Going to Amsterdam

[Peau Peep]

The Grasshopper was a good place to go when I went many years ago.

[crazybikerme]

I'd love to see a match at The Ajax Arena/Dome/Whatever!!

It rocks as you pass it on the train!!

[dirkje]

My advice. Go to Haarlem, The Hague (Den Haag), Utrecht or Leiden. These towns are cleaner and safer than Amsterdam, The people are more friendly and gentle and all these towns have a have much, much better Red Light District than Amsterdam, except Leiden.

[dirkje]

i forgot to mention one town, Alkmaar. Beautifull old town and it has a RLD too. Also cleaner, safer than Amsterdam.

[Gruenspecht]

Originally Posted by DaBear

Thanks for all your good advice! I still a few days away from departure, so keep them coming!

Did the bear ever go to Amsterdam or did he end up in Artis and is excluded for using internet as are the other furry inhabitants?

[vo1v0d]

Can a chap visit Delft without being forcefed Vermeer on blue and white tin-glazed earthenware?

[vo1v0d]

I might visit Amsterdam to see if I can hunt down any paintings by my favourite artist, Hertz van Rentals.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by vo1v0d

Can a chap visit Delft without being forcefed Vermeer on blue and white tin-glazed earthenware?

If you want to avoid being sold blue and white pottery, the shops close on Wednesday afternoons for the weekly street party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdzHAKPV7dk

[Gruenspecht]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

If you want to avoid being sold blue and white pottery, the shops close on Wednesday afternoons for the weekly street party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdzHAKPV7dk

I just finished watching Nosferatu, it's been a while since i have seen that movie.
Thank you for the reminder.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by Gruenspecht

I just finished watching Nosferatu, it's been a while since i have seen that movie.
Thank you for the reminder.

I visited Delft for an afternoon on a school coach tour of Holland and Belgium in 1977. When I saw Nosferatu (1979) for the first time, I recognised the town square vividly in the plague saturnalia scene where Mina Harker (Isabel Adjani of course) walks through all the crazy people. It's a powerful and really sinister scene, old style horror with no blood or gore; but part of me kept saying "It wasn't nasty like that when I was there..."

Assuming my memory of being 13 years old and walking around in Delft is working, if Mina Harker had carried on walking after meeting the genteel dinner party who were all going down with plague and wanted to dine together one last time while they were still feeling well enough, she would have to bear left, climb a set of stone stairs - and then a side road at the top left of the square would take her to the canal and the town's canal docks, as painted by Vermeer. Just on that side street which connected the top of the square (behind the right hand shoulder of the nice man who spoke pleasantly to Mina, offered her a glass of wine and invited her to join them for dinner) there was a little shop where I bought examples of the obligatory blue and white pottery as gifts for my two grandmothers.

Delft isn't the sort of place which changes a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if that shop is still there, and still trading.