EXPLORING AMSTERDAM
The nhow Hotel Amsterdam
AMSTERDAM
3
TO READ...
THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM BY CHRIS EWAN The first of the successful ‘Good Thief’ series begins in “a dim-lit brown bar on a northern stretch of the Keizersgracht canal” as an unknown American asks Charlie to steal two monkey figurines for him. Charlie is a mystery writer with a side-line (or is it vice versa) as a thief. This assignment is a baffling proposition as, to judge by the ‘sample’ figurine he is given, they are apparently worthless. Charlie decides to rise to the challenge. The writing flows, the characters are well developed and the details of how to pick a lock work surprisingly well alongside the atmospheric description of Amsterdam. The Good Thief’s Guide is light on gore but heavy on humour. Charlie makes a pleasant travelling companion if you are on your way to Amsterdam. Available both in Kindle and print at Amazon.
RECIPES FROM MY DUTCH KITCHEN BY JANNY DE MOOR Dutch cuisine developed over the centuries in the kitchens of fishermen, farmers and the seagoing merchants who introduced the spices and exotic ingredients that still give Dutch food its distinctive edge. Here are more than 75 recipes suitable for today’s home kitchen, from farmhouse cooking to the cosmopolitan dishes that are part of contemporary Dutch life. Information on the culture and traditions of the Netherlands, national festivities, local geography and produce are all part of the story. From Alkmaar Cheese Soup to Creamy Veal Stew with Prunes, from Poffertjes to Frisian Sugar Bread, the book is full of culinary inspiration – and mouth-watering illustrations. Available in hardback on Amazon.
AMSTERDAM, A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CITY BY GEERT MAK Although this ‘brief history’ stretches to 352 pages in the paperback version, there isn’t a dull paragraph. The author endows the fact-packed account with the contemporary attraction of a well-written news story. The result is a fastpaced overview of a remarkable settlement and how it developed from boggy wetlands to a sophisticated city. Quirky narratives abound, along with observations on the Dutch psyche and political commentary. Many of the intriguing anecdotes are related to the buildings, streets and canals every tourist encounters and these, along with the maps included, make this historical work useful as a guide book, too. Available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.
Hotel with a twist A sensational building awaits delegates in Amsterdam. Maryalicia Post reports. RAI, the Amsterdam convention centre on Europaplein, is as down to earth – and just about as glamorous – as a wooden shoe. So it was startling to encounter, on a recent visit, a sophisticated structure like a stack of gift boxes from outer space, rising up on its perimeter. It’s the new nhow hotel, designed by OMA, the architectural firm of Rem Koolhaas. Topping out at 91 metres, its 25 floors hold 650 rooms. It is the largest hotel in the Benelux region OMA Partner Reinier de Graaf, the architect in charge of the project, says he drew his inspiration from Het Signaal, the commercial logos on a skewer that once served as the focal point of the square. Once Het Signaal stood alone. Now, it’s dwarfed by the proliferation of buildings around it and can be easy to miss. In contrast, the nhow hotel will be difficult not to notice. Not only does it command the surrounding area physically, but there will be a television studio broadcasting daily from the upper floor. The interior decor is as fresh and colourful as a tulip field. Its design elements and graphics are drawn from the six cardinal directions to which the building’s corners point: South, East, North, South West, South East and North West. So, for example, Mexican sugar skulls meet Japanese lanterns in the lavish dining area. An underground concourse lined with shops will link the hotel to the exhibition halls. The new North-South metro line 52, which won the professional Amsterdam Architectural Prize for 2019, is another exciting architectural accomplishment for the city. It took 25 years of intensive work
plus an expenditure of €3.1 billion before the line opened in July 2018. It makes it possible to go from Amsterdam’s Central Station to Europaplein in eight minutes. The entire route, from Central Station to Zuid, is 9.7km long, including a stretch of 3.2km underground; it necessitated the construction of five underground and two above-ground stations. Each of the stations boasts colourful mosaics referencing the neighbourhood it serves. Between the escalators at the end of the Europaplein station, some of the thousands of finds recovered during the dig are displayed in a glass case. However, the principle museum of finds is at the Rokin Station. The dates of the objects displayed here range from 1650 to 1850. A website explains more about the objects recovered: belowthesurface.amsterdam.
Het Signaal
EUROTIMES | MARCH 2020
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