Trip to the Netherlands

[thrashaholic]

On my birthday this friday I'll be off to the Netherlands for my holiday, to experience your art and architechture and culture generally (although I'm going with my parents, so no drugs or prostitutes alas ). I'm looking forward to it greatly as I love Baroque art, particularly dutch Baroque. I'm planning on going to the Rijksmuseum to look at all the Rembrandts, specifically the Night Watch, I also hope there'll be some Rubens (my favourite artist) somewhere in Amsterdam or the Hague (the places I'm going).

Anyway, dutch folks of the org, please impart any wisdom upon me before my trip, for example any places I should visit? restaurants? useful phrases I should know? etc.

[edyzmedieval]

Happy Birthday!!!

Well, Netherlands is a very interesting country... I visited it once and I stayed 2 weeks... Very very interesting country.... Hundreds of hectares full of colourful flowers... I personally like the Cheese Wheels

Maybe Tosa or Dutch Guy or Drisos or Emperor Umeu will respond....

[Drisos]

intresting enough to respond.

hello trashaholic,

where are you going in the netherlands? prolly the big cities, amsterdam, the hague and rotterdam? I live in the south, far away from those cities. I don't know much places to visit for you, unfortunately

can you speak dutch a bit? most here speak english, but with such a horrible accent, just annoying.

enjoy it here!

[Ser Clegane]

Rijksmuseum is definitely a "must see". The "Amsterdam Historical Museum" is also definitely woth a visit.

If you go to Utrecht you should visit the Cafe-Restaurant "Graaf Floris" to have some appelbollen

[The Stranger]

i say visit rotterdam,,,,most people that come from other countries come here....i'd say to come to my neigbourhood...old Delfshaven the old Rotterdam port its really cool

[doc_bean]

I think the Rijksmuseum is a bit of a rip off because it's pretty small and pretty expensive, I guess they're well aware that it's a "must see". Amsterdam also has a 'small' historical museum that has a lot of small artifacts from ancient Greece, Roman times and ancient Egypt, though I don't remember the name, well worth the time and money imho. There's also a sex museum in Amsterdam, but I haven't been there (yet ?).

If you're into modern art, or even if you aren't, you can go to the Kroller-Muller museum, it's located in a 'nature park' which is very nice if you're into those things. There's also a castle type thing (a residency for when the owners wanted to go hunting actually) which I thought was very nice.

Have fun !

[TonyJ]

There's also a sex museum in Amsterdam, but I haven't been there (yet ?). :

Believe you me, it is an eye-opener

[thrashaholic]

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone, I'll be sure to check them out when I get there.

[Fragony]

If you like baroque you should go south, you won't find a lot of it. Rijksmuseum is great, Frans Hals museum in Haarlem is great, in Amsterdam it would be art not seeing art, it's everywhere. Have a fun trip.

[Moros]

No, no no go to Amsterdam cause:

Je kan er boeken kopen die,
je hier heel zelden vindt
Je kan er langs de grachten lopen,
haar los in de wind
Je kan er uren slijten,
de parken zijn er groen
Je kan er naar Van Gogh gaan kijken
dat zou je eigenlijk wel eens moeten doen
....
yeah I know I can't sing

[Louis VI the Fat]

Rotterdam and The Hague suck. From a tourist's point of view, that is. The Hague is boring. Rotterdam, no offence, I'm sure it was once a beautiful town before it was utterly destroyed in the Second World War.

Amsterdam rules of course, but you already know that.

My golden tip would be to visit Harlem and Leyden. Drop dead gorgeous, great museums, quaint 17th century architecture and thankfully overlooked by the tourist hordes that are too stoned to leave Amsterdam for a day trip.