Rederij P. Kooij is one of several popular tour boat companies in Amsterdam, providing trips through the city’s canals.
Kooij is situated in the Rokin, or what’s left of it. This water used to run from the river Amstel to Dam Square. Remember, Amsterdam = Dam in the river Amstel. At the time, the water came up to the buildings at the back of the Kalverstraat (to the left, but not seen in this picture).
Tour guides often claim the name Rokin is a reference to the word ‘rak’ — which means straight canal or straight river.
But that is not how Rokin got its name.
In the 16th century, the houses in the Kalverstraat near Dam square were to be shortened — a procedure at that time referred to, in Dutch, as ‘inrukken’ (krimp or withdraw). The street thus created was at first called Ruck-in, later Rock-in, and most recently Rokin.
In 1936, 2/3 of Rokin — the part between tour company Kooij in this picture and Dam square further north — was filled in.
The yellow contraption in the picture is a piece of equipment used in the building of a new metro subway line — yet another assault on the city by clueless politicians trying to find ever more creative ways to spend taxpayer money while screwing up the city.
Since 1985 nude recreation is not automatically a criminal offense in the Netherlands.
But whether or not nude or topless sunbathing will actually be allowed at Vondelpark will eventually be up to a judge.
Bikes can be parked just about anywhere — including in spots where it would be impossible (or, due to the cost, too expensive) to place a billboard or other form of advertisement.
Most Amsterdammers know of one or more bikes that haven’t been moved in years — silently advertising a nearby store, restaurant, bike shop or other service.
The sturdy examples in the picture advertise the Undutchables temp agency for foreign professionals in Amsterdam.
By all accounts it’s a good firm to work for, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the name of the firm was taken from the title of a hilarious, satirical book about the Dutch
It started out as a small sewing notions shop at nearby Nieuwendijk, in the year 1870.
In 1912 the owner bought several additional shops at Nieuwendijk, intending to expand his store. In order to facilitate the expansion project, he temporarily moved his store to Dam square.
However, when turnover at the new location turned out to be five times as high as at Nieuwendijk, it was decided to keep the store at Dam square.
Bankers, however, did not want to finance a specialty store at that location. Therefore the owner decided to turn his sewing notions shop into a warehouse.
The Bijenkorf in its current form officially opened in 1915. The store introduced many marketing tactics that were new to Holland, including art exhibitions by young artists and fanciful store windows.
- Source: DutchAmsterdam.nl
Over the years the warehouse became known for its exclusive brand names aimed at high-class shoppers.
Until a few years ago in the month of December, the store was a popular destination for parents with children. Unlike nowadays, the shop windows were carefully and beautifully decorated — in December reflecting the Saint Nicholas and Christmas feasts.
In recent years The Bijenkorf has lost much of its ertswhile luster. While it still carries exclusive brands and expensive goods, the overall look and feel of the store has been greatly cheapened.
The original brown cafes are brown for two reasons: their interior design includes lots of wood, and just about everything in the place is stained by decades, sometimes centuries worth of nicotine.
Cafe Kalkhoven, across from the Westerkerk and thus close to the Anne Frank House, is a prime example — having been in business since 1670.
There are also lots of nouveau brown cafes, in which the yellow-brown patina is carefully painted onto aged wood in order to achieve the gezellige atmosphere brown cafes are known for.
‘Gezellig’ is a Dutch word that simply cannot be translated. Yet once you have read the explanation your sure know what it is.
One result of the smoking ban, forced on the Dutch since July 2008, means that all brown cafes have now reached a status quo. They won’t get any browner.
The opposite of a brown cafe is any establishment whose surroundings make you feel like you’re visiting an airport toilet facility. Definitely ongezellig.
• More about Amsterdam’s brown cafes
Some summers the sun hardly shows, while in other years Holland is subjected to heatwaves.
Tourist brochures always show Amsterdam in the best possible light — literally, with its monuments, canals and street scenes bathed in sunlight. Rest assured, it’s not photoshopped (well, we assume it’s not). But don’t be disappointed if you don’t see much of the sun during your visit to Amsterdam.
Fact is that Holland’s climate is changing. It’s becoming milder and wetter.
The photo above shows a typical Amsterdam scene — the Central Station (just above the small vessel in the middle of the picture) as seen across the IJ estuary on a rain, shine, or both day.
The city has 165 canals with a total length of 100 kilometers. This accounts for the fact that Amsterdam is a city of 90 islands — and some 1500 bridges. No wonder Amsterdam is called “The Venice of the North.”
Over the past ten years, the number of pleasure boats coursing through the canals has doubled to 14.000 vessels.
That is why Amsterdam is introducing some new rules for the watery road (as well as highlighting some old ones too few people observe).
Pictured here is Prinsengracht near Noordermarkt. In the distance is a commercial tour boat. The canal is lined by houseboats.
The city, first settled in the 12th century, wasn’t really made with cars in mind. And even with Amsterdam’s excellent, finely-mazed public transport system, getting from a to b by bike tends to be just as fast — if not faster.
In recent years, custom bikes have really taken off. They come in all shapes and sizes, and are built for different purposes. The bike in this photo, for instance, is designed to carry one adult and three children. Perfect for those trips to and from school.
Other custom bikes have a storage ‘trunk’ large enough to carry several days worth of groceries, while yet other bikes can move small loads of, say, household goods.
Amsterdam, the city of bikes is best seen either on foot or by bike.
This one, Retro and Chic, is located in the Staalstraat — about halfway between the Waterlooplein fleamarket and Holland’s most expensive (in terms of rent) part of the Kalverstraat shopping street.
This is soooo Dutch, or at least typical for Amsterdam: a bike (shopping basket filled with plastic tulips) parked right in front of a sign that says not to park bikes there.
Then again… given the color-coordination going on here I wonder whether the bike was placed there by the folks who run the store. After all, all is fair in love and advertising, right?
Episode is a second-hand clothes store — this one in the Berenstraat in Amsterdam.
Buyer Beware
Episode’s website says the Episode stores are run by GAIA. GAIA in turn is connected to Tvind — a company warned against by cult watchers such as Tvind Alert:
HAVE YOU JUST DROPPED CLOTHES INTO A ‘HUMANA’ CHARITY BIN?
Or one operated by Planet Aid, Gaia, UFF, DAPP, Green World Recycling (or any of the enterprises listed below?)
You assumed you were giving to a good cause? You may be surprised to find out where your donation has really gone. It could be supporting a cult!
Your clothes are now the property of The Teachers Group. This is not a normal charity. It is not recognised as one anywhere in the world. One of its most senior leaders has just been sent to prison for fraud (January 2009).
- Source: The Used Clothes Scam, Tvind Alert
See also The Green Bins of GAIA and more about Tvind.
Cool bike, though.
Tourboats at Rokin, Amsterdam
