Question:
I recently spent eight days in the Netherlands, a sojourn which wasmade more enjoyable by the advice which readers of the rec.travel andsoc.culture.netherlands websites gave me. So I thought I'd post afew comments on my stay there in the hope that people might find theminteresting or even useful. I'm not going to try to give any sort ofcomplete treatment of travelling there (this you can get from the guidebooks,) but just set down some personal reactions and random tips.

First, I'll comment on the various guide books I used inpreparation for the trip. One of the best in general was the RealGuide Amsterdam, which though like other books in that series isdirected mostly towards counter-culture travellers will still be founduseful by a more general audience. I found it especially good forlisting interesting and authentic bars, cafes, and restaurants. TheAmerican Express guide to Amsterdam was also quite useful on thesetopics and on hotels, as was the Frommer guide to Amsterdam. All thesebooks covered other major destinations in the central and northern partof the country as well as the capital. The Blue Guide Holland, asexpected, was an excellent guide to the country in general and wasespecially good on architecture and museums: I'd highly recommend thisas your primary guide to the major museums.

We divided our stay between Haarlem and Amsterdam, and in retrospectI'm glad we did both. Haarlem was a quieter and homier place to stay,and it was a good idea to stay there first when we were still pretty jetlagged, since it was fairly peaceful. There are plenty of attractionsin and around the city to fill up a couple days for the visitor, and wenever even got into Amsterdam while we were staying in Haarlem.

Amsterdam, on the other hand, is of course one of the great citiesof the world, and we enjoyed it immensely when we stayed there for fourdays at the end of our trip. In a way it reminded me of San Francisco,not only because both cities are famed for tolerance, but also becausethey're both fairly human in scale, with relatively few neighborhoodsgiven over to huge buildings. Amsterdam is probably the mostinteresting city I've ever been in to just walk around in, because thereeverywhere seem to be strange and fascinating things to look at in shopwindows and on building fronts. One thing about Amsterdam that struckme as unusual was that, in contrast to most cities I've been in, themajor streets (mostly along the canals) seemed primarily residential,while most shops and restaurants were concentrated along the smallerside streets. This gives the city an atmosphere that is paradoxicallyat once spacious and compact.

One of the pleasures of the Netherlands is its cafes and bars,which are to be found in great numbers everywhere. In fact it seems tome that in summer at least, Amsterdam has a street life and a cafesociety more like you'd expect to find in southern Europe than innorthern. Each cafe tends to have its own atmosphere and clientele,and they often serve light meals, which can be quite good. As fordrinks, although Dutch beer is excellent, many places also serveBelgian beer, which is more flavorful and comes in some unusualvarieties (such as cherry-flavored beer -- I forget the name of it.)And if you like real liquor, try "young" jenever, a sort of gin whichis served ice cold and neat, and tastes something like a good drymartini. If you drink more than two, you may end up walking into acanal. There are hundreds of cafe's; my favorite of the ones we foundwas 't Smalle on Eglantiersgracht on the edge of the Jordaan: goodfood, lots of different beers and wines by the glass, and a quietthough crowded atmosphere. I'm not giving away any secrets inrecommending this place, since it seems to be one of the most popularin town.

In May I stirred up something of a controversy in these websitesby quoting differing opinions on the part of travel writers as to howsafe Amsterdam is. I'm glad to be able to report that no one molestedme there, and in general the city had a very unthreatening feel to it,though I should add that I never went into any of the parts reputed tobe rough. I did go through the Central Station several times, whichseemed to me not to live up to its reputation for nefariousness.

Public transportation in the Netherlands is excellent. There's noneed to rent a car, even if you want to travel a lot; moreover, trafficis bad (all those old narrow streets,) parking scarce, and I'm toldthere's a big problem with theft from cars. Taxi service is alsoamazingly efficient in Amsterdam: you call for a taxi, put down thephone, walk out your front door, and there the taxi is. Rates arehigh, but since the city is so compact you usually don't end up payingall that much for the ride. I'd suggest carefully studying the sectionson public transit in your guide books before you go; the system takes alittle learning.

Almost everyone in the country seems to speak fluent English, so youdon't need to know Dutch. My attempts to use the few Dutch words that Iknow met with a positive, though sometimes amused, response.

The Netherlands is known for its Indonesian food, and we madea point of investigating this cuisine by having three differentrijstaffels (Indonesian banquets) while we were there, in three of theIndonesian restaurants reputed to be among the best. Strictly in regardto food quality, I'd say the best of all was Kantijl & de Tijger onSpuistraat near Spui. Service was good too, though personally I didn'tcare for the minimalist, upscale decor which gives the place a sort ofyuppified atmosphere. Also good, and having a more traditional ethnicrestaurant atmosphere, are Speciaal at Nieuwe Leliestraat 142, and MooiJava next to the train station in Haarlem (15 minutes train ride fromAmsterdam.)

To sum up, here's what I would advise travelers to The Netherlands:

* As always, do your research in good guidebooks.

* Allow plenty of time to just wander around Amsterdam as well as to see the specific sights.

* Don't think that going to Netherlands = going to Amsterdam. There's lots to see in the rest of the country.

* Don't get an automobile.

* Eat Dutch sandwiches (brojdes) and Indonesian food.

* Drink Dutch gin and Belgian beer.

* Don't fall in the canal.

Answer: I'll second that !