Located just outside the Amsterdam centrum, but on the completely opposite side compared to Westerpark, is the lovely Oosterpark. This shouldn’t be surprising; WESTerpark is up in the northwest. OOSTerpark (“oost” means “east”) is in the southeast. It’s a big park, with lots of benches, a big lake, lots of birds, and a bunch of nice footbridges. Just as with…
As a retiree, I spend a lot of my time in parks. In New York City, where I live, I tend to alternate between four different parks, depending on my mood. My favorite is Tompkins Square Park, a quiet neighborhood park in the East Village with a low key, punky, edgy undercurrent. My next favorite is Washington Square Park, for…
Amsterdam is my favorite city. When I sold my veterinary practice and retired four years ago, I bought an apartment there, so I would have a place of my own to stay during my frequent visits. I had an especially great time there in August of 2019, first with my friend Robb who visited the first week of August during…
In March of last year, I visited the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam. I had purchased a MuseumCard which gave me access to a slew of museums in Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands, and I had been methodically going down the list and visiting each one. The Allard Pierson is an archaeological museum with a permanent collection that contains…
In 1998 on a whim I took a trip to The Netherlands to see what all the fuss was about in Amsterdam. Like most other visitors, I immediately became enamored with the city – the impressive architecture, the beautiful canals, the fascinating history, the rich devotion to culture, the laid back cafes, and the open, honest people. I’ve traveled to…
I’m in Amsterdam, up to my neck in Dutch vocabulary, learning the language. Although free time this trip isn’t plentiful, I did manage to slide in several engagements. SEE ALSO: ALL ABOARD THE POEZENBOOT Popped by KattenKabinet hoping there’d be a resident cat or two. There was indeed. SEE ALSO: PREVIOUS VISIT TO KATTENKABINET Went to a very interesting exhibit…
An autobiographical novel that recounts the days when a generation of young people dared to dream of a better world, and sought that world by throwing their stuff in a backpack and traveling the world, with the journey being more important than the destination. In this book, the author recounts the story of how he met the beautiful Karla in…
This delightful little book is a collection of stories, both fiction and memoir, all of which have Amsterdam as one of the characters. The stories are all penned by Dutch writers. In some stories, the presence and feel of the city is barely noted, while in others, the city is the main character. The stories are grouped by the parts…
Monday was the last full day with all four of us, and it was really a terrific day. We saved the best museum, the Van Gogh, for last. There was a fascinating temporary exhibit about his painting, The Sunflowers. First we attended a short talk about the painting. Apparently, after he painted it, Van Gogh felt that the uppermost sunflower…
On Saturdays, there’s a nice farmer’s market called Noordemarkt, on the northern part of the Prinsengracht. The plan was to check it out, and since Udi lives close to the market, pop by his place, introduce the guys to him, and show them the joys of a canal-view apartment. The market was very nice, as usual. Lots of fresh fruits,…
The bleary-eyed bunch woke up around 9:00 a.m. and began screaming for coffee. We pulled ourselves together and hit the street, on our way to Blue, a popular eatery that offers excellent brunch, with a great view of the city. Amsterdam is home to many fantastic museums, and the guys definitely wanted to see the big three: The Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk…