Amsterdam: Around the World in 80 Words!

Around the World in 80 Words! is a feature I write for Dartford Living, a magazine based in Kent, UK. I look at a different part of the world and write 80 words (derived from the novel Around the World in Eighty Days) about it. In this post I write about Amsterdam:

Amsterdam began life as a small fishing village in the 13th century and is now known as the ‘Venice of the North’ due to its canals and numerous bridges. The main attractions are the National museum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House and the Dam, a central square encompassing the Royal Palace and the National monument. Amsterdam’s liberal outlook permits numerous red-light districts and cannabis coffee shops and the Heineken brewery is also located here with its very own museum!

A bird’s-eye view of Amsterdam’s city centre. Image by Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA)/Wikimedia.

Bikes near the ferry at the Ij lake and a globe made out of old plastic bottles. Image by @mariamekea/Twitter.

The new film museum at the Ij lake, EYE. Image by @mariamekea/Twitter.

The old city houses on Damrak. Image by Владимир Шеляпин/Wikimedia.

De Wallen, the largest red-light district of Amsterdam, is a major tourist attraction. Image by Rungbachduong/Wikimedia.

The Grote Zaal of the Concertgebouw, Van Baerlestraat. Image by the Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA)/Wikimedia.

From left to right and top to bottom: Rijksmuseum, Statue in the Vondelpark, Keizersgracht, Zuiderkerk, Royal Palace (Amsterdam), ING House. Image by Sisyfus/Wikimedia.

Krijtmolen d’Admiraal (Chalk Mill the Admiral) at the Noordhollandsch Kanaal. Image by @mariamekea/Twitter.

The Noordhollandsch Kanaal. Image by @mariamekea/Twitter.

Tagged: Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Around the World in 80 Words!, Netherlands, Van Gogh Museum, Venice of the North

Posted in: Travel