Secret places in Amsterdam that you won't find in a typical travel guide. What to take with you to the Netherlands Transfer things to the Netherlands

Amsterdam, how many days to go? What to see in Holland

Keywords: What to see in Amsterdam, routes, Sights of Amsterdam.

Many who are going to Amsterdam for the first time ask questions like "How many days are enough for a trip?", "What to see in Amsterdam?", "Should I rent a car?" etc. and so on. You will find answers to all questions in the main topic Amsterdam from A to Z (this is for those who came here from a search engine), and in this topic we will see what interesting things can be found outside the glorious city of Amsterdam.

We hasten to assure you that the surroundings of Amsterdam are no less interesting and no less colorful than the capital of the Netherlands itself. And if you have the time and money - take a ride in Holland, you definitely won't regret it! Distances are small, all interesting places can be visited in a couple of days, any town can be easily reached by public transport (rather troublesome, of course) or sightseeing buses. But it is better, of course, to rent a car. Then it will be quite easy to get out in Bruges for a day, just a 2-hour drive from Amsterdam :)

But back to our sheep sights. Where and what is in Amsterdam and beyond, you can always look at our map. Descriptions are given for all marked objects, you can easily create your own route.

If you are planning a trip between mid-March and mid-May, then it would be a real crime not to visit the Keukenhof Royal Tulip Park

By the way, if you rent a car, a trip to Keukenhof can be easily combined with a visit to The Hague, where the Royal Palace and Mathurodam Park - "Holland in Miniature" are located. Along the way, admire the endless fields of tulips, an impressive sight!

On the outskirts of Amsterdam, in the north, there are two wonderful Dutch villages. Rather, these are museum towns, a kind of tourist paradise in Holland. But the obvious tourist orientation of these places does not take away their beauty and attractiveness, rather, on the contrary, you can have a very good time here, especially if you are going to Holland for the first time.

The first town is called Zaanse Schans. Here you will see real mills, visit a working cheese factory and a workshop for the production of national Dutch shoes - wooden shoes, which are called Klomps here.

By the way, if you wish, they will take measurements from you and immediately make real clogs. An interesting sight! :)

Here you can try real Dutch herring and there is just an awesome attraction here: your family or company will be dressed in national clothes and take a photo as a keepsake while you pretend to be busy solving everyday problems in a real Dutch home. Laugh! :)

In the south, about forty kilometers from Amsterdam is the town of Utrecht. Not only can the whole of Utrecht be said to be a monument of Dutch architecture and simply stunning with its calm beauty, just a couple of kilometers from here is the largest and oldest castle in the Netherlands - Castel de Haar.

This is where the real beauty and majesty lies! And what a park around the castle ... Try to go here for sure!

Many go to the Netherlands just to relax in coffee shops or admire the symbols of the country - tulips and windmills. But in fact, if you take a closer look, you can see many interesting places, ancient buildings, beautiful streets of cities and resorts where festivals and carnivals take place. When wondering what to see in Holland, be prepared for many hours of excursions and do not forget to grab a camera to capture the most interesting corners and amazing landscapes.

For example, getting to Amsterdam, not a single tourist leaves without a photo against the background of huge letters " I amsterdam". Only the lazy bypass the 24-meter inscription.

Masterpieces of Dutch architecture, cultural and historical heritage

Today in the Netherlands must-visit for tourists is red light district (in Amsterdam). In terms of popularity, this place takes the second place of honor after the composition of the letters "I amsterdam". At night, the old buildings and signs of brothels are beautifully illuminated by the red light of lanterns, and during the day cinemas, cafes and bars for people of different sexual orientations, museums, sex shops and shops open their doors.

Castles, residences, churches and bridges

The cultural heritage of the country is represented by preserved castles, forts, residences, cathedrals, churches, basilicas and other beautiful old buildings.

Royal Palace in Amsterdam (1655) - one of the most beautiful and, on a par with this, the most luxurious building in the city. Going on a tour, you can appreciate all the chic of the interior, and at the same time admire the works of Dutch artists.

No less beautiful old lo castle and its luxurious gardens with fountains and sculptures, terraces and parterres, thanks to which Law was dubbed the Versailles of the North. The castle is a state museum presenting an exposition of the three-century history of the royal house of Orange-Nassau.

Another lock which cannot be overlooked - Ammersoen . This building seems to have descended from the pages of textbooks about the Middle Ages. There is a small park around the castle, and ceremonial events and excursions are held inside for those who want to admire the beautiful architectural monument.

In the northeast of the Netherlands, an ancient fort - Bourtange (Bourtange). If you look at the map, you can see the unusual layout of the fort - in the shape of a star. Four museums are open to visitors, including the Captain's House Museum, a cinema and an old barracks from 1742.

Churches in Holland are majestic and beautiful. The largest of all - Church of Sint Bavo (Harlem), built in the late Gothic style in 1445 at the suggestion of the architect Evert Spurwater. St. Bavo Cathedral is the grave of the artist Frans Hals, and the organ installed in the church was played by such famous personalities as Mendelssohn, Handel and Mozart.

If Sint-Bavo is the largest church in the country, then Basilica Sint Servas - the oldest in Holland. The name of the basilica was given in honor of the bishop - St. Servas, who was buried here. Despite its considerable age, the interior is very elegant and neat. The column of Charlemagne has also been preserved.

western church Westerkerk built and decorated in the style of the Renaissance. The sounds of an ancient organ can still be heard within the walls of a tall, spacious church. Westerkerk gained popularity not due to its size or elegance of decoration, but after the burial of the great Rembrandt within its walls.

The canals and bridges of the Netherlands are amazing and beautiful. Popular with travelers Bridge of Saint Servatius (Maastricht) connects the eastern and western banks of the Meuse. The length of the bridge is 160 meters, and the width is 9. The first builders of the bridge were the Romans (50 AD), who threw wooden platforms across the river. Therefore, sometimes the bridge is called the Old Roman. There is also a tragic moment in the history of the building - in 1275 the bridge suddenly collapsed and about four hundred people died under the rubble.

Hovenring Bridge (Eindhoven) - a modern building for cyclists and pedestrians, having the shape of a circle with a diameter of 72 meters. Surprising is the ability of the bridge to rotate. Movement is especially noticeable at night, in the rays of illumination.

Museums

Especially many museums are concentrated in the Museum Quarter of Amsterdam. They work all year round. Going to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of the city and the country, you will find a huge number of extraordinary expositions on a variety of topics: the Museum of Bags, the Cat's Cabinet, the Museum of Torture, etc.

The most famous and largest art museums in Holland

Among the most famous museums worth visiting in the first place, the following can be distinguished:

• Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) with an exhibition of more than 200 drawings and paintings;
• The State Museum - Rijksmuseum with a collection of paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, photographs and other exhibits. The basis of the art collection is the work of Rembrandt, Vermeer, de Hooch, Steen, Hals, van Scorel and other sculptors and painters;
• Hermitage Museum (Amsterdam), where every 5 months the exposition of exhibits from the storerooms of the St. Petersburg Hermitage is updated. The area of ​​the museum is about four thousand square meters, the cost of the entrance ticket is 15 euros;

IN Museum of the Boymann van Beuningen in addition to the works of Dutch and foreign artists (including Rubens, Hals, Rembrandt, Steen, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Titian, Degas and others), there are collections of sculptures, exhibitions of engravings and other expositions. In addition, there is a library for visitors, which is over a hundred years old, with a modern video room.

An interesting collection of maritime subjects is collected in the open-air museum. National Maritime Museum Amsterdam includes: documents and paintings, drawings and drawings, parts of ship equipment, models of ships made of wood, as well as a real copy of the East India Company ship "Amsterdam", moored next to the museum building.

And if in the Maritime Museum visitors get acquainted with the history of the city and the country, then in Madame Tussauds museum collected a grandiose number of wax exhibits, accompanied by video and audio effects.

If your soul wants to get a portion of strong impressions, go to Museum of the human body (Amsterdam). The interior corresponds to the name - each separate room completely copies the internal organs of a person. Visitors can walk around the abdominal cavity on their own, hear the sound of a heartbeat, see muscle contractions, etc. All important information is presented on special screens, and video and audio effects complement the extraordinary experience of visiting the museum.

Even stronger impressions are guaranteed from a visit Museums of Sex and Erotica . Only persons over 16 years of age are allowed to view the expositions. Entrance costs 4 euros. Within the walls of museums exhibits are presented from the most modest to frankly shocking.

Windmills

There are more than a thousand windmills and watermills in Holland. Most of them are concentrated in Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, Schiedam and Kinderdijk. Ancient mills served for a wide variety of purposes: pumping water, sawing wood, grinding grain, etc. You can visit the mills completely free of charge, and on National Mill Day (every second Saturday in May) they are additionally decorated with flowers and flags.

Things not to be missed in Holland

Not only adults, but also children will be curious to get acquainted with representatives of the fauna of different continents. IN zoos Bleidorp (Rotterdam), Natura Artis (Amsterdam), the Monkey Reserve (Apenhöul) is home to a huge number of land and marine life, birds and butterflies, reptiles and reptiles. Each of the zoos is unique and very interesting.

What else to see in Holland? The whole of Holland in miniature Madyurodam park . Here you can walk along miniature streets past human-height skyscrapers and look down on flower fields, windmills, gardens, markets and much more.

Coffee shops and smartshops

Coffee shop and smartshop are the establishments without which it is impossible to imagine Holland. And if not everyone takes the risk of acquiring drugs, then everyone will be interested in looking at smoking devices and pastries with the addition of hallucinogens.

Nature of the Netherlands

The nature of Holland is better to admire in the spring. At this time of the year, thousands of flower buds bloom in the fields and gardens, painting everything around with bright colors. Even the most indifferent skeptics cannot but admire this beauty.

De Hoge Veluwe National Park

When you buy your ticket, be prepared to spend a whole day exploring this national park, the world's only museum of underground life, and seeing Van Gogh paintings. Bicycles are available for rent for visitors. Having traveled through wastelands and water meadows, winding roads and admiring the rarest plants, wandering through the walls of three museums, you can go for a walk in a horse-drawn carriage or look into a cafe, restaurant or local shop.

Keukenhof flower gardens

Keukenhof Park, called the Gardens of Europe, covers an area of ​​​​32 hectares. In this area, flower growers are engaged in breeding roses, orchids, daffodils, lilacs and tulips. Fantastic beauty is complemented by a dizzying floral aroma.

It is simply impossible to answer the question “What to see in Holland”. Worthy of attention are both entire cities and individual masterpieces of architecture, both the resorts of the country, and its chic gardens, parks and fields, both extraordinary museums and quite traditional exhibition halls. The itinerary of the trip depends entirely on your preferences. And whatever they are, there will always be a lot of interesting and unknown in the country with two names - Holland and the Netherlands.

Climate in Holland

When you go on a trip, you need to prepare for what kind of weather will await you in a foreign country. Is it constantly hot there or is it cool in the evenings, and is it necessary to take warm clothes? Does it often rain? And how is the weather in the capital of the country different from the weather in other regions?

Climate features in Holland

The climate in Holland is the same in almost all parts of the country due to the absence of mountain peaks.

Transport in Holland

You can fly to Holland by plane, train, bus. There are several types of public transport in the country itself: railway, metro, bus. You can also use the services of a taxi, car rental or rent a bicycle.

How to get to Holland?

The most popular form of transport to travel to Holland is by plane. But if you are afraid of flying, you can take the bus or train.

Dutch cuisine

In addition to the red light districts and coffeeshops of Amsterdam, there are things in Holland and the Dutch that will surely enchant you. What surprises tourists in the Netherlands?

1. Stingy and Thrifty Dutch

The Dutch, as you know, are stingy people, so they have a difficult relationship with other people. For the holidays, it is customary to bring your own products so that the organizers do not incur additional cash costs. There is even the phrase "let's go Dutch", which expresses the desire to divide the bill equally among everyone.

One item that proves that the Dutch are mega frugal is the so-called "bottle scraper". Such a traditional kitchen tool for them is designed to thoroughly clean all the contents in elongated bottles. So that nothing is lost.

2. The ubiquitous bikes

There are more bicycles in the Netherlands than people and a population of over 16 million. Each resident has at least two bicycles: one for daily use and the other for walking. The Dutch love their bikes, some use 2-3 padlocks to prevent vehicle theft.

It's nice to take a bike tour of a Dutch city and see some amazing local sights. There are special bike paths marked with white signs.

3. Passion for puree

The Dutch love to make mashed potatoes (eten prakken). Not only from potatoes. They grind any product. The best example of the Dutch love for mashed potatoes is the traditional "stamppot" dish. It is prepared from greens and various vegetables. Everything is boiled, then ground and topped with sausage. Some Dutch even turn pasta and french fries into a mess.

4. Chocolate chips

We are accustomed to chocolate chips on ice cream or donuts, but in the Netherlands this sweetness is sprinkled on bread, washed down with a glass of milk. Such shavings are called Hagelslag here and are eaten not only by children, but also by adults. Hahelslah is produced in different colors and flavors. The Dutch love to sprinkle these chips on their peanut butter sandwiches.

5. Abbreviations

If you want to speak and understand Dutch, there is one thing that will make this process more difficult: abbreviations. The Dutch love their abbreviations so much that sometimes they seem to use them. Trying to understand their speech is like trying to crack a secret code. At the same time, foreigners often experience disappointment, especially when they have to fill out some papers. For example: a.s. (aanstande), meaning "upcoming" or "next"; a.u.b. (alstublieft), which means "please".

6. Wide open curtains

In the Netherlands, the curtains are either wide open all day or none at all. Do the Dutch always want to see what's outside? Trying to let more light into the living room? Or just don't want to buy curtains? Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Dutch are open-minded. But do not try to look through the windows what they are doing. This cannot be done.

7. Dutch Birthdays

When you are invited to a Dutchman's birthday party, besides food and unlimited booze, you will be surprised by something else. It is customary for them to congratulate every person who came to the party. Be prepared to hear a lot of "Gefeliciteerd" or "congratulations" addressed to you on other people's name days. You will feel like the main "culprit" of the celebration, as if it were your birthday.

8. Rhinotillexomania (nose-picking)

This is true. They don't care about the presence of other people when they are cleaning their nose. The study showed that more than 90% of the Dutch people pick their nose and only 50% of people consider this action disgusting. Strange habit.

9. Immediacy and directness

The Dutch always say what's on their mind. It may sound rude, shocking, or offensive, but such directness is considered a true Dutch trait that foreigners do not accept. They just value honesty and sincerity. In fact, many Dutch people think that English and American politeness is a sign of pretense and hypocrisy.

Before starting, I want to write that we were going to Amsterdam in order to put a tick next to each item in the list of 10 things to do in Amsterdam.

This will be the most honest account of our three day visit to Amsterdam. I will not lie to myself or to the readers, there will be only the truth and nothing but the truth.

So the list:

1. Spend the night on a boat in Amsterdam.

This item was like a “must have” for us. For us, it was a matter of principle to live in Amsterdam on the canal in a boathouse (the so-called boats in which you can live). Bothouses look like this:

Boathouses cost like heroin, from 200 euros a night. We honestly found the cheapest option. The option was with bad reviews, that the owner of the boat was throwing. But the dream of living on a boat in Amsterdam was stronger than common sense, and as a result, what we have: we arrived at 10 pm in Amsterdam, arrived at the place where the boat was supposed to be, but we did not find it.

The owner of the boat first answered the phone, but said that he was at a party, and the boat was in place and that we were fools that we could not find it. An hour later, he switched off his phone altogether. And having caught a local native and explaining to him who we are looking for, we received an answer that he knows the owner and this boat, but she sailed away two days ago and did not appear here again.

We were forced to urgently look for another option for lodging for the night, and it was already 2 am in the yard. And our dream was shattered by our own credulity and faith in people.
Completed: no

2. Rent a bike and ride the streets of Amsterdam

There are not just a lot of bicycles in Amsterdam, there are so many of them that it seems to me that there are even more of them than the inhabitants of Amsterdam.

Initially, we did not plan to rent a bike, but we kept in mind that we seemed to have enough time and if there was even the slightest opportunity to rent, if not a bike, then at least something similar to it, then we would definitely take it.

As you already understood, we didn’t have enough time or determination to get a bike.
Completed: no

3. Sailing through the canals of Amsterdam

Any guide to Amsterdam says that if you were in Amsterdam and did not swim through the canals of Amsterdam, then you consider the city and did not see it. And the cost of excursions compared to other prices in Amsterdam is simply ridiculous 8-10 euros per person, and if you buy on shares, you can even pay only 4 euros.

This time I can’t think of an excuse that we didn’t have enough, but we watched the excursion along the canals of Amsterdam from the shore, coming up with many reasons why it’s better on the shore: it doesn’t get sick, and beer and wine are at hand, and the toilet is nearby, etc.
Completed: no

The national delicacy of Holland is herring, served with or without onions in a bun. It is sold on the street as fast food, it costs 4 euros. Reviews on the Internet say that the herring is very tender and magical. My opinion: a herring is like a herring, like our Belarusian matias. But we had to start crossing off items from the list. And as the Internet trolls say: first nah.

Completed: yes

Everything is simple here. We knew where these letters were, we walked purposefully towards them (after all, we have purposefulness) and we took this selfie. .

Completed: yes

We spent 3 days in Amsterdam. And they visited the red light district 6 times. And all 6 times they went around every street and alley. We remembered every “night butterfly” and by the third day we knew where they were cute, and where they were not for everyone.
.

Completed: yes

Amsterdam smells of marijuana, this smell followed us everywhere. Passing by any coffeeshop (an institution where you can officially buy a shoal of grass), at first we didn’t understand what the smell was, only then we realized that it was Kumar from smoked shoals.
One joint costs 5 euros. Moreover, you can always tell the waiter whether you are a beginner, an amateur or a pro, and they will bring you either something stronger or weaker.
Did we smoke? No. Were you going to smoke? Yes.

Our friends, without waiting for us, took one joint for two. As a result, one almost died right in the coffeeshop, and he tried to call an ambulance 10 times. After listening to these stories, we decided to save 5 euros.
Completed: no

The flower market is large-scale, the choice is huge. Report on visiting the flower market on the links above. Bought bulbs according to the following scheme. Everyone took a package of 20 bulbs (4 euros for 20 pieces) of the same type of tulips, and then, upon returning home, they all had to change with each other. Everyone took beautiful exotic varieties that you can’t buy from us as a gift to their parents.

The plan is perfect, if you do not take into account the fact that in the company we had a beautiful, slender, smart little hand, who is not able to take the bulbs home. As a result, we were left with one type of tulips. But the mission is completed and the tulips are bought.
Completed: yes

Continuation of this story as of 2019:

Those tulips that we brought, all exchanged with each other and gave away to their parents. Those, in turn, immediately planted overseas hotels. All the tulips have risen. But without exception, all are ordinary red or yellow, of which we have a million on March 8. This is how our tourist is deceived.

Amsterdam is famous for its museums. This is not a museum, but a must-visit attraction. But our spiritual world is quite quickly saturated with beer even without museums, so we decided that we don’t need all the museums and two are enough - the Heineken Beer Museum and perhaps if we don’t squeeze 17 euros, then we will visit the Rijksmuseum, where in a silent environment thousands of eyes rise above the frailty of the world a fascinating painting by Rembrandt "Night Watch". I won’t drag out the intrigue - we squeezed 17 euros.

And museums such as Madame Tussauds, the Van Gogh Museum, the Rembrandt Museum, the Museum of Erotica and the Museum of Sex - immediately decided not to visit, since we don’t learn anything new there, and the entrance to each of the museums costs 3-4 glasses of beer in a tavern .
I will say more, we didn’t even get to the beer museum, because on the planned day at 9 in the morning we both woke up and started drinking beer, ehhh ... ..
Completed: no

10. Delicious food at a Dutch restaurant in Amsterdam

It hurts to talk about it, but we walked around Amsterdam for three days and every day tried to go to a local national restaurant and eat national food. Since the prices for dishes start from 20 euros, we carefully chose the restaurant and delayed the pleasure for later.

And here it is, the last day. We are 6 hungry people who have been drinking beer for 10 hours and craving a gastronomic feast. And what we have as a result: a Mexican restaurant, where for 140 euros we ate 6 burritos and drank 6 glasses of beer. So screwing up without special talent is not possible.
Completed: no

Outcome: 6:4 in favor of Amsterdam. There will definitely be a rematch, and we will return better prepared, but we will definitely return, because we have something to answer this city.
Amsterdam is waiting for us!

And it doesn't matter that we went to Amsterdam to cross out all 10 points, but did not even do half of what was planned. Memories from this trip will remain forever.

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It all started with a chat with a Dutchman and his offer to visit Holland. He offered to meet me at the airport and stay at his house. The proposal was made on the first day of our acquaintance, so it was a little alarming. But having secured the promise of my friends that if they didn’t receive news from me within two days, they would start looking for me through Interpol, I decided to take a chance and go. For two weeks…

My boss, an experienced traveler, asked: “What are you going to do there for so long? There's only Amsterdam and that's it…”

I must say right away that the Dutch acquaintance turned out to be a wonderful host, who loves and knows his country. He had a lot of booklets and pamphlets ready at home so that I could choose what I want to watch. He decided to take a vacation and travel a bit with me. So Interpol was not needed. And in Holland there was not only Amsterdam ...

I flew to Schiphol on the morning of Friday 14 May. Safely lost in a huge airport, which happened to me for the first time in my entire travels. I stood in line of transit workers at passport control. It turned out I was on the other side. There was no queue, only the border guard was bored in the booth. Border, luggage, patiently waiting for me friend and here it is Holland! White cumulus clouds in the blue sky, green fields with yellow spots of dandelions and fat well-groomed cows, sheep and other living creatures, picturesquely located against this bright background. Toy houses along the road, immersed in greenery and flowers..

The city in which I was to live for the next two weeks is called Woerden. Very cute and friendly town. From it 20 minutes to Utrecht, 40 to Rotterdam, 45 minutes to Amsterdam. The central square of the city resembles a piece of Amsterdam - a canal, yachts, similar architecture of houses, a restaurant on the pier. There are many channels in the city. One flows right in front of my friend's house and a duck family swims peacefully along it, fed by all the neighbors. And the neighboring cats lazily watch the ducks and do not even try to eat the duck when they go out to sit on the grass in front of the house ... Peace and quiet! It is good to live in such towns. There is no such dominance of Turks, Moroccans, etc., as in large cities. The result is security. And for entertainment - in Amsterdam or Rotterdam or ... Fortunately, the country is small, everything is nearby!

We traveled by car. The undeniable advantage of such a trip is that there is no need to rush anywhere. You are not tied to a tour group and a strictly defined time of arrival / departure. There is time to walk in the parks, see everything for your pleasure, sit in a cafe and relax. I will try to write about the places we visited and give some prices for entrance tickets (for adults). If someone is going, you will know what to expect.

On Saturday morning we went to see the first sight. De Haar Castle in Haarzuilen. 19th century castle built on the site of an old castle in the countryside. I am more attracted by the appearance of castles and their parks, so I did not go inside. And if you want to take a gorgeous photo of yourself / beloved against the backdrop of the castle, then do not be lazy, go around the pond along the path through the park, and from the other end of the pond you will get a wonderful view of both the castle and the pond with swans swimming in it, and all this is framed luxurious green park. And here you are sitting on the grass in the middle of all this splendor.

Enough for Saturday, because in the evening we are going to Rotterdam for a techno party!

The party starts at 10pm. Face control and body search (i.e. search) for drugs .. They don’t find anything on anyone, but after 2 hours everyone is high, including me ... This was my first experience of dope smoking. Unfortunate I must say..

The first impression of the party - Mom, where am I? And I am in one of the premises of the former warehouses of the port of Rotterdam. Concrete floors, iron walls and a roof, some metal structures everywhere .., a huge screen on the wall and color music lights. The party continues until seven in the morning. As the hall fills up, additional rooms open. In total, about three thousand people gather in the morning. Music at first lightened, but the further, the steeper. The head is already working separately from the brain. In a sense - the brain is turned off, and the head is trying to nod to the beat of the music .. Nobody talks to anyone (you still can’t hear anything), nobody pays attention to anyone, everyone is busy, who likes what - they drink, smoke, kiss, dance, someone is already twisting right on the floor. Yeah, that's why the scenery is like this! Of course, why, in this situation, carpet on the floor! A concrete floor is sufficient.

I don’t know, maybe someone gets high, but I didn’t like such a party. It lacks a soul. By the way, the entrance ticket is 35 euros. Food and drinks for an additional fee. According to friends, on average, such a fun night costs 100 - 150 euros per person.
For obvious reasons, Sunday fell out of the schedule of trips around the country - it was a waste..

On Monday we go to the flower park Keukenhof. This was the last week the park was open. The tulips have begun to wilt.. Still, the park is magnificent! Some varieties cannot even be called tulips until you read the label. The colors and sizes are varied. At some, the edges of the petals look like a fringe cut with scissors. And black tulips seemed to me the most unusual. They were bred to show off the beauty of black. So black is beautiful!

In addition to tulips, the park has pavilions with lilies, gladioli, orchids and other flowers. Throughout the park you can see miniature sculptures - a kind of exhibition of avant-garde artists; there is a pond, fountains and a mill, where you can go and climb to the observation deck. It overlooks the fields of tulips and you see a multi-colored striped carpet below.

After a walk in the park, it's nice to sit in a cafe by the fountain and drink a cup of hot chocolate while eating small, walnut-sized pancakes. They are cooked in front of you, you can do it without filling, or you can use strawberries, apples, etc. A piece of butter is placed on top and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Death to the figure, but sooooo delicious!

From the flower park we go to The Hague to the Madurodam miniature park. There are similar parks in many countries. I saw one in Thailand. But the Dutch one is characterized by the fact that small copies of only Dutch sights are collected there. Feel like Gulliver! The park became a kind of guide for me - I looked at several layouts that I wanted to see later in the original.

A short trip around The Hague was limited to a trip to the Binnenhof - the seat of the Dutch Parliament. In general, the center of The Hague at the height of the working day looks deserted. Life is in full swing only on the shopping street and on the Scheveningen beach. You can go there just to walk along the seaside boulevard or sit in a cafe on the beach. For lovers of the underwater world - the largest marine aquarium in the Netherlands Sea Life. All! Home! Tomorrow is Amsterdam. I already understand that Holland is not only Amsterdam ... And yet without visiting it, one cannot say that he was in Holland. I was looking forward to this meeting. The expectation was justified. I fell in love.

I will not describe the beauty and architecture of the buildings, this has already been done many times and better than I could. I can only repeat the epithets “toy”, “gingerbread”, “unusual”, “fabulous” houses... Yes, it looks like Venice (by standing on the water). It looks a bit like the Czech Republic (in the gingerbread architecture of the buildings). It looks like Paris with its summer cafes and a large number of black people on the streets. And at the same time, it is unlike any other city I have seen so far. Something in the atmosphere ... it's impossible to convey, you have to feel it.

We arrived in Amsterdam early in the morning, intending to spend the whole day in the city. We parked the car in a huge garage next to Dam Square and moved towards the Museum Square. The path passed through shopping streets, still quiet at 9 o'clock in the morning. Museum Square is distinguished by trees without leaves. I don’t know if they dried out, they were cut off on purpose, or the type of trees is such - leafless, but it looks unusual and quite corresponds to the place - next to the Van Gogh Museum, also an unusual place. In addition to Van Gogh, paintings by Gauguin, Monet, Chagall, Malevich and others are exhibited.

On the same square are the State (with collections of old Dutch masters) and City (modern art) museums.

From Museum Square, close to Vondelpark. A good resting place for tired tourists - you can lie on the grass by the pond and gain strength for further travel around the city. The atmosphere is very relaxing - families come for picnics, students read something with a smart look, someone just sleeps on the grass, rollerblades and cyclists ride along their paths. Despite the large number of people in the park, it is quiet, only birds break the silence.

We return to Dam Square. It is no longer as quiet as in the morning. A regiment of tourists has arrived. The steps around the column-monument to the victims of the war are dotted with people sitting and lying. This is a gathering place for tour groups, a meeting place and just a great opportunity to sit and watch the people and life of Dam Square. Here are the Royal Palace and the Church of St. Catherine. As in the squares of almost all European cities, there are horse-drawn carts waiting for their customers to walk around the city and moving sculptures - actors.

Tired of walking around Amsterdam on foot - take a boat trip along the canals. An hour tour costs 6 euros. The story about passing sights is in English and French. So the day passed in wandering through the streets and canals. Evening. Time to go, you know where. Well, you can’t, being in Amsterdam, not look into the Red Light District. I don't know what attracted me to this place so much. Maybe I myself am vicious by nature and carefully hide it, but I felt at home there - calm, comfortable, relaxed. I looked at the girls in the windows. Ours can be seen immediately - the most beautiful. They have different images - a teacher, a snow queen, a vamp, a prude, a lolita, etc. They dry their hair with a hair dryer, chat on the phone, read books, sit with friends ... live their lives “behind glass”. Behind closed curtains, life is not for the public, there is already business going on. And if you want to look at this business from the outside - go to a live show. They are full here. On the street, as advertising, posted photos of actors and scenes from the play. In the words of one of my friends, “this show shows how boring sex can be.” But the Japanese tourists came out with wide eyes and blissful smiles. Liked it, I guess. The friend turned out to be a connoisseur of this area and showed him the most distant nooks and crannies. The central street is more for the view, but there was more action there! Narrow streets between shop windows, 2 people can disperse only by clinging close to these very shop windows, behind which live goods are waiting for hunters to paid love. According to a friend, they charge 50 euros for 15 minutes. There are whole streets of only whites, Asians, blacks, old, ugly ... for all tastes and perversions. And the sweet smell of marijuana in the air.

Once my friend visited Amsterdam and showed me a photo taken in a sex museum - she was sitting in an embrace with a huge cock. I wanted the same photo. We went to the sex museum to look for a penis .. We didn’t find it. We watched obscene but funny cartoons. But the penis was still found in another museum, not far from Dam Square. So now I have a photo and have not left any of my friends who saw it indifferent!

Having emerged from the quarter of vices for a while, we go to dinner at a Thai restaurant. Restaurants here cater for all tastes. On average, a dinner for two without wine costs 40 euros. Portions are big. If the restaurant is too expensive, then McDonald's, Burger King and others like them will help out.

After dinner we return to the red lights. I remember my first bad experience smoking marijuana at a party in Rotterdam. It becomes curious, but what do people find attractive in this? I didn't like it here. Maybe you haven't tried it? I decide to repeat. I'm going to the coffeeshop. I smoke a joint, I giggle for a few minutes, then I want to sleep. No high. So it's not mine. On that I calmed down and tied up with drugs.

Time to go home. We go to the garage behind the car. Full house on the Red Light District! A crowd of people, the light of storefronts and restaurants. An insinuating voice from somewhere in the darkness “Do you want something?”. This is a seller of "heavy artillery" - heroin, cocaine. heroin. heroin. Outside the quarter is already deserted. My first acquaintance with Amsterdam took place.

Having taken a break from traveling on Wednesday, on Thursday we go to the Apenheul monkey park. At the entrance to the park, special bags are issued for packing hand luggage. Monkeys know these bags with clever locks and do not climb into them. For unpacked things you need to keep an eye on both! Monkeys steal everything that is badly hidden! Yes, they move freely along the trees and paths there, approach the audience and let themselves be stroked. This only applies to small breeds. Large monkeys sit in enclosures stylized as their original habitats. In addition to monkeys, there are many squirrels, ferrets, ground squirrels, and interesting birds. The kids really like this place.

Not far from the monkey kingdom is the palace of Het Loo. Favorite summer residence of the royal family from 1686 to 1975. Since 1984, after restoration, it has become a museum. The palace itself and the park with fountains and flowers are beautiful. For lovers of palace life, it will be interesting to see the interior decoration of rooms, stables and other premises of the palace.

On Friday we go to Kinderdijk, not far from Rotterdam. This is the district of windmills - one of the symbols of Holland. The mills are working, but you can go into one of them and see how this thing works for 3 euros. From the small pier, you can take a boat ride and explore the surrounding areas. Peaceful, beautiful scenery of village life.

And our path lies in Rotterdam. It's time to get acquainted with the second largest city in Holland.

Rotterdam is recognizable by the Erasmus Bridge of Rotterdam, thrown over the Meuse River.
You can climb the Euromast (like the Ostankino TV tower) - a wonderful observation deck, from where the whole of Rotterdam is at a glance. The view is amazing! You can go into the booth, which rises to the very height of the tower - 185 meters - and slowly rotates around it. And you sit and enjoy the panorama of the city.

There is a restaurant on the 4th floor, which also offers a beautiful view of the city.
There are also funny cubic houses in Rotterdam. The prices for apartments in them are very high due to the unusual shape of the houses. What's inside, I don't know. But it looks cool from the outside.
Rotterdam was badly damaged during the war. Some of the sights are gone.
But you will definitely enjoy a walk along the embankments or along the shopping streets of Rotterdam!

It rained on Saturday. I had to stay at home and prepare for a trip to the dolphinarium, scheduled for Sunday.

So, we are going to the realm of the most intelligent and charming inhabitants of the seas and oceans. Located in the town of Harderwijk.

Dolphins, fur seals and lions, walruses - they are all artists here with their shows. Just better not to get too close to the pools during the show. A cute walrus, weighing a ton, spat water at the audience - the wave covered the first 3 rows ... There are also pools with stingrays that you can stroke by putting your hand into the pool. Perhaps I was the only tourist there. This is a holiday destination for Dutch families, a real holiday for children.

I am also a child at heart. Well, I love amusement parks! Disney Land in France. Port Aventura in Spain. What about in Holland? Six Flags!!! So, on Monday we leave for the whole day to Six Flags in the town of Biddinghuizen! At your service are many attractions, cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops ... This park is not as big as the two above. But I have never seen such a concentration of rollercoasters. There are 8 of them. I rolled up to dizziness! Most of all I liked the Goliath slide, the highest of all. For lovers of free flight there is a bungee.

Children's attractions are located on the territory of Bugs Bunny - he is the symbol of the park. There, in the summer theater, he shows a show with friends and takes pictures with children.

The park has an aviary with goats. You can go to them and feed them with a special delicacy obtained from the feeder for 50 cents. Parents are just going broke here, because. children really like to feed the animals, and this requires coins.

There are a lot of goodies in the park. I tried waffles with cherry jam and cream. Very sweet and don't eat too much. I liked the donuts with raisins and powdered sugar better. Yummy!

Monday turned out to be a good day to visit the park. There were few people. The queues for rides are no more than 5-10 minutes. On weekends and during school holidays there is nowhere for an apple to fall.

The next 3 days were devoted to shopping, due to the fact that a friend was busy at work, and I needed to sleep, digest impressions and buy souvenirs and gifts for relatives and friends. The shopping streets of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Wooden were investigated for purchases. The product is almost the same everywhere. In small towns, prices are lower than in Amsterdam spoiled by tourists.

And yet I wanted to return to Amsterdam once again to say goodbye.. We are going on Friday by train. The train is clean and comfortable, just like Holland itself.
Amsterdam Central Station is located near Dam Square. Outwardly, it looks no worse than any palace. You can’t tell right away that the station is until you get inside. We go to the square to drink coffee, and then - to Madame Tussauds. At the bottom, everyone is photographed with Pierce Brosnan, and when they leave, the photos are given as a gift. There is no comparison with the London Museum, it is clearly smaller. But the “terrible” part is cool, I squealed enough! Nothing special, just disguised actors very successfully pretending to be motionless statues and start moving when no one expects it. Or suddenly popping out of the darkness in creepy costumes and makeup. At the same time, something rumbles, the floor shakes, and a bright light suddenly blinds your eyes and you don’t understand which way to run from all this.
We again spent the whole day wandering the streets of Amsterdam. It was my last day in Holland. Dinner at an Argentinean restaurant, the last walk through the green Red Quarter. On Friday there is a massive arrival of the British. Large companies of drunken English gentlemen yell for the whole block, sing songs and loudly greet their friends leaving the girls' rooms with jokes and applause ... Having fun with might and main before returning to stiff England for the start of a new work week.

Two weeks in Holland was not enough. There is also Ef Telling - a fabulous amusement park. Cheese market in Alkmaar. House of Peter 1 in Zaandam. Zaanse Schans Open Air Museum. The fishing village of Volendam. And there are also many parks and zoos ... Probably, I will have to go back and inspect.
The next morning I flew home. A long flight and the landscape outside the taxi window - a bare yellow steppe and a lone shabby camel on the way from the airport (I'm from Kazakhstan) - a sharp contrast compared to the Dutch landscapes. But ... It's just happiness - the way home!

And my boss, after looking at the pictures and listening to the story of the trip, said: “I didn’t think that such a small country could be so interesting!” It was a month ago. And yesterday he told me how nicely he walked in Amsterdam ...

All successful trips and pleasant experiences!

PS: Entrance ticket prices (per adult)
De Haar Castle - I can’t remember exactly, the only thing I didn’t keep a ticket for as a keepsake .. something like 9 euros ..
Keukenhof flower park - 12.50 euros
Miniature park Madurodam - 12 euros
Van Gogh Museum - 9 euros
Monkey Park Apenheul - 14 euros
Palace Het Loo - 9 euros
Euromast in Rotterdam - 7.75 euros
Dolphinarium - 19.50 euros
Amusement park “Six Flags” - 24 euros
Madame Tussauds Amsterdam - 25 euros

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commendably
well done girl, easily filmed enjoyed it