The Hindu Business Line : Of canals, diamonds and more

Amsterdam's crisscrossing canals and canal rides give it a distinct Venetian appeal. But there's more than just that to attract the eye, such as the three-decked floating restaurant, historical mansions and great shopping.

The Keukenhof Garden

Everything they said about Amsterdam was true, we realised, as the breathtaking city in the Netherlands unfolded before our eyes. The museums, the mansions, the bicycles, the nightlife, the canals, were all there as the tourist brochures said they would be, and there was much more. Except the tulips, which could not be seen anywhere because it was winter.

What hit one first about Amsterdam were the beautiful mansions lining the canals. Amsterdam's cityscape is dominated by these canal houses, most of which built by wealthy noblemen as residences, centuries ago. A significant facet of each historical building is its tall facade, topped by ornamental gables, sometimes shaped like steps, sometimes like huge bells. However, for some reason, the gentlemen made their doors small, so every house has a flagpole from which a rope is tied to lift up heavy furniture through the upper floor windows. According to statistics, there are 6,936 historic buildings in Amsterdam, which fall under the jurisdiction of the government, and only 144 are churches and public buildings.

Nearly 25 per cent of Holland is below sea level, that's why the name Netherlands, thus an effective water control system is required to keep the land dry and habitable for the citizens. The authorities spend a lot of money to pump out the seawater, and pumping stations work through the day and night to drain out the excess water. Amsterdam is also called the "Venice of the north" because of the canals crisscrossing the city.

To take a better look at the canal houses, a canal cruise is a must, which can be taken from one of the main city centre canals. We took a canal cruise from near the Central railway station for 8.50 Euro. While the canal cruise was by itself enchanting with the canal houses rushing past the speedboats, several bridges rose up to meet us.

The historical ship, `Amsterdam,' docked near the shipping museum in Amsterdam

The historical ship "Amsterdam" was next, and then there was the three-decked floating restaurant, a Chinese palace that can seat 700 customers at a time. The floating restaurant is apparently illegally docked, as the authorities have issued notice to the owners to move the ship out, but it cannot move unless two bridges that were built after it was docked are broken down, as the large ship cannot navigate under them. So, in a catch 22 kind of situation, the illegally docked floating restaurant stays.

On the canals are also the boathouses. Through the chink in their curtains we could spy the pots and pans on a ledge and, on their decks, the inevitable bicycles for commutation on land.

Speaking about the bicycle, it appeared as though everyone in the city was riding it. The young and the old, even mothers with babies in their baskets, rode like maniacs down the lanes. Bicycles have right of way in Amsterdam and, as a tour guide said, "You may never get run over by a car here, but don't be surprised if you are run over by a bicycle."

There are high-powered bikes, rusty old two wheels, parked willy-nilly on the sidewalks alongside the canals, rows and rows of them near the Central railway station, and there's even a multi-storeyed bicycle parking stand, a rotund building by a canal. If you are wondering whether the owner can recognise his bike from the many parked around his, then there's a way out... he borrows another bike. "It's not called stealing, we call it borrowing in Amsterdam," said a local. So the locks on the bikes are more expensive and ornate than the bicycle itself, and often the bikes are stolen... oops... borrowed for their locks.

If one cannot ride a bike, another easy way to travel around the city is by tram. A round way ticket for the day will allow a tourist any number of trips in the city. No need to worry about which exit to take to board or disembark either, as the trams have three doors, and one can get on or off from any of them.

One of the must-sees in Amsterdam is the open market at Albert Cuyp Street. With stalls lining both sides of the street, everything from vegetables, fish, fruits and nuts to woollens can be bought at throwaway prices here. A woollen scarf can be bought for five Euro, while a cardigan could cost 50 Euro. The market is a delight, and we were lucky to spot an Indian stall owner who gracefully gave us a discount on his goods saying, "Kyuko aap India se hei."

Then, of course, who can forget the diamonds? A visit to a diamond-cutting factory is part of many tours, and many of the diamond factories also offer discounts on their products. "The most popular shape of a diamond is the brilliant cut, it is also the most expensive one," said a salesperson. The brilliant oval, pear princess, heart, marquise and emerald shapes of diamonds are polished in 57 facets as a standard, and each shape is developed to achieve the best possible refraction, brilliancy and scintillation. Perhaps, if one had stopped converting the Euro into Indian rupees, one would certainly have a pair of tiny diamond ear studs.

The diamond shops also sell glass models of famous historical ships. These come at affordable prices, ranging from 17 to 40 Euro. The delicate ships are coloured and come inside glass bottles.

The city's view from the Amistal river cruise

Amsterdam is also a museum city, but it may not be possible to cover all the museums in the city on a short trip. So, it would be best if you chose your museum and cover what you want to see. There's the Van Gogh museum, where a collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh comprising nearly 200 paintings, 500 sketches and 700 letters are exhibited. Paintings by Van Gogh's contemporaries, Gauguin, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec are also on show here. Then there's the Anne Frank House, the museum with a story. The Diary of Anne Frank written between 1942 and 1944 by Anne Frank, when she and her family hid from the German occupying forces until they were betrayed and deported on August 4, 1944. Several museums lie within walking distance of one another at the centre of Amsterdam, near Dam Square, including the Rijksmuseum, where works from Rembrandt are displayed.

Now for the famed nightlife of Amsterdam. The red light district, near the Oude Kerk or the Old Church, is full of narrow lanes and brightly lit windows illuminated by red lights, giving the area its name. Busloads of tourists are taken on a tour of the area, to get a look at the skimpily clad women peeping out of the show windows.

Just as commercial sex is legalised in Holland, soft drugs are also easily available in the "coffee shops." It's the cafes that sell the caffeine. The only rule in the red light district is: No cameras and no photographs, or you may well find yourself at the bottom of one of many Amsterdam's many canals.

Pictures by the author

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