I visited Amsterdam during Feb this year and that happened to be the coldest climate they have faced for last 10 years. The whole of Europe was chilling in cold and at Amsterdam it was -13C. That was the coldest I have faced. The whole city was filled with snow and it was the first time I am in such a place. It was a wonderful experience. I had earlier visited Sugar Mountain in North Carolina where I had been among snow, but that was nothing compared to what I saw here. I was with some collegues for a business meeting here and in between we took time to visit some key places in Amsterdam. The climate was a deterrent to venture out for longer to get a good feel of the city.
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Snow filled ground with Van Gogh Museum in the background |
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Cruise Boat on a Frozen Canal |
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Queen's Palace, Dam Square |
The Royal Palace at Dam Square is used by
Queen Beatrix. The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial.
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Madame Tussauds Museum, Dam Square |
Dam Square also host other important buildings like Madame Tussauds Museum, War Memorial etc.
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Amsterdam Central Station |
Public transportation in Amsterdam is mainly through buses, trams, Metro and long distance trains. The Amsterdam Central is the main station where you can get into any of them.
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Heineken Museum |
We also went to Heineken Museum in Amsterdam, even though we couldn't take a tour. The tour for the day was closed, so we visited the museum shop and picked up some souvenirs.
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Bicycles Parked Near Canal |
Cycling as a mode of transportation is very popular in Amsterdam. Due to cold and snow, most were parked on the roadside. We saw more cycles than people on road.
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Dutch East India Company Ship |