A TRIP TO… AMSTERDAM

C. G. F. 3º Eso A; Nº 16

INDEX:• Little presentation.• 1.First day: Dam Square.• 2.Second day: The Canals.• 3.Third day: Red Neigborhood.• 4.Fourth day: Van Gogh Museum.• 5.Fifth day: Rijksmuseum.• 6.Sixth day: Begijnhof.• 7.Seventh day: Oude Kerk.• 8.Eight day: Heineken Factory.• 9.Ninth day: The house of Anne Frank.• 10.Tenth day: Bloemenmarket, flowermarket.• Other sites.

We are going to stay in Amsterdam for ten days, so I made an itinerary. I´m going to show it you.

AMSTERDAM.Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You can go over it walking, by bicycle or by other mean of transportation such as a tram.It is a cosmopolitan city. Each year, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit this place.In addition, this city is also known for its tulips, principally located in the South-East.

With this presentation, I am going to show you ten places you should visit if you go to Amsterdam; we will visit it next week.

1.FIRST DAY: DAM SQUARE

In our first day we´re going to go to Dam Square. We are going to take a bus towards the centre of the city and then, we will walk until the square.It is the main square of Amsterdam. In the past, the Amstel Dam was there and the city grew around it. We see in this square the Nacional Monument -with an obelisk* shape-, the Real Palace and the Madame Tussauds´ Museum.

*Obelisk: big pillar with four faces and finished in pyramidal tip.

DAM SQUARE

2.SECOND DAY: THE CANALSOn our second day we are going to go to see the canals and the house boats of Amsterdam.With more than 75 kilometres, the canals are the most characteristic feature of Amsterdam. You can travel through them, in boat or walking for their streets seeing the city. There are bridges, peculiar houses and some cafés along them. There are also house boats affixed in their shores; they are an attraction for the tourists.

AMSTERDAM´S CANALS

HOUSEBOATS

3.THIRD DAY: RED NEIGHBORHOODWe will visit the Red Neighborhood on our third day.It is a peculiar neighborhood in Amsterdam. In most of the cities, people would hide a neighborhood like this, but in Amsterdam they don’t. Tourists visit it again and again on their journey. All kind of people walk around it, men, women, families with kids with no problem. In this neighborhood stands out the Sex´s Museum.

RED NEIGHBORHOOD

4.FOURTH DAY: VAN GOGH MUSEUMOn our fourth day, we are going to visit the Van Gogh Museum.In this museum we find the biggest collection of works by Van Gogh. The exhibition follows the evolution of Van Gogh from the countries scenes painted from 1880 until his final works. In 1999 an elliptic space was added and designed by Kisho Kurokawa.

VAN GOGH MUSEUM

5.FIFTH DAY: RIJKSMUSEUMWe are going to visist the Rijksmuseum on our fifth day.The Rijksmuseum is the biggest museum in the country. There is an incomparable collection of Dutch art from the XVII century inside. This museum has more than seven millions of art Works. Stand out “The Vermeer milk seller” and “The Rembrandt night round”.

RIJKSMUSEUM

The Vermeer milk seller The Rembrandt night round

6.SIXTH DAY: BEGIJNHOFOn our sixth day, we are going to visit the Bejinhof.This enclosure was built as a refuge for the “beguinas”, a secular women´s brotherhood. It is a place with elegant houses, located in a green space, far away of the noise of the city. It was founded in 1346.There are a beautiful church, a Wood house from the XV century and a hide chapel as well as the buildings.

BEGIJNHOF

7.SEVENTH DAY: OUDE KERKWe will visit the Oude Kerk in our seventh day.The Oude Kerk is a great basilica. It keeps a lot of his treasures. It also keeps exquisite polychrome stained glass, paintings in the ceiling and a big organ. Today it is located in the centre of the Red Neighborhood but there isn´t any problem with the neighborhood. It is dedicated to San Nicolas, the patron saint of Amsterdam.

OUDE KERK

8.EIGHT DAY: HEINEKEN FACTORYOn our eight day, we are going to go to the Heineken Factory. Beer drinkers will love the Heineken brewery. It is located in the original Factory of this beer. This building was built in 1867 and it worked like a Factory until 1988. The visitors can enjoy the history of the brand, the founders, the secrets of it and his history in the publicity of the brand.The ticket cost 10€ and includes a free glass with beer and a gift.

HEINEKEN FACTORY

9.NINTHDAY: THE HOUSE OF ANNE FRANK

We are going to visit the house of Anne Frank on our ninth day.The secret place of Anne Frank and her family, before being discovered, arrested and sent to a camp, is nowadays a moving museum. Anne Frank died when she was 15 years old, and her diary transform her to a figure of the XX century.The house of Anne Frank is an obligatory place to visit in Amsterdam, because of its emblematic history.

THE HOUSE OF ANNE FRANK

THE HOUSE OF ANNE FRANK

10.TENTH DAY: BLOEMENMARKET, FLOWER MARKETOn our last day, we will go to see the Flower market.In addition to being a tourist attraction, the flower market is the favourite place for the population of Amsterdam for buy plants and flowers. It began operation in 1862 and it is a sample of the love of the Dutch people for flowers. In it you can find all types of flowers, but above all you will find a lot of tulips. It is a visit full of colour and animation.

BLOEMENMARKET, FLOWER MARKET

OTHER SITES

There are also other interesting places in Amsterdam you can visit, such as the CoffeeShops where you can consume marihuana and hash freely; Spui, one of the most know squares in Amsterdam or the Vondelpark, the most know park in Amsterdam.

CoffeeShop Spui Square Vondelpark