A little break from my Bella Italia series, here is an interesting view of Amsterdam, from the north part of the city in Het IJ harbour that I took from the Movenpick Hotel Amsterdam just the other day.
Right in front you can see both the tram and train railway tracks. GVB operates the blue and white comfortable trams (on the foto) in Amsterdam. In Utrecht, Conexxion just recently introduced the talking trams. I seldom use public transport but a few months ago when I did the tram caught me by surprise when suddenly the thing talked – “Niet meer instappen!†[Do not anymore step in], ha-ha. Next year, I heard the NS (Dutch National Railways) will offer wi-fi internet on board.
The green building that looks like a hat or a nose of a ship is the Nemo, the biggest science center in the Netherlands, quite popular with the kids.
Trivia: Did you know that Nemo means nobody? The name has deeper meaning, as it suggests celebration between the world of fantasy and reality.
Beside the Nemo science center is a striking medieval clipper replica of the VOC – East Indiaman Amsterdam. The ship is docked in front of the renovated Scheepvaart Museum [Maritime Museum]. To read about its history, please click here: East Indiaman Amsterdam. The Dutch were world traders and colonists during the middle ages.
And, the panoramic background of the foto covered with a silhouette streak (it was a greyish morning I believe) is the old center of Amsterdam. Click on the picture and see, albeit not that clear, the ancient crooked houses that Amsterdam is known for.
Visit Period: April 2007
Destination: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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