AMSTERDAM BY NIGHT

LEIDSEPLEIN TO REMBRANTSPLEIN - FEBRUARY 2006

Sorry, no Red-light District photos…


"THE AMERICAN HOTEL, in Leidseplein and at walking distance from the Rijksmuseum, the van Gogh Museum and the Vondel Park, is listed since 1977 as an Art Nouveau monument. The hotel seems to have been first designed by Steinigeweg, a Dutch architect who lived in the United States and returned to the Netherlands with plans for his hotel in the «American style». Built around 1880, was demolished in 1900, rebuilt in 1902, extended in 1927-1929 and re-extended in 1954"


"HOTEL ROOM"



"THE CAFÉ AMERICAIN has been part of the American Hotel since 1902. In 1993, it was decided to restore the Café. It re-opened on September 1st, 1993, displaying «the most beautiful reading table in the Netherlands», dating from 1929. On the walls we could see original 1930 oil paintings from Shakespeare’s play «A Midsummer Night’s Dream». In August 2005 the Café was again renovated and completely brought back to its original Art-Deco Style"


"CASINO – Gaming machines, Roulette, Blackjack, Poker…"


"THE DAM, 200 meters from west to east and about 100 meters from north to south, is the main square in Amsterdam. On the south side of the Dam stands the phallic National Memorial, erected in memory of Dutch soldiers and members of the resistance who died in WW2. The 1956 monument stores soil from all of Holland’s provinces as well as from the Dutch East Indies"


"THE WAAG (the Weigh House), located in the part of Amsterdam that never sleeps – Nieuwmarkt – was originally built in 1488 as a city gate (Sint Antoniespoort) and as such it formed part of the medieval defences. It is the oldest secular public building in Amsterdam. It now houses the Restaurant-Café In de Waag"


"ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH - On a Sunday in November (in 2007 it was on the 18th), St. Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, arrives in Amsterdam. The steamboat from Spain docks by the Central Station across from the Church. Bells ring, as the mayor welcomes the Saint before he mounts his white horse. A big parade starts at noon, and thousands of sacks with sweets are thrown to the crowds. The parade goes along the Damrak to the Rembrandtplein coming to an end at the Leidesplein. Here, from the balcony of the city theatre, Sinterklaas addresses crowds and «Sinterklaas Season» officially begins"


"REMBRANTSPLEIN is a beautiful little park named in honour of Rembrandt van Rijn. A statue of the painter is the focal point. In February 2006, there was a huge sculpture of the famous Night Watch painting in the park"


"INDRAPURA is a nice Indonesian Restaurant in Rembrantsplein. Its motto is: «No Cheese...No Klomps...No Windmills...Just the Best Rijsttafel you can get». A good dinner choice in Amsterdam"


"RIJSTAFEL - The origin of the concept is difficult to trace. According to a legend it goes back to the actual table used by the Dutch settlers in Indonesia. A traditional Indonesian meal is always based on white rice (with calming effect in combination with spicy dishes) and one fish or meat dish. In colonial days a meal like this seemed not to satisfy the appetite of the Dutch planters, so a greater variety of dishes was added. It is this large amount of tasty dishes that as a whole forms today’s rijsttafel"