These are the Five ‘Park and Ride’ parking facilities in Amsterdam: P+R ArenA Transferium Burgemeester Stramanweg 130, 1101 EP Amsterdam; at the Ajax Arena stadium, capacity: 500, at freeways A9 and A2, exit Transferium; take either the train or the metro from Bijlmer station into the city, metro lines 54, 50. P+R Bos en Lommer, … Read more
It took a while, but it finally happened, it wasn’t easy either, but Unesco came to a verdict! The Amsterdam rings of canals are adopted by Unesco and placed on its world heritage list. The commission met in Brazil and took from the 26th of July until the 3rd of August 2010 to discuss the … Read more
Rembrandt disliked going to school but loved painting and everything about it. He took an apprenticeship with a history painter called Jacob of Swanenburgh from Leiden and served with him from 1619 until 1622. In 1625 he moved to Amsterdam where he took up another apprenticeship, this time with Pieter Lastman. He opened up a … Read more
Theodorus Johannes Thijssen was born on the 16th of June 1879 in the Eerste Leliedwarsstraat, and he died in Amsterdam on the 23rd of December 1943. With his rise to fame and consequent inclusion to the canon, he thanks a book he wrote called Kees de jongen. Upon the completion of his education, Theo taught … Read more
It’s a good thing for a landlord if he can make his pub about something. Like the biggest, the oldest, the cheapest, the smallest and there we are, we have arrived. Let me introduce you to the so-called smallest tavern in town. Louis Bar café De Dam. Louis Not a bad place to have a … Read more
Now which pub in Amsterdam can rightfully claim to be the oldest one in town? Last week I spoke to a woman (in a pub) who claimed that the one we were at there and then (café Chris) was in fact the oldest. I begged to differ, and I think that even café De Druif … Read more
Who is that weird-looking guy on the horse, and what are those even weirder looking (hm, let’s use the word fellows) around him? That my dear friend is Sinterklaas and his black piets. Who is Sinterklaas, you might ask unless you’re really clever and have already made the connection? Sinterklaas is not his real name, … Read more
When the French invaded the Netherlands at the end of the 18th century, we were not yet a kingdom, and we were, in fact, a republic, I believe. The Frogs did as they pleased and dismissed our frail democratic government. For long, our nation had been divided by those who adhered to the family of … Read more
Parking in this city can be troublesome; working around the parking meters isn’t much fun either. Amsterdam doesn’t encourage driving; our city fathers would rather have you use public transport. Nevertheless, it is possible to find a parking space if you have a little patience and spend a few minutes looking for a suitable spot. … Read more
Amsterdam’s airport is not a part of Amsterdam, iow, it does not lie on Amsterdam soil, it’s location is on land that belongs to the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. They bear the responsibility for what goes on there, not the city of Amsterdam. On the other hand it (Haarlemmermeer) does not own the airport, the state … Read more