I am-sterdam

**SwordsMaster** · 08-13-2005, 21:43

Yup, heading to Amsterdam shortly and as there are a few dutch organs around I thought you could tell me where can I get nice beer and which bus/train to take to go to/from the airport...

Also what to see, etc.

**Duke Malcolm** · 08-13-2005, 22:46

I hear the women and cafes are quite something

**Dutch_guy** · 08-13-2005, 23:03

Well first of all you can take the train from the airport to the very center of Amsterdam ( Amstersdam CS ) , don't know the exact train to take- but traveling by train , give or take an unfortunate delay from time to time , is a very good means of transportation.
If you do that you're right in the center of the city , very close to the Dam from were you can walk to the nicer streets ( Calverstraat, PC hoofdstraat , Leidsestraat and everywere else you would want to go )
If you like to go see a museum or something like that , I would recommend walking to the Museum plein ( dutch name ) from there you can see the Van Gogh Museum , the Rijksmuseum and the Dutch concert building ( het Concertgebouw - the Dutch name ) it's about a 20 - 25 minute walk from teh central station / or the Dam.
There is one place i'd like to recommmend to take a drink : cafe Luxemburg
A nice place , it's located on a plaza that's called ,once again in Dutch : Het Spui, IIRC it's between The Leidsestraat and The Dam , and IIRC it's close to a University , don't really know exactly what that university is called but there's only one in Central Amsterdam
And it

Well Amsterdam is a fun city , as a matter of fact I'm going there tomorrow so I might be able to edit this post with some recent ideas / other nice places to see etc.

Ánd when in Doubt you can always just ask , Tourist are plentiful in Amsterdam so lot's of Dutch people speak a fair amount of English.

ANyway , Have fun in Amsterdam !

**SwordsMaster** · 08-13-2005, 23:10

Cool, thanks a lot!

See, the thing is, I can ask the tourist office or whatever but most of the time they'll point me to the places advertised in their handouts which experience proves not to be the nicest/homiest places but the 'touristy' ones. I don't want to go to a cafe where everyone is dressed in 'traditional' dresses and serve 'traditional Amsterdamian (jk)' breakfast. Don't like massed tourism myself. Must be because I work with tourists...

**SwordsMaster** · 08-23-2005, 19:45

Small update. Just came back from Amsterdam and loved it loved it loved it!!!
It rivals Rome on my personal city ranking with beautiful women, good coctails, decent beer and apfeltart. Loads of apfeltart.

and women

Seriously now I loved the city. It is very well planned, spacious and homy at the same time with unexpected alleys with beautiful views on a hidden part of a canal or small little cafes with good coffee and apfeltart.

Everyone cycles around and I was actually surprised at the tolerance the drivers, tram drivers and above all taxi drivers have with cyclists and the lack of crashes and other incidents that would invariably happen with tedious frequency in any other city of the world.

I was impressed by the variety of Amsterdam´s residents. From the poshest and richest jewish diamond-crafters on PC Hooftstraat to a jamaican chess-champion playing for money on the Damrak (man, he was good!!) it is all reflected in the city smoothly and harmonically. Not always, obviously and I have presenced a fight or two myself on Sunday night, but hey, there will always be assholes...

And the women. Ah! the women...... No words can describe the feeling that invades a man´s heart when his only decision to see beauty is the decision as to in which direction to look. Magnificent.

On the downside, tourists are also prey for Amsterdam's lowest. Care and common sense are needed when tackling the streets at night (I´ve never have been offered so much cocaine in 1 night....), and It is my recommendation to walk home sober enough to be able to think clearly, specially if the walk is long and you look like tourists.

But that is common to most big cities, and does not subtract from Amsteram's charm. I recommend it.

**edyzmedieval** · 08-23-2005, 19:58

Have you visited the Red Neighborhood(or what it's called with the "women")?!

**Dutch_guy** · 08-23-2005, 20:32

good to hear all went well !!!

Apart from the cocaine part- which I find pretty disturbing :S, didn't think that would be an issue , I wouldn't be surprised if someone offered to sell you weed or something soft, but not cocaine...

Did you by any chance see / or visit Sail ( the big boating event in Amsterdam ) , I went there last weekend , I really liked it a lot , and I'm not even a big boat fan , so to say.

PS : Edyz, it's the red light district

**edyzmedieval** · 08-23-2005, 20:38

Originally Posted by Dutch_guy

PS : Edyz, it's the red light district

Thanks for correcting me.
I'm really curious to see it.

**SwordsMaster** · 08-23-2005, 20:42

Yup I went for a stroll there on Sunday night, imressive but not too tempting I must say.

And yes, I managed to catch the last day of SAil 05, and saw the fireworks. I didnt manage to visit all the ships obviously but I have some cool pics with all the masts and stuff.

**Adrian II** · 08-23-2005, 21:17

Originally Posted by SwordsMaster

Yup I went for a stroll there on Sunday night, imressive but not too tempting I must say.

It is mainly a tourist attraction ranking with the cheese and the tulips. Sail was great again, though too many ships and too many chunks of the harbour were claimed by sponsors for their own customers this time round. They will have to open things up more to the public five years from now.

Glad you enjoyed my city. Did you see the filth accumulating because of the dustmens' strike? Hope it didn't bother you much.

Apparently the women kept you too busy anyway. I'm rather proud of our new breed of women, they are the result of five decades of healthy food, physical exercise in schools, excellent dentistry, an improving taste in clothes and increased sexual liberation. Hmm. Yes.

**SwordsMaster** · 08-23-2005, 23:48

It was dirty and smelly. Even compared to my place which is saying something....

Dam square was kinda disgusting I have to say but I successfully avoided taking pictures with piles of rubbish in the background (although my mate almost crashed into one with his bike...very funny) I learned about the strike from the girl in the coffee shop (yeah, what?! it IS legal there....)

Apparently the women kept you too busy anyway. I'm rather proud of our new breed of women, they are the result of five decades of healthy food, physical exercise in schools, excellent dentistry, an improving taste in clothes and increased sexual liberation. Hmm. Yes.

Can't agree more. Good breeding.

**doc_bean** · 08-24-2005, 10:50

Originally Posted by AdrianII

Apparently the women kept you too busy anyway. I'm rather proud of our new breed of women, they are the result of five decades of healthy food, physical exercise in schools, excellent dentistry, an improving taste in clothes and increased sexual liberation. Hmm. Yes.

I thought it was all the estrogen in the water

**Geoffrey S** · 08-24-2005, 14:52

Originally Posted by AdrianII

Glad you enjoyed my city. Did you see the filth accumulating because of the dustmens' strike? Hope it didn't bother you much.

Ah, I was wondering about that. I haven't checked the newspapers in a while, and was rather unpleasantly surprised when wandering around the center in the weekend.

Originally Posted by SwordsMaster

And yes, I managed to catch the last day of SAil 05, and saw the fireworks. I didnt manage to visit all the ships obviously but I have some cool pics with all the masts and stuff.

It was good. Went there with some friends, it made a nice change from heading into Utrecht.