Amsterdam; Friday, 13 April, 2007

After checking out from the hotel and dumping my bags in the luggage lockers in Centraal station I headed off towards the resistance museum, first stopping at the Hollandsche Schouwburg. This was once one of the Netherlands premier theatres, then during the second world war it was converted into a reception centre for Jews who were to be deported to the east and their deaths. All but the façade of the theatre has been torn down, and today it is a memorial to those who died.

Around the corner is the resistance museum. The museum tells the history of the Dutch resistance to the Nazi’s during WWII. From small starts the organisation grew to a massive scale, with many Dutch actively involved in undermining the German occupation.

I walked back from the museum towards the centre of Amsterdam, stopping at Waterlooplein to take in the flea market which is there each day. The main items for sale, which about a quarter of the stalls were selling, appeared to be bike locks, which goes some way to set in mind what the level of bike theft must be like in Amsterdam! I wandered through the market for a while before heading back over to the Dam and the Amsterdam historical museum.

The museum is housed in the former orphanage and tells the history of the city from it’s birth in the 13th century, through to the modern times in exhibits and models.

From the historical museum I caught the tram the short distance out to the Heineken brewery. The beer is no longer made on site, but the former brewery has been transformed into the “Heineken Experience”. The exhibition takes you through the general process of brewing, as well as looking at the history of the company and its advertising. Part of the tour includes three halves of Heineken to sample on your way round.

Slightly tipsily I headed back from the brewery to the Centraal station to pick up my bags and head back to the airport and the plane home.