Amsterdam: A Cultured City Sprint in 48 hours

Iamsterdam Card Adventures

Amsterdam is the second stop on my Benelux solo trip through Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg but I only have 48 hours to spend here before returning to my base in Brussels.

My excitement is off the charts as I always felt like I was the only human who hadn’t visited yet – silly, I know – and I drank in all the IG and travel photos of photogenic canals and chill streets.

Since time is of the essence, I map out an itinerary of what *I* want to see and not what bloggers insist I see, though I do note down some of their recommendations, of course. Lol.

If you’re pressed for time like I am and you’re interested in the city’s history via museums, exhibitions and architecture, these points of interests will serve you well and give you ideas of interesting cultural and quirky Amsterdam museums to experience.

I buy the 48hr card from the Iamsterdam Visitor Centre at Centraal Station and the first thing I do is to embark on the free 1 hour canal cruise that comes with buying an Iamsterdam card.

Canal Cruise

The cruise takes us along the three major canals of the city (did you know there were three canals and not just one continuous one?) with really fascinating histories behind the city, canal ring, people & buildings of the area. Best believe I was taking notes because I just love exploring the history and culture of new places.

Here is an Amsterdam walking tour and canal cruise with drinks ticket to explore the city from the water side.

There are so many interesting sights to see on this cruise like a replica of the Amsterdam, a Dutch East India cargo ship moored next to the Maritime Museum. The original was destroyed during a voyage in the 1740s.

Bear in mind that the Dutch were excellent traders and transported foreign goods and Africans and I wonder if this ship ever transported Africans to the New World and Caribbean. The guide mentions that the Dutch only transported and never traded in enslaved Africans. Hmmn…

 

 

 

Along the cruise, we pass by the Westerkerk located close to the Anne Frank museum. It is a Dutch Protestant church in the Grachtengordel neighborhood between the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht canals.

The cruise goes past quiet side streets and even the Mayor’s Residence. FYI, he lives at 502 Herengracht and it is public knowledge so no worries.

If you have little time to spend in Amsterdam – like I do – or you just want to do *one* touristy thing, then this canal cruise is right up your alley as it hits the main sights and disseminates information you wouldn’t have known.

Pipe Museum

After the canal cruise, I take the tram to the Pipe Museum near my hostel. It is located in the right spot because not far from it is a coffeeshop. “What does that have to do with anything?”, you ask. Well, a “coffeeshop” in Amsterdam sells cannabis and permits smoking of it within while a regular cafe sells coffee and other beverages. I learn that fast lol.

The museum is filled with a unique private collection of pipes from five continents located in a typical Dutch canal home overlooking the Prisengracht.

It is the collection of a Dutch man fascinated with the changing fashion of smoking implements across cultures and generations.

Anytime I view non-European artifacts in a European setting, I always wonder how they were acquired and all sorts of scenarios run through my mind. I ask this question, and the guide tells me that most of them were bought at auctions and some bought during travel.

Of course, the auction items come from somewhere and it’s just interesting to know the origins of their acquisition, just like the looted Benin artifacts in the British Museum. Anyhoo, back to the show.

 

Most of the pipes are made from briarwood – a hardwood from the Mediterranean area that is difficult to carve through – while others are made from meerschaum – a porous rock native to Turkey, used to carve pipe stems.

Smoking a pipe made with meerschaum was pleasurable as the smoke goes through the porous rock straight to your system. Its porosity also made it stain easily from smoke.

There are opium pipes – I didn’t know that was a thing! – carved from bamboo and common in China and intricate hashish pipes we are familiar with today.

Of course, they have African pipes made with snake skin from Mali, curved intricate pipes from Congo and bronze-looking pipes from Cameroon.

The Europeans brought tobacco onto the African continent and the first contact with tobacco Europeans had was from the Native people of the American continent.

Our Lord in the Attic – Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder

This preserved “house church” from the Dutch Golden Age located a stone’s throw from the Red Light District, is a throwback to the era where Catholicism was prohibited in the Netherlands. You didn’t know that, did you? Ah hah!

Yes. I am in shock to hear that too.

The Netherlands was once under Spanish rule and all religious buildings were Catholic resulting in “The Alteration” led by Prince William of Orange in 1578.

The Alteration was bloodless in Amsterdam but in other parts of the country, blood flowed freely.

As a result, Catholic buildings were converted to Protestant churches but people were “allowed” freedom of religion, just not openly if you were Catholic. This also applied to Lutherans and Jews too.

This resulted in Catholic residents creating elaborate “house churches” within their canal homes with richly decorated interior. Freedom of worship was eventually established in 1798.

Within this canal home, it isn’t evident that there is a grand Catholic church right above complete with pews, pulpit and sacristy. The house church itself covers two floors of the building.

It is very fascinating to experience a preserved canal home and see original furniture, bedrooms and kitchens used back then. Take note, Dutch canal homes have extremely steep steps so watch yourself when climbing the stairs here or in any canal home.

In fact, because stairs are so steep, the Dutch fashioned hoisting frames – that are still in use today – to lift heavy items from outside through the roof or window. I mean…if they built a modern city on water, what’s a simple lever and pulley system?? Ingenious people!

Quartier de Putains

How can I be in Amsterdam and not visit the famous Red Light District? In fact, it isn’t far from the house church above and there a quite a few churches in this area too lol.

You can take a Red Light District tour at night given by a former prostitute – if you have an attraction discount, even better – but I don’t have the time for that. Instead, I walk by the area to see women in display windows of canal homes. The drapes are fuschia and it is said that when they are drawn, boots are a-knocking.

There isn’t that much…display here compared to previous years and in fact, next door is a lively bar. The area is heavily trafficked by tourists and I initially suspect that the women on display are for tourists to see but I’m told that they also take business in the day time too.

I don’t take pictures of them as I feel it would be too disrespectful. Already, a horde of tourists are gawking at them as part of groups and tours but surprisingly, no one takes any pictures.

De Nieuwe Kerk

This is another very interesting church in Dam Square right by the Royal Palace. It is over six centuries old with beautiful architecture – you should know that I love religious architecture by now – and it is one of the most popular venues in the city for hosting international art & cultural exhibits.

It is a former Catholic Church converted to Protestant during the Alteration.

There is an ongoing Buddha exhibit and I go in to see it but become side-tracked by the church itself and its backstory as told by a very knowledgeable historian.

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It has been destroyed three times by fires and each time repairs were crowdfunded by citizens. The Kerk’s spire was meant to be taller but its height was stopped because citizens didn’t want it taller than the current Royal Palace, which at that time, was the Town Hall.

Obviously, the term “crowdfunding” was non-existent in the Middle Ages but it goes to show you that a lot of modern concepts have come before. As the Good Book says, “nothing is new under the sun”.

It underwent restoration in the 20th c. and even hosted the wedding of members of the current royal family, Willem-Alexander, then Prince of Orange – now King – and Máxima Zorreguieta, in 2002.

In a throwback to the royal family’s history with the Kerk, an 1898 stained glass window in the Kerk’s lobby depicts Queen Wilhemina and William, Prince of Orange, as ancestors of the present royal family.

Dam Square

This is the most popular square in the city and a pedestrian heavy tourist attraction. In its immediate vicinity are the Royal Palace and Nieuwe Kerk plus architecturally stunning buildings that are now luxury shopping malls, Madame Tussaud’s, tourist attractions and the ubiquitous waffle shops.

Dam Square is akin to Trafalgar Square in London or Times Square in NYC and if you like tourist spots, this is one of many ideal places to shop, eat, walk and people watch so have it on your Amsterdam sprint list.

There are tram stops here so if you want to explore more, just hop on and see where the spirit leads you.

The Royal Palace is available for a separate entrance fee as it is not part of the Iamsterdam card but I decline because even though I’m not on a *tight* budget, it’s not a dire need for me. I do enter the lobby, though. Beautiful.

Rijksmuseum

This is one of the most famous museums in the world inspired by Rembrandt’s paintings and other masters of the Dutch Golden Age. I have 30 minutes to zip through as I arrive near closing; remember, I’ve just come from Nieuwe Kerk and Dam Square on the 2 tram but I desperately want to see the museum and the iamsterdam sign. I make it!

Rijksmuseum is also where the tourist popular iamsterdam letters are and believe me, they are packed even off-season! Click To Tweet

From the Rijksmuseum, you can walk to the Stedelijk and Van Gogh museums or walk a bit further for the 3 tram to Tropenmseum and Oosterpark.

Tropenmuseum

This is in the southern part of the city and exhibits various global cultures from diverse people. It is also my favourite museum of the bunch because the exhibitions are just so diverse and interesting!

It also helps that at the time of my visit, there are in depth exhibitions on the colonial history of the Netherlands in Indonesia, New Guinea, Curacao & Suriname. Ah! You don’t know that, do you?

There are nine exhibitions with five of them on slavery, colonization & their after effects namely:

• Bitter Chocolate Stories
• New Guinea
• Indonesia
• Southeast Asia and,
• Afterlives of Slavery

They aren’t playing, huh? Most people think Great Britain, France & Spain when colonization is mentioned but not many remember, or even know, of the Dutch and their colonial history.

Apart from Suriname et al, Dutch settlers in South Africa produced descendants that are present day Boers/Afrikaners who introduced Apartheid against native Africans on their own land. Click To Tweet

In addition, there are fashion exhibits as it isn’t all sorrow and gloom. Lol.

Cool Japan & Fashion Cities Africa depict cultural fashion of Japan and various African cities like Lagos, Jo’burg & Nairobi respectively and there are interactive sessions throughout the exhibitions to hear personal stories of individuals affected by the aftermath of slavery and colonization.

Check out Tropenmuseum entry ticket to experience these interesting and historical exhibitions.

Oosterpark

As the name says, it is a beautiful park in the southeastern part of Amsterdam, round the bend from Tropenmusuem thus I just have to visit. It is the first large park in the city and is built on a former cemetery that was relocated in the 1890s.

On the westernish part of the park is the National Slavery Monument, commemorating slavery abolishment in Netherlands in 1863. The monument was unveiled in 2003 by the Queen and is part of the Keti Koti festival on Emancipation Day, held every July by the Dutch-Surinamese.

Diamond Museum

Right opposite Rijksmuseum is the Diamond museum, also free with the iamsterdam card. It showcases the history of Amsterdam as the City of Diamonds – did you know that!? – and the diamond factories of the day that are still present today.

I previously mentioned Dutch settlers in South Africa who stayed put after a large diamond was discovered in the Cape leading to the development of diamond mines, the likes of which produce diamonds for renowned jewellers today.

There are beautiful crown and tiaras worn by monarchs and diamond encrusted items like a tennis racquet that Kim Clijsters, the Dutch tennis star, won at a point.

If science is more your interest, watch interactive sessions of the formation of diamond from carbon and its similarity to graphite. My A-level Chemistry returns in a jiffy.

There are even story boards of diamond crooks and famous heists some of which are still unsolved today.

Body Worlds

This is my second favourite exhibition after Tropenmuseum and it is beyond fascinating.

Body Worlds has toured the globe with its plastination technology of embalming corpses and positioning them into elaborate human forms.

The exhibition is round the corner from Nieuwe Kerk and Dam Square on a heavily trafficked shopping street and I arrive at 9 am sharp to kick off my exploring.

It is not part of free entry with the iamsterdam card and I have to pay 17 Euros, although it’s normally 20 Euros but I get a discount on one of the attraction cards from my hostel, so ask your hostel folks because they know that people who stay there need discounts. Lol.

Snag a Body Worlds AND Canal cruise ticket here and enjoy these unique Amsterdam experiences.

The bodies are donated by these individuals to science and I’m sure they’ll be pleased with their uses.

The theme of the exhibition is Happiness, and how it affects our bodies from hormones to cancer to stress and it is really fascinating to see bodies (albeit in glass cases) pose in different activity forms like fishing, tennis playing etc. Truly!

It covers six floors with posed bodies, anatomy of body parts and story boards of the functioning of the human body and hormones. I play with the interactive sessions and even take photos on my tripod, which comes in very handy on this trip.

Note that I’m the only person viewing all six floors of the exhibit till others arrive as I finish. It wasn’t scary at all…and this is me that cannot watch a paranormal show lol. It is very, very interesting and the bodies are truly fascinating to scrutinize.

Torture Museum

I think this is an appropriate segue from Body Worlds in terms of more stress on the human body. I get a discount here too from those attraction cards and take the tram to Koningsplein for the museum near the canal.

The entrance evokes that of a small medieval castle and walking the narrow, winding corridors resembles what I assume a medieval dungeon looks like. Anyone time travel? Surely you can tell us if I’m correct. Lol.

It is exactly what it says as it exhibits various torturous implements of the Middle Ages, and believe me when I say that humans have always been despicable and sick creatures from time immemorial.

Take for example the Judas Cradle, a pyramid-shaped thing used for torturing men accused of homosexuality. Since most torture was based around witchcraft and demonic possessions, it was assumed that homosexual men were possessed and so had to be dispossessed.

According to the “theory of demonology”, the hold on the victim could only be broken by the most excruciating form of torture and this was definitely it. Ugh!

Other “fun” ones are the Iron Maiden of Nuremberg – said to be a horrific execution machine in the dungeon of a medieval castle; the Inquisition Chair studded with nails reserved for women, who were frequently accused of demonic possession and the Flute of Shame made specifically for bad musicians or folks “disturbing public morals”. The ‘flute” is tightened round your neck and your poor fingers put in holes that are screwed tighter, depending on the degree of your offense.

I am mighty glad to be out of there because those implements evoke an unpleasant feeling. The Middle Ages were a scary time but I’ve done enough gore for the evening.

I’m ready to cleanse my spiritual palate with canal shots, cannabis aroma (nopes, I don’t imbibe but you cannot escape the smell in Amsterdam) & pancakes after that exhibition.

Let’s hope none of us encounter a stone circle and are cast back, a la Outlander, because some of us might not make it there as this time-travelling book on 14th century Medieval England takes us through the sights and sounds of the era. I love historical books and I’m curious on this era after seeing these implements and have it on my book list.

Prisengracht and Leidersplein

These two areas are tram stops on the 2 & 12 and I list them because they are close to each other and right by my hostel.

Prisengracht is the name of one of Amsterdam’s three canals and my hostel tram stop where you can fill your phone with the requisite canal shots. Both areas are lined with charming local shops, international fashion stores, food spots, zillions of pancake houses and picturesque canal homes.

Leidersplein is another populous square but with more sit down restaurants and beer spots than Dam Square. Where Dam Square is tourist heavy, Leidersplein is a mix of locals and tourist so you can imagine the crowd even in off-season.

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My first evening, I meet up with a mutual friend and we head beyond Amsterdam Centrum to Zuidoost (southeast) for World of Food, a food court that was once a parking garage. There are a few global cuisines here and we go to a Nigerian spot here for suya, music and drinks before I am dropped at my hostel.

On my last day, I take a Sprinter train from Centraal Station to Haarlem, a lovely town about 15 minutes outside Amsterdam and spend three hours there before sprinting back to Centraal for the train to Sloterdijk for my bus back to Brussels. Phew!

My sprint through Amsterdam’s museums with the Iamsterdam card is brief but I still get to experience the city, its charm and canals. For next time, I know where to pick up from and I will definitely stay longer in this chill and charming city.

Search through links below for affordable stay in the chill city of Amsterdam and Netherlands in general to experience an amazing culture trip, UNESCO World Heritage canal system, history and magnificent architecture. Have fun!

Booking.com

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I hope you got some ideas on what to see if you have three days or less in Amsterdam. The best method is to first decide if you’ll be getting the Iamsterdam card because if so, choose your experience with time left for exploring parts of the city or just chilling as you wish.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget your invaluable comments and shares. See you on the social streets! xoxo

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