“Little slice of Holland” – that’s the way Zaanse Schans is fondly referred to. Sited at a distance of about 30 minutes north of Amsterdam city, here is a place where you can relax yourselves far away from the fast pace of the city. This small village, on the banks of the Zaan river has more than a dozen highlights associated with it which include the topical museums like the Clock Museum (which are worth taking a look at in spite of its small size), working windmills, a great cheese-making shop, pretty green houses and of course the Albert Heijn store. As if this is not enough, you have goats and other animals waiting to entertain you
Zaanse Schans makes for an ideal day trip out of Amsterdam city!
Getting there:
Take bus 91 from Amsterdam Central station, it stops right outside. It will cost you 5 euros to return. The buses leave at 25 and 56 minutes past the hour (between 9-4) and the trip takes around 50 minutes.
Talk about parks. The greenest, biggest and most famous is all one – Vondelpark. Time to get romantic? Head to Vondelpark. You can simply chill out with the love of your life lying on the grass in this park. People say the experience is fantastic and maybe that’s the reason why more than 10 million visitors flock to this city park (the largest in Amsterdam). Amsterdammers love it and so do tourists. If you have nothing better to do, this park is one of the best for people-watching. There are hundreds who arrive here on any sunny day for dog walking, roller skating, bike riding or simply to do nothing. Other highlights at the park include
•The Groot Melkhuis with a children’s playground
•Statue of the poet Vondel
•The film museum and its popular terrace [Performances for children on Wednesday and Sunday afternoon]
•Cast iron music dome
•The open air theatre [Free children shows on Wednesday afternoon]
Here is a great review: “You can see some local people playing petanque while smoking a joint and drinking a pack of Heineken, or you can see a couple sitting on a bench and having a picnic, or a beggar sleeping in the grass, or a dog swimming in the small lake for his owner stick, or a musician playing flute, or catch a free concert of local music..”
De Jordaan, constituted by a maze of tiny streets is home to at least a twenty thousand natives – mainly young entrepreneurs, artists and students. You can spend some time strolling around the courtyards, monumental buildings, art studios, numerous boutiques and galleries in addition to doing some exciting shopping.
The Haarlemmerstraat sited nearby is an ideal place to have a hearty meal after a hard day’s shopping. If you are lucky enough you might stumble on a hidden treasure in this funky neighborhood. Keep wishing!