Today I did mostly touristy stuff, went to the Amsterdam Dungeon as well as Madame Toussardes, the "Scream" part of the Madame Tousardes tour was very well executed as they use real actors who are incredibly still so you think they are models, suddenly they grab you, I nearly crapped myself as a female figure reached for my face and I yelped in terror!! I also went to go see the Holland Experience a 3D tour of Holland. It was amazing, the images literally come towards you, WOW!! I have never seen that back home.
I also went to the Museum boat where I walked around a real houseboat in one of the canals near one of the biggest protestant churches of its time.
The only cultural thing I had time to do was go to an exhibition in De Nuewe Kerk. This church is apparently the oldest church in Amsterdam ( according to my guide book ) and it is where the dutch royal family have their weddings, it is really beautiful and has an amazing organ as well as lots of intricate wooden pieces which are delicately sculpted. The exhibition was about Indonesia which was a former dutch colony.
In terms of dutch food the only things I have tasted were croket rolls and lots of Dutch beer, in fact I am currently sipping on an Amstel named after the Amstel river which is the only natural river in Amsterdam. Amsterdam was named after the Amstel Dam which the city developed around it was called something along the lines of Amsteldam and later became known as Amsterdam. Amstel is in fact my favourite beer in South Africa and I must say the original dutch version is just as good.
Tomorrow up at 5:30 to catch a bus to Station Centraal the train station and then a train to Schipol Airport ( pls excuse my spelling) then onwards to my beloved South Africa. I love Europe but South Africa is where my heart is. Although we have a lot of abject poverty in our country as well as violent crime we are really spoilt in some ways.For example our food is of great quality, eating out in decadantly luxurious restaurants is sooooo cheap compared to Europe and hotel accomodation is much better and much cheaper. Besides all that our country is fucken beautiful and Afrikaans people (as much as they are ripped off by English speaking South Africans) are really warm and hospitable. Going to Italy as well as Holland has been a bit of a journey into the roots of my own ancestoral background as my late father was from Northern Italy and my mother is Afrikaans, her surname is Van Loggerenberg which is dutch, most Afrikaans people have either dutch or french ancestory from the dutch and french settlers of the Cape or Cape Town. Afrikaans is a language very close to dutch, it was in fact Dutch that evolved on its own in South Africa. I am very proud of both these cultural influences and I am also proudly South African. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much Italian as well as Dutch I can understand. It has inspired me to learn both languages properly when I get back home.
Anyway that is all for now, goodness I am actually quite tipsy, I am sure you can tell as I am rambling a bit... Sorry...
Later
Have I mentioned that I really dislike flying, hopefully I get home in one piece!!!
I also went to the Museum boat where I walked around a real houseboat in one of the canals near one of the biggest protestant churches of its time.
The only cultural thing I had time to do was go to an exhibition in De Nuewe Kerk. This church is apparently the oldest church in Amsterdam ( according to my guide book ) and it is where the dutch royal family have their weddings, it is really beautiful and has an amazing organ as well as lots of intricate wooden pieces which are delicately sculpted. The exhibition was about Indonesia which was a former dutch colony.
In terms of dutch food the only things I have tasted were croket rolls and lots of Dutch beer, in fact I am currently sipping on an Amstel named after the Amstel river which is the only natural river in Amsterdam. Amsterdam was named after the Amstel Dam which the city developed around it was called something along the lines of Amsteldam and later became known as Amsterdam. Amstel is in fact my favourite beer in South Africa and I must say the original dutch version is just as good.
Tomorrow up at 5:30 to catch a bus to Station Centraal the train station and then a train to Schipol Airport ( pls excuse my spelling) then onwards to my beloved South Africa. I love Europe but South Africa is where my heart is. Although we have a lot of abject poverty in our country as well as violent crime we are really spoilt in some ways.For example our food is of great quality, eating out in decadantly luxurious restaurants is sooooo cheap compared to Europe and hotel accomodation is much better and much cheaper. Besides all that our country is fucken beautiful and Afrikaans people (as much as they are ripped off by English speaking South Africans) are really warm and hospitable. Going to Italy as well as Holland has been a bit of a journey into the roots of my own ancestoral background as my late father was from Northern Italy and my mother is Afrikaans, her surname is Van Loggerenberg which is dutch, most Afrikaans people have either dutch or french ancestory from the dutch and french settlers of the Cape or Cape Town. Afrikaans is a language very close to dutch, it was in fact Dutch that evolved on its own in South Africa. I am very proud of both these cultural influences and I am also proudly South African. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much Italian as well as Dutch I can understand. It has inspired me to learn both languages properly when I get back home.
Anyway that is all for now, goodness I am actually quite tipsy, I am sure you can tell as I am rambling a bit... Sorry...
Later
Have I mentioned that I really dislike flying, hopefully I get home in one piece!!!
hope you sampled some of there goodies while you were there