me 24 hours, door-to-door. Later, I made my way
along the Prinsengracht to the Westerkirch,
where I explored the Anne Frank House on the first of my many visits to this
place of pilgrimage. For the first time, I stood in raptured awe before the cornucopia of works by Vincent van Gogh. On encountering
Vondel
Park
,
I listened to a rock band give a free open-air concert. I believe that I drank
Heineken beer at the brewery, and later wandered the length and breath of
Amsterdam
's
streets and canals. Too spent to hitch-hike the return
journey, I took a train to
Vlissingen
,
a boat to Shoeburyness, and a train to
Liverpool
Street
station,
London
,
UK
Between 1997
and 2003 I flew to
Amsterdam
variously from
Manchester
,
Luton
and
Newcastle
. At some point, I
discovered
Maranon
, a hammock
shop beside the Bloemenmarkt, at the time never
thinking that I would buy the beautiful hammock that now graces my summer
garden between the apple tree and the plum tree. In 2003 I stayed at the City Centre Hotel near Spui, which
was an excellent location for exploring the sights of
Amsterdam
.
The following places in
Amsterdam
are of great importance to me, and I have visited each a number of times:
The Van
Gogh Museum
houses
a world-class collection of paintings. I have even stood in front of Crows in the Cornfield and sketched it! Me! Sketching! There are many of van Gogh's famous paintings here, although A Starry Night is in MoMA (New York), various Sunflowers are in the National Gallery (London), various Arlesian paintings are in the Musee d'Orsay (Paris). The serious van Gogh enthusiast will go online to discover which paintings the museum holds. Wheelchair
access is round the side, and can take twenty minutes longer than able-bodied
access.
The
Rijksmuseum houses a great many works and artefacts from around the world.
Among its many famous paintings are Rembrandt's The Night Watch,
Vermeer's milk-maid, and paintings by both older and
younger Pieter Breugel. There are many Buddhist
sculptures, and the decor of entire rooms. Any visit to the Rijksmuseum has to
be highly selective. There are two accessible entrances for wheelchair users: a
wheelchair lift through a poky doorway round to the side of the entrance used
by most able-bodied people; good access in a distant
wing of the museum fronting Museumplein.
The Stedelijk
Museum is Amsterdam's modern
art gallery, and is also world-class. As usual, this
is one of my favorites, and anyone who frequents Tate
Modern, MoMA, or the like, will enjoy the Stedelijk. Wheelchair access is by wheelchair lift at the
front door.
I
have visited the Anne Frank
House each time I have been to Amsterdam.
When I first visited the House, I was moved and impressed by the political
siren sounded by the House regarding the re-emergence of the extreme political right-wing in Britain
and elsewhere in Europe
. For a while, as her name became
more famous, the political alarm bells of the House seemed gradually muffled into grave
anecdotes about the past. However, once again contemporary fascism in
Britain
and elsewhere in Europe
is considered. The House is a
haven for liberal-minded pluralists seeking an inclusive, multi-cultural,
multi-ethnic participative democracy. However, wheelchair access to other than
the entrance is impossible. Consequently, I had to carry my daughter in my
arms. There are several flights of very steep stairs, and the building is quite
unsuitable for people not steady on their feet. Why is there no elevator?
A
canal boat trip is a must, although, because of the
tourist cliche, I found this difficult to acknowledge
until I had been on one. Walking the canal-side roads is also pleasant, for it
gives a better opportunity to study the architecture.
Two activities that are in my opinion not worth the effort
are:
The
Heineken Brewery is only marginally worth visiting (disabled access poor).
Artis Zoo
is a disappointment: it is more of a menagerie in which humans stare at caged
beasts, than a conservation and research centre as has become the norm in
Britain and elsewhere
.
There is no problem about wheelchair access round the zoo, although getting
there might be a different matter.
There are several vegetarian restaurants, most of which
are vegan-friendly. Two in which I have eaten are De Bolhoed,
Prinsengracht 60 (Jordaan),
626-1803, which has a daily-changing set-price menu, and is convenient when
visiting the Anne Frank House; and Sisters, Nes
102, 626-3970, which I failed to locate during my most recent visit to
Amsterdam, and believe that it has gone. The Flying Saucer was okay. I shall detail more vegetarian restaurants in due course.
Anyone who knows me will also know that smoking in the brown
cafés holds no interest for me. On the other hand, trying different jenevers was a pleasant evening activity until I gave up alcohol.
p.g.h@btinternet.com