Amsterdam - City of Tulips and Pancakes – Part 2

Visiting the most interesting attractions and locations

Amsterdam is a city with a rich history and cultural heritage, something that can pose a great travel challenge for a traveller. The major points of interest you can already experience by simply walking through the city represent the character of the nation and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In Dam Square in the old town stands the royal palace, which is open for the public. It was designed by the architect Jacob van Campen in 1647 when the construction of the main city hall began. Along the path leading to the next landmark, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, is the Oude Kerk, the oldest building in Amsterdam. It was built in 1306. It houses the earthly remains of the church workers and the famous Dutch composer, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Oude Kerk’s organist.

The Basilica of Saint Nicholas is the largest Catholic insitution in Amsterdam. It was designed by architect Adrianus Cyriacus Bleijs after 1880. He designed parts of the building in the Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival and Renaissance Revival styles. There’s a statue of Saint Nicholas on the front, the patron of the basilica and the city as well as travellers, merchants and sailors. The building was designed with two mighty towers and a large rosette that depicts Jesus and the four Evangelists.

Before proceeding to the next landmark, Westerkerk, one cannot but stop at the Amsterdam Tulip Museum and its collection of photographs, videos and other exhibition items, which depict the most prominent Dutch flower. Westerkerk, the largest Calvinist church in the Netherlands, was designed by architect Hendrick de Keyser. Its tower is the highest church tower in Amsterdam. It reaches 85 metres high. Rembrandt van Rijn was buried in the church in 1669, but the precise location of the grave is unknown.

You can find the best offer of the most interesting landmarks on GetYourGuide‘s website, and you can book your accommodation on Hostelling International‘s website where you can choose between any hostel in Amsterdam or the world. If you have a Hostelling International membership card, you can enjoy numerous benefits, such as a 10% discount on booking accommodation in 4,000 hostels around the world.

The Rembrandt House Museum

After treating myself to delicious pancakes at The Pancake Bakery, I visited an exhibition at the Rembrandt House Museum. You can buy your ticket on the museum’s official website or at Tiqets where Hostelling International members get 7% off ticket purchases for museums, galleries and performing arts events.

In 1639, when Rembrandt van Rijn was 33 years old, he bought the house that is now home to the Rembrandt House Museum. The museum exhibits collections of Rembrandt’s works of art and personal items on multiple floors. A very important part of the exhibition are Rembrandt’s intaglio graphic arts where the artist depicts a world of light and shadows. He used only black ink and paid attention to the line he sometimes emphasised by drawing it out and sometimes not. When creating a portrait or depicting a genre using light and shadows, he displayed a distinct style in a graphic art, which determined the composition outdoors and therefore the sunlight, which he used to depict the mood using the drawn motif.

Hermitage Amsterdam

The next interesting travel location is Hermitage Amsterdam. I took a look at the collection of the 17-century Dutch portraits in the Portrait Gallery of the 17th Century. The gallery exhibits the works of Albert Jansz Vinckenbrinck, Quiringh Gerritsz van Brekelenkam, Thomas de Keyserj, Arent Arentsz Cabel, Jan van der Heyden, Egbert van der Poel, Govert Flinck, Nicolaes Pickenoy, Jacob Backer, Nicolaes Moeyaert, Wallerant Vaillant, Cornelis Anthonisz, Rembrandt van Rijn and others.

Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting, which really stands out from the gallery’s collection, is the second work of art with which he presents the genre of studying the human anatomy and is titled The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deijman. It was created in 1656 and was then severely damaged in 1723 due to the fire that destroyed seven group portraits of the human anatomy. In the painting, one can see how Dr. Jan Deijman shows the procedure of dissecting the human brain of a corpse, which is depicted from a frontal lying position. The painting was done using a mixed technique.

How to travel sustainably?

You can make out from the article’s subtitle what an important value is when it comes to ways to travel to a chosen destination. How to travel sustainably and to try to adjust the way of travelling are the basis travellers can use when organising their trip by following the criteria of sustainable tourism and mobility. Everyone can choose the most environmentally-friendly option to get to the destination when planning their travel experience, so they can look for the low-greenhouse-emission options when choosing an airline. You can, for example, calculate the emissions of carbon dioxide from Ljubljana Airport to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam or for other destinations at atmosfair.

Another company engaged in environmental protection activities is ClimateCare. In addition to calculating greenhouse emissions, it also offers travellers the option to pay a proportionate amount to organisations that are active in the fields of ecology and protection of nature reserves. In any case, it’s undoubtedly more appropriate to travel by using public transport when trying to reach more remote destinations, since it’s eco-friendlier and more energy-efficient.

If you’re travelling to more remote areas in Europe, you can travel by renting a car or a van. Every HI member gets 10% off renting a car and using other services at HERTZ. SuperCover insurance fully covers the costs of damage on the vehicle and the costs of the vehicle being stolen in cases of accidents, break-ins and theft.

One also needs to take into account cultural differences in other countries and understand the local customs and habits. In Amsterdam, cannabis and beautiful women are easily accessible at every turn, so travellers should inform themselves about the local culture beforehand.