Me sitting by a canal

Long Break and I'm here again - Suddenly realised that FINALLY I want to write about AMSTERDAM today!

Sorry to those who were really interested in my blog as they may have waited long to read new posts by me, but sadly I was busy working and writing on other blogs that belong to me (they all are in Turkish, so there is no point to give the links away...)

I will go on writing and will talk a bit about Amsterdam today.
As I remember, I had underlined some important points about Amsterdam in my previous posts.

Today, I will not have enough time to tell everything I have in my mind, but yet I have a few things to say about the city. The details will be told in my next blog posts, so please keep posted.

First - the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Schiphol Airport  Entrance - Amsterdam

This is where you will be landed with a very big oppurtunity - if you're not travelling via train or so. I'm sure you won't pay too much attention when you first landed, since you'll be in a hurry to get to your hotel or hostel or where ever you're going to stay. However, I'm pretty sure you'll also find it useful to get there at least 2-3 hours earlier so that you can shop from the airport. Not only for shopping! Schiphol is a great place to eat or rest while waiting for your flight.

My friend and I had reached the airport almost 2 hours earlier, so we had plenty of time to eat and shop. That's why I bought so many Victoria's Secret stuff!!! For myself and of course my family!

The airport design was so interesting that I couldn't help myself and just looked around during my lunch. Especially the part we bought our menus was just like a place that has popped up from a magazine. A very big area, surrounded by loads of famous brands such as Mc Donald's and Burger King, was reserved for only food. So, if you ever have a chance to eat in the airport before you get to your plane, don't forget to pay attention to these details.

What's more? Schiphol is a globally well-known airport and was big enough. I have seen a few airports so far, and the London Heathrow Airport is the only one you'll never get bored of. Once in there, I had to wait for 9 hours in total to fly back to my country due to some delay. I assure you, I was even unable to sit and complain. The airport is so big that you never stop shopping. It's just like a big shopping centre in any of the big European capitals. Schiphol is smaller than that, but still a great place to shop.

About Schiphol, I should add this - there is a mini version of the famous Rijkmuseum inside, so if you wouldn't mind, you may spend a little more time in the airport and see what's in there!

When you get outside the airport, to get to your accommodation place, you have several different ways of transportation: By train, by taxi or by bus.

We had hired a taxi, as it was our first time in Amsterdam, and we were unsure of whether or not we would ever find the way to our hotel. Taxi was brilliantly clean, the driver was hospitable, hearing the Dutch radio was enjoyable. We paid something like 25 Euros if I'm not wrong, but it was worth it indeed. (Comparing to the taxis we have in Turkey, it was like a suit room in the Hilton!)

If you prefer travelling by bus, busses #197 and #370 directly go to the city centre, a place called as Leidseplein. You'll here this name a lot during your journey, so never mind you're not accustomed to it yet. You can easily buy a ticket from the driver for your first time in a bus.

Another choice is that - Train, almost the best way to travel to the city centre. But it may be a bit hard when your baggage is considered. Trains are located directly underneath the airport, so reaching them would be no trouble. You may buy a single-use ticket from the yellow ticket machines around, or you may own a OV-chipkaart, which you may use more than once during your journey. Trains take you to the central station, which is very close to the city centre and main places, and it will take only 15 minutes to get there via the train. Which proves us how small the city is...

What's more about the city?

There is still too much to tell, but if I sum up, Red Light District, The Dam Square (The Old Town), The Canal Ring, Plantage, De Jordaan, Museum Quarter, Leidseplein, Bloemenmarkt (Where you can buy the best tulip oninons), Rembrandtplein are places YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY SEE.

Thank God, we managed to see most of the places we were planning to see within only 4 days, and a few was left when were about to get back home.

I am an art kind of person, so I mostly wanted to see art museums and visited historical places, but I'll mention some night clubs and shopping centres as well. Especially the Bloemenmarkt, where you can find flowers, tulip onions, and even lovely souvenirs that you can give as gifts to your family and friends in this area. Bloemenmarkt means 'the Flower Market'. The word 'bloemen' is 'flowers' in Dutch, but you shouldn't expect only flowers in this bazaar, there are plenty of other souvenirs reminding us of the city.

Leidseplein is the place we visited most. My favourite place, we could call it. Famous Hard Rock Cafe is in a very close distance to this area, and another famous place, Bulldog Coffe Shop, is right on the Leidseplein. When you get into the streets around Leidseplein, you see looooads of other coffe shops and restaurants either. All the places are tiny and lovable, and the food is delicious.

Museum Quarter is located on the southern part of the city, and both Van Gogh Museum and Rijkmuseum can be found in this area. I will write more about them on my following posts later.

Dam Square is in the area named Old City, and this place is one of the oldest areas in Amsterdam. Nieuwe Kerk (Eng. New Church) is the most must-see place of this square. Besides that, the famous monument located right in the middle of the Dam should also be seen by everyone, as this is the most well-known characteristics of the square.

Red Light District is also one of the most famous areas in the city. Some may have heard of it while some may have not. When I was living in London, I witnessed an exhibition held by a public museum, where the Red Light District was represented with fake models and buildings. A brief information was also given to the visitors, so I had a chance to learn more about the area. Red Light is the place most of us know as 'an area in where whores show their bodies behind the glasses'. I went there in the day, so did not have a chance to see it at night, but perhaps as a result of the season or as a result of the hour, it was not what I really expected.

The Canal Ring holds the most beuatiful canals of the city and the view from this angle is just wonderful, I cannot even find a word to describe it. Beautifully decorated Dutch houses, narrow streets by the canals, bicycles left by the house owners and further... Worth to see!

Well, this is it for today, but I will be describing all these places in detail on my next posts, so follow me and keep posted.

Amsterdam  is one of my favourites and I will try my best to tell it with its most beuatiful sides, though it's difficult to tell all that beauty with only words!