Dutch treat

Resplendent with Rembrandts, Van Goghs and diamonds, Amsterdam is also the land of tulips and pickled herring, marijuana-spiked choco cupcakes (only if you insist!) and the original queso de bola (Dutch edam cheese.) It’s a place of grand attractions and simple charms.

Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is the "Venice of the North." The city is crisscrossed by 100 canals that, from above, probably look like blue-green ribbons untangled over a tree-shaded city. Along these "ribbons‚" lie tall and narrow gabled houses (apparently, because the Dutch used to be taxed according to the width of their house’s façade), whose unique architecture make them one of Amsterdam’s quaint and symbolic landmarks.

A group of Pinoy journalists – Kathy Moran and this writer from The STAR and Maurice Arcache and Tessa Prieto-Valdes from the Inquirer – were in Amsterdam recently upon the invitation of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. We flew Business Class on KLM’s wide-bodied 777 for 14 pleasant hours straight from Manila to Amsterdam’s efficient Schipol airport, arriving in the city in the first blush of spring.

Tulips in vibrant reds and yellows were just beginning to unravel and cherry trees with pink and white blossoms were quietly kissing the cold winter goodbye. It was a marvelous time to be in Amsterdam.

"Amsterdam is sometimes overlooked by Filipinos flying to Europe," says Dindin Monserrate of KLM, who accompanied our group. Since KLM flies daily from Manila to Amsterdam, many Filipinos see the city only through the glass windows of the Schipol Airport, which though a destination in itself, is not Amsterdam. It’s a pity if you don’t visit the city proper, for Amsterdam is postcard-pretty, just the place you would like to illustrate in a children’s storybook (now, if you could just leave out the red-light district!).

According to legend, Amsterdam was founded by two shipwrecked fishermen who found refuge on the banks of the Amstel River. They started a village here, and protected it with a dam. "Dam-on-the-Amstel" later became "Amsterdam." Today, Amsterdam nestles on dry land that is 12 ft. below sea level. Part of the people’s taxes go to pumping stations that regularly flush the water from the city’s 100 canals.

"We pay for dry feet," said our guide Nellien Mouthaan.

Our group was billeted at the N.H. Museum Quarter, a walking distance from the neo-Gothic, brick-red Rijks Museum (filled with Rembrandt’s masterpieces, including the famed "Night Watch"), the modern Van Gogh Museum (which houses Van Gogh’s most important works, including "Vase with Sunflowers."), the 19th century Art Nouveau American Hotel (a favorite of local journalists and where the spy Mata Hari wanted to celebrate her wedding) and the Civic Theater. To get to the museums and the American Hotel (where the apple pie is also a legend), we would walk along a lamp-lit canal, which was lined by beautiful four-story mansions and weeping willow trees.

At daytime, we would sometimes sit on one of the many park benches along the canal and watch people go by, or have poffertjes fritters (pancakes the size of a one-peso coin) in a nearby park. Once, pressed for time, we grabbed lunch at a stall near the museum that offered herring (best eaten with crusty French bread) prepared in at least 30 ways – steamed with mayo, pickled, smoked, spicy. That is why Amsterdam is tourist friendly – you can enjoy and explore it on your own, with just a map and your curiosity (everybody speaks English, so it is easy to ask for directions when lost).

Holland is also known as the "Land of Bicycles." In Amsterdam, very few people take taxis. Everyone (including members of the Royal family) rides a bicycle, so when walking, make sure you’re not on the bicycle lane, a lane between the pedestrian lane and the street itself. In Amsterdam, the bicycle is the king of the road and shame on those who block its path.

Do not miss Dam Square – the most famous square in Holland, the center of the city and site of the original shipwrecked fishermen’s settlement in the 13th century. It’s only a 20-minute train ride from Schipol, if you have a long stopover (at least five hours). On the square you will find the Royal Palace, built in classical Dutch style in the 17th century. On the day we toured the square, there was a roller coaster in front of the palace, an image that truly reflects Amsterdam – a juxtaposition of the past and the present, and where most things (including gay marriages and marijuana) are "tolerated." Imagine a carousel in front of the White House or Malacañang or a sex shop in Glorietta?

(To be concluded on Tuesday)

(KLM may be reached at 887-1202.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])