My monthly cultural expedition, took me to Van Gogh: My Dream Exhibition.
Why I wanted to go:
[...]
2. The works of Van Gogh on display are reproduced and restored digitally, showcasing the original, vibrant colors of how Vincent painted them.
As a (temporary) Amsterdam citizen chances are you don’t often visit a museum. Of course, we have all been to the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum, when entertaining foreign guests, but let’s have a look at a less iconic Amsterdam museum… you must know by now that the city is full of little secret….
Probably the country’s most nostalgic stables are hidden in the Oud-West area. You may have smelled the horses when biking down the Overtoom. From this street you can see the back of the stables. The entrance of De Hollandsche Manege (1882) is in the stately residential Vondelstraat along the Vondelpark.
So I’m getting a bit nostalgic towards the end of the bucketlist. But if you have lived in Amsterdam and not have been near a wind mill is a bit odd.
There are still 8 wind mills in Amsterdam. The Molen van Sloten (1847) is one of the few that is still actually used. Its function? Two-fold:
Another noteworthy mill is the Riekermolen (1636), located along the Amstel river and still used to keep the area of Buitenveldert dry. Close to the mill, also along the river, is the local hot spot bar-restaurant ‘t Kalfje and the stunning Amstelpark.
Between the Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Kloveniersburgwal and behind large, heavy doors you can enter a most unique (and unofficial) book market. The doors used to guarantee safety to the gold and silver smiths who each had a ‘shop closet’ in the arcade back in the 18th century. Since 1879 the Oudemanhuispoort is home to a daily book market.
For book lovers, also see:
> best English book shops in Amsterdam
> visit design book heaven Mendo (bucketlist #26)
> enjoy a tea at the English bookshop (bucketlist #70).
>meet the Amsterdam elite at the Schuttersgalerij (bucketlist #88)
This tip comes from a 100% Amsterdam couple I met at the i am not a Tourist Fair. What this couple was doing at this expat fair, still beats me! But I'm glad they did as they tipped me about De Prael, which offers much more than just beers!
Superbly located on ‘t IJ, the Bimhuis provides a “perspective on Dutch and international music”. With over 300 concerts per year, the program focuses mainly on jazz and improvised music. The focus is on new developments, but the Bimhuis also offers a significant selection of more mainstream music.
The Bimhuis also stands out for its contemporary design you can imagine that the view at the back, facing ‘t IJ is just spectacular. The ambiance in the bar-restaurant always easy-going and vibrant -quite like the music played. On concert nights the Bimhuis Café and Restaurant are only accessible for concert visitors. After the concert the Café is also open for non-concert visitors.
When in 1881 the Museumplein and surroundings were nothing but marshlands, 2.186 poles of 12-13 meter were drilled in the ground, giving rise to the foundation of Het Concertgebouw. The building opened in 1888, substituting the concert venue Parkzaal in the Wertheim park (bucketlist #82).
first a little confession
Ever had such a ‘fresh looking’ apple that was a brownish mush on the inside? Well, that’s me: I may look young and energetic, but I feel like the opposite.
Thankfully, Deshana Boo is in town to managed to get my body to feel ‘young and fit’ in one session!
In need of (another) holiday, but lack the time? This is my best tip of the year for all you hard-working professionals: a visit to the AKASHA SPA at the Conservatorium Hotel.
All Life in Amsterdam readers receive a free SPA day pass worth E50 with any facial booked; meaning, swimming pool, jacuzzi, hammam, dry sauna, lounging and light snacking.... (read conditions below)
The Melkweg is a true, all round cultural centre, its program unites five artistic disciplines under one roof: music, dance/theatre, film, photography and media art.
Concerts, dance events, theatrical and dance productions, films, media art presentations and photo exhibitions are staged in five halls and several small rooms.
The first ‘Made in Holland’ modern gift shop is that of Saskya & Co. Located on the Singel in the shade of the "Koepelkerk", the shop is a must-visit before your departure.
Unlike other souvenir shops, with mass productions from China and uninspiring items you don’t know what to do with, Saskya’s products are both esthetically appealing, original and remind you of our lovely life in The Netherlands.
The “Normaal Amsterdams Peil”, NAP, is the Dutch reference point of the height measurements. Particularly the water levels of rivers is indicated with ‘meters above/below NAP’. It is commonly regarded that the NAP is equal to the sea level, however the original NAP location is under Dam Square.
Since 2007, the central library of Amsterdam is located in a new building designed by Jo Coenen on Oosterdokseiland, east of Central Station. The public library of Amsterdam, abbreviated in Dutch to OBA, serves more than providing Amsterdam with literature. The foundation aims to provide all Amsterdammers free access to information, knowledge and culture, as well as bringing people together for educational and cultural purposes. Of the ten floors, only half a floor is reserved for Dutch fiction literature.
Served in the world’s most exclusive restaurants, including the former legend restaurant El Buli in Spain, Reypenaer cheese is a true icon. For over a century, the cheese is made by the family van den Wijngaard in Woerden, 40 km south of Amsterdam. Using age-old traditional maturing techniques, the cheeses are given as long as they need to develop their richness and full flavour.
The internationally-acclaimed Conservatorium van Amsterdam offers courses ranging from classical music, jazz and early music to opera, latin and popular music. To give the students stage experience, they often perform at the school or other Amsterdam venues. Enjoy the talents before they become ‘great names’!
View concert agenda of Conservatorium students. The venue of the performance is indicated per concert. Other musts for music-lovers are these (jazz) music bars and a living room concert at a chic canal house (bucketlist #37).
One of Amsterdam’s oldest bars, Cafe Papeneiland, dates back to 1642. At this ‘brown cafe’ enjoy a bite and a drink from the Amsterdam distillery van Wees. When visiting Amsterdam in 2011, Bill Clinton enjoyed a coffee and apple pie at this bar. And righteously so, was he brought to this landmark of a bar: set in a 17th century canal house location at the corner Brouwersgracht and Prinsengracht. Yes, mark Cafe Papeneiland as a must-visit brown bar!
Cafe Papeneiland, Prinsengracht 2, Amsterdam centre.
Also recommended:
> more century-old bars in Amsterdam
One does not need to be a smoker, to appreciate the famous cigar house: House of Hajenius.
In 1825 Pantaleon G.C. Hajenius opened his store on the Vijgendam, nearby the Tobacco Exchange and thirty-odd small cigar factories. Hajenius sourced the best cigar makers nearby to make special cigars for him. The shop immediately attracted prominent citizens and even royalty. To accommodate to the growing clientele, Hajenius had to move his shop to a location on Dam Square and, eventually in 1925, to the Rokin, in which it is still housed.read more >>
Oldest still-functioning Jewish library in the world is the Ets Haim Library in Amsterdam. It has a collection of 30000 volumes, 500 manuscripts dating from 1484 to the present day. Most of the works are in Hebrew. Since 2003, the collection has been classified in UNESCO’s Recollections of the World register. They are particularly useful to understand the history of the Jewish people in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Ets Haim Library, Mr. Visserplein 3, Amsterdam. Visit by appointment T020.4282596.
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