When you arrive at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport you'll be whisked from your gate with ultra efficiency first to baggage claim, through customs, then to the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) station located at Schiphol Plaza, the central hall of the terminal. This ultra modern, hi tech introduction contrasts the sixteenth century city you are about to discover. Trains from Schiphol Plaza leave every 15 minutes for Amsterdam Centraal Station.

Amsterdam begins at the brick fronted Centraal Station designed by P.J.H. Cupyers, the architect of the Rijksmuseum. Opened in 1889 the station was built on three artificial islands and 8687 piles. From Centraal Station, Amsterdam Centrum (center) laces out in a cobweb pattern of canals and cobblestone streets.

The canals follow a pattern of city walls and drainage ditches built in the fifteenth to seventeenth century. The straats (streets) and grachts (canals) of Amsterdam are lined with distinctively tall and narrow canal houses, many dating back to the 1600's. There's an certain romance about the storybook canals at night and a depth of cultural heritage in its great art museums; but there are also prostitutes displaying their wares opposite the city's oldest church.

For many, Amsterdam's world-class museums and galleries such as the Rijksmuseum, with its collection of seventeenth century Dutch paintings, and the Van Gogh Museum are reason enough to visit. For others there is sightseeing and shopping centered around Dam square, The Anne Frank House, canal boat tours and nightlife in the Rembrandtsplein, Leidseplein and Waterlooplein neighborhoods.

Far from the fashion of Paris and the clubs of London, Amsterdam enjoys an unpretentious, relaxed atmosphere of intimate bars, canal-side cafes and summer festivals. For the first time traveler to Europe, Amsterdam is an ideal introduction. The city is easy to navigate, has excellent public transportation and almost everyone speaks English, sometimes better than in the United States or London.

 

 

xxxxx SINCE JANUARY 2001