Ik hou van Amsterdam [English]

Run away from Amsterdam! Dodge what everybody does! Do not follow the flow! Build your own way just like an unfortunate man like Vicent van Gogh did, a man who died alone, poor and sad, but with the head held high after living a life many would desire. This Dutch genius waltzed to the grave thinking about potato eaters, peasants, wheatfield with crows, chairs, café terraces. He died thinking about himself.

Think about yourself if you want to visit Amsterdam. Do it with the cool head and warm heart, ready to discover an amazing city, a fascinating European capital with a charming trace... even if you visit during one of the wildest cold waves from the last decades. That was our case. But the low temperatures sharpened our senses and we felt eager to know the other side of Amsterdam, the one that runs awat from common places and tourist leaflets to get a feel for the city that goes beyond vices and sins. Welcome to the Amsterdam of nooks and retreats, of the alleys and museums. Welcome to the most delightful Amsterdam, where can be tasted in every bar, every bridge, every herring stand. Welcome to the everchanging city.

The core of our well-organized visit to the main city of the Netherlands were the museums. We wanted to take as a reference some of the most important cultural spaces. We wanted the Dutch Golden Age painting masters to be our guides before paying homage to the favorite son of Zundert while having a cup of coffee gazing at the canals and getting some fresh air to dive into the wonders of science in one of the most wonderful museums of Europe. Always counting with time. Time to stroll, to eat, to go shopping, to breath the brimming Amsterdam. Saving some time to visit a historical house full of mysteries and fantastic stories that we are going to tell in one of the next
articles.

Do it yourself

We wanted it to be a memorable trip, remembered by smaill details and things you cannot find in a travel guide. In fact, we went on our own way. We let our feet to lead us. That is how we discovered unique and fairly unknown places. We visited some extraordinary stores selling a great variety of stuff like rubber ducks, phallic gummies or vintage clothing.

Visiting the green areas and markets is a must in every city. Amsterdam has plenty of both. Vondelpark is a place to get away from the daily life. There is something magical about this place that makes it different depending on the season you visit it. Always has something to offer... and prepares you to the whirlwind of Leidseplein, the heart of the city. Bars, restaurants, shops, concert halls, theaters. What makes Amsterdam different to other places is that anything disturbs you, not even the cars or the noise, you never feel overwhelmed or inhibited. It is like sharing a piece of street with your friends or family. A truly cosy city. It is in the streets where the multiple markets linger: Bloemenmarkt, Albert Cuyp Markt, Waterlooplein... A wonderful urban environment.

Actually, there is something among all the things that we did that could be considered mainstream, probably the only one; a canal cruise seeing the most important places of interest from a totally different point of view!

(To be continued...)

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