May 14, 2024
A Walk around Amsterdam
This morning after breakfast we had a two hour small-group walking tour. As part of the pre-cruise extension, this was an included Viking tour.
Description: Romantic Canals and Fairy-Tale Gabled Houses. Get acquainted with the neighborhood and discover why romantic Amsterdam is a city best explored on foot.
Meet your guide and set out into the charming streets. As you walk, admire the countless gabled houses. The city’s only tax code shaped these quaint houses into what they are today, as builders were taxed based on the frontage of their dwelling. Follow the tranquil canals (grachten) to the city’s open squares (pleinen), where cafes and shops greet you. The 60 miles of canals keep the waters of the North Sea at bay with a series of sluices at the city’s perimeter. In all, the network of canals forms a horseshoe shape with Centraal Station at the center of the mouth.
We met our guide and fellow participants in the hotel lobby and started our walk. As we walked along some of the canals and down some of the small streets, the guide had us note how the houses were constructed. He told us that homes were taxed based on their width and, as a result, the houses were tall but narrow. We wondered how one managed to get furniture to the upper levels. He pointed to the hoisting beams on the top of some of the houses that were used to lift furniture up to and through the windows of the upper floors. He also reminded us that Amsterdam was located on a bog so houses were typically built on a foundation of wooden poles 13 – 20 meters long. The poles were drilled into the soil to reach the firmer sediment layer of sand. Over time, some of the houses have begun to lean.
As we rounded a corner, he drew our attention to a wall with several inlaid plaques. He explained that these were gable stones. Gable Stones were used before house numbers to give directions. You could tell your friends to look for the house with a goat gable stone or to go three houses past the house with the nun gable stone.
As we walked along the Singel Canal, the guide pointed out a prison visible under the bridge on the right side.
Built during the mid-17th century and boasting a width of 42 meters, the Torensluis (“tower lock”) stands as the widest bridge in the city and ranks among its most ancient. The bridge’s remarkable dimensions, as well as its name, can be attributed to the tower that once occupied this spot until its demolition in the mid-19th century. Evidence of the tower’s presence endures in the bridge’s pavement and the dungeon beneath it, both still bearing visible traces. Visitors should also keep an eye out for the prison cells tucked beneath the bridge, featuring barred windows and an arched entrance. These cells are now open to the public, often hosting events and exhibitions.
Torensluis
Our walking tour ended in the heart of Amsterdam – the Dam Square.
The history of Dam Square stretches back to 1270 when the area contained an actual dam that formed the first connection between settlements on both sides of the Amstel River. The dam gave the square its name, and the name “Amsterdam” was eventually derived from the combination of the dam and Amstel River.
Over the decades, the dam was built up and became wide enough for a town square. The rectangular shape of dam square is the result of it being the combination of two squares, which comprised of what used to be the actual dam as well as a plaza to the west of it. Dam Square subsequently became a hub of commercial activity but also housed numerous government offices, including town hall.
Dam Square
Notable buildings on the square include the Royal Amsterdam Palace and The New Church (Nieuwe Kerk). We wanted to go inside both buildings but there was an art exhibit in the church that we didn’t want to pay to see. The Palace also had an entry fee and since we were already pretty tired we decided to pass. Instead we asked our guide to recommend a nearby cafe where we could sit, cool off (since it was a warm day), and enjoy a beverage.
After relaxing in the cafe for a while, we headed back to the hotel. We had planned to spend a leisurely afternoon at the hotel but it was such a gorgeous day that, on a whim, Bill and I decided to visit the Van Loon Museum. This house provided a glimpse into the life of a prosperous Dutch family during the Dutch Golden Age.
Museum Van Loon
Museum Van Loon is situated in a majestic mansion on one of Amsterdam’s main canals: Keizersgracht or Emperor’s Canal. It was built in 1672 by architect Adriaan Dortsman who also designed the Ronde Lutherse Kerk on the Singel.
The interior and exterior have remained largely intact over the centuries and still evoke the splendour of the Golden Age. The rooms display a large collection of paintings, fine furniture, precious silverware and porcelain from different centuries. The beautiful garden is enclosed at the back by the classical facade of the coach house. This original unity of canal house, garden and coach house can’t be seen anywhere else.
In the 19th century, the Van Loon family moved into the house. The family’s history is closely linked to that of Amsterdam. Several Van Loons were city mayors. Others, like Willem van Loon, held important positions in the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The last resident of the house, before it became a museum, was Thora van Loon-Egidius. She was Queen Wilhelmina’s Dame du Palais for 40 years and invited important royal guests to the house in that capacity. (Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands reigned from 1890 until her abdication in 1948, longer than any other Dutch monarch.)
Museum Van Loon
Willem Van Loon was a co-founder of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
The Dutch East India Company was founded on March 20, 1602. It was created by an act of the States General of the Netherlands and combined several preexisting companies under one umbrella. It was initially given a 21-year monopoly on Dutch trade with Asia.
The Dutch East India Company was granted vast powers. Besides being given an initial 21-year monopoly on Dutch trade with the East Indies, it could also do the following:
- Build forts
- Maintain armies
- Make treaties with local rulers
- Carry out military action against local and other foreign powers, such as the Portuguese and British
The company was incredibly profitable and was highly successful in expanding its share of the spice trade. It was eventually able to essentially monopolize the trade of cloves, nutmeg, and mace to both Europe and Mughal India. They sold these spices at as much as 17 times the price they paid.
VOC
But, there was a dark side to the Dutch East India Company.
For more than 300 years, adults and children were abducted from various parts of Africa ─ by Dutch and other slave traders ─ and transported under the most appalling conditions to the former Dutch colonies of Suriname and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten. There they were forced to work as slaves on plantations producing sugar, coffee and other crops.
The indigenous peoples of the Dutch colonies were not spared either. In Asia, enslaved people were sold and transported to areas governed by the United Dutch East India Company (VOC). For generations, people were born into slavery and forced to work on Dutch plantations their entire lives. Slavery enabled the Netherlands to become an economic world power.
Slavery
Acknowledgement of the slave trading history embedded in the Van Loon fortune was visible with displays of shirts like the one shown below. Each shirt had the name given to the slave, his/her country of birth, age, and sex.
A Rice Table for Dinner
After touring the Van Loon Museum, we returned to the hotel to freshen up a bit prior to a special dinner. When I was researching things to do in Amsterdam, I read about a unique dining experience called a Rijsttafel (Indonesian rice table). We had asked the Viking representative at the hotel to make a recommendation and reservations. As a result, we had a 7:00 p.m. reservation at Long Pura (an easy walk from the hotel).
So, what is a rice table you ask? A rice table consists of dozens of small, colorful, sharable dishes ranging from mild to spicy served with rice. It’s a great way to try lots of dishes in one meal. Staples usually include satay skewers (typically chicken or goat), various curries, and vegetables in peanut sauce.
After being seated at our table and placing our drink orders, we were given time to review the menu. Since we wanted to experience a rice table, the only decision was which one – one course, three course, or chef’s. We selected the three course.
- Appetizer
- Warung Saté – Enjoy the well-known different satays
- Main course
- Rendang padang – Beef in spicy spiced coconut sauce
- Terik Daging – Slightly sweet beef stewed in creamy sauce
- Gule Kambing – Lamb in mildly seasoned coconut milk sauce
- Ayam Kalio – Slightly spicy chicken in coconut milk sauce
- Sate Ayam – Grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce
- Sambal Goreng Telor – Egg in spicy chili sauce
- Sayur Lodeh – Hot vegetables in coconut sauce
- Gado Gado – Cold mixed vegetables with Gado Gado sauce
- Dessert
- Kue Dadar Gulung – Flange with Javanese sugar, Pandan and grated coconut with a bowl of mango ice cream
- Sides
- Acar Campur – Sweet and sour vegetables
- Serundeng – Roasted coconut with peanuts
- Sambal Goreng Tempeh – Tempeh in sweet sambal sauce
We had a great time at the rice table. All the dishes were really good but each of us had our favorite ones. If you are ever in Amsterdam, you should definitely try a rice table!
Following dinner, we returned to the hotel to pack and get some sleep.
