During October half term, we explored another fantastic European city – Amsterdam. This city is the capital of the Netherlands and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its gorgeous architecture and canals. It is world renowned for its artistic heritage, immense canal system and narrow houses with gabled roofs. <\/p>\n
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Amsterdam is often referred to as the “Venice of the North” due to its large number of canals which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was amazed at how pretty the city is – every canal which you walk down makes you want to stop and take a photograph of it. <\/p>\n
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I think this is partly because of the UNESCO status which has stopped any ugly modern buildings or sky scrapers being built in the Capital. Walking around the city is a sensory delight and beautiful sights are constantly filling your eyes. <\/p>\n
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Although there are no sky scrappers or blocks of flats in the centre there are still tall towers belonging to the local churches. You will catch glimpses of these between the many canals or streets.<\/p>\n
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A word of warning though, there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam (I still can’t quite work out how or why that is!). Furthermore, the Dutch aren’t afraid of cycling fast and furious and if you don’t look properly when walking through the city you are quite likely to get mowed down! Always look both ways when you cross the street and watch out for the red cycle lanes.<\/p>\n
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Once you’ve fully explored Amsterdam during daylight hours, I really highly suggest that you explore the city by night. For a place with a reputation like it has, the capital feels amazingly safe after dark. Lots of the bridges are illuminated and the reflections on the many canals are gorgeous.<\/p>\n
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Possibly the biggest must see attraction or museum in the whole of Amsterdam has to be the Anne Frank House and Museum. Although it’s not a hugely uplifting or ‘fun’ experience like you’d normally have on a trip away, it is certainly truly something you have to do when you’re in the capital. Before you visit you really do need to read the famous diary itself also to fully appreciate the house.<\/p>\n
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You have to book your ticket far in advance and online though. They don’t sell tickets on the door and the tickets sell out weeks before. So I’d suggest you get online and snap them up. I’d also thoroughly recommend booking the ticket with an additional introductory talk; this really sets the scene before you enter the museum and gives you some extra background information that allows you to get even more from the exhibits. <\/p>\n
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Right next door to the Anne Frank House is the Westerkerk Tower. As I’ve already mentioned central Amsterdam is lacking the many high modern buildings that most cities possess, this means that the Westerkerk Tower is one of the best places to get a high up view of the city. <\/p>\n
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The views from the tower are really beautiful as you get a totally different perspective to the one you’re used to of the tall, thin houses and many canals. <\/p>\n
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As you climb up the tower you will learn all about its construction as well as about its past and its many bells! You will enjoy climbing up the many narrow wooden staircases but don’t forget to watch your head!<\/p>\n
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Another thing that makes the tower and the view from it very special is it’s connection with Anne Frank. If you have read the diary you will know that her and her family would regularly look out of their window and up to the tower and its clock face. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit the tower and from the top you can see the small window in the top floor of the secret annex which Anne used to gaze out of. A really memorable sight.<\/p>\n
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Being the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam has some of the countries best art and museums. There are many to choose from including the Rembrandt House Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, but an obvious pick and probably the most famous is the Rijksmuseum. This is because it not only has work from the aforementioned hugely famous artists but also from a whole host of other greats – not only this but it is packed with historically significant artefacts.<\/p>\n
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When you’re there you wont be able to miss Rembrandt’s most famous piece, the Night Watch. The huge painting is currently undergoing two years of intensive and highly detailed research to discover how to best maintain the painting to ensure it lasts for many more generations to view.<\/p>\n
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Downstairs in the museum, I really enjoyed varied exhibits which contained things like massive swords, suits of armour and gigantic model boats like I’d never seen before. The Rijksmueum has several of Van Gogh’s paintings on display but my favourite would easily be the self portrait. This portrait was one of the pieces he created while changing his style from something more classical to the post-impressionist style that he is most often associated with. <\/p>\n
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Another must see, Dutch icon of a painting is The Milkmaid by Vermeer. This painting doesn’t look like very much but up close it’s really very impressive and beautifully painted. One thing I wasn’t expecting to see at the Rijksmueum but really loved was an excellent collection of Asian art. Probably my favourite item from this display was the two temple guardians which would have been placed at the entrance to a temple in order to ward off evil.<\/p>\n
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