Lost in De Jordaan

Today we folowed the Lonely Plant Amsterdam book on a walking tour through the Jordaan, in the west of Amsterdam Centruum.  It was about 15 minutes on the tram from near our place at Roelof Hartplein to the Willemsstraat station.  From there we zig-zagged our way through the Jordaan district, finishing near Dam Square.  The shopping areas were a highlight of the district with markets such as the Noordermarkt out the front of the Noorderkerk which had a variety of breads, cheeses, flowers and antiques, and the Lindengracht markets which is a 1km stretch of farmer's market stalls.  We also wandered through the Negenstraatjes (Nine Streets) area which hosts upmarket accessory stores and art galleries.

Herring Hot Dog

Noorderkerk

Noordermarkt

Mushroom Stall at the Noordermarkt

Cafe Chris, in the backstreets of de Jordaan

The other significant attractions of the area are the churches.  These include the cross-shaped Noorderkerk (with the markets out the front) and the Westerkerk, which is a an early1600's building topped with an intricately decorated blue and gold crown.  The melodic chiming of the bells was a highlight, and adds the the sense of history when reading how Anne Frank mentions this same chiming in her diaries (the Anne Frank house is nearby the church).

Westerkerk

The blue crown atop the tallest spire of the Westerkerk

Canal over the Prinsengracht next to the Westerkerk

After seeing the house where the bankrupt Rembrandt died (it now houses a Japanese souvenir shop...) we made our way up to Centraal Station so I could put some more credit on my OV-chipkaart, and we decided to go via the Oude Kerk.  The 'old church' is the oldest landmark in Amsterdam, dating back to 1306.  The magnificent pipe organ watches over the tomb-stone covered floor, under which thousands of Amsterdammers were buried up until the 1800's.  The renovation which the inside of the church is undergoing does detract a bit from immersion in the experience, but it is still pretty spectacular to be in such an old building.

Rembrandt's house

Oude Kerk

One of many several metre high stained glass windows in the Oude kerk

Oude kerk's pipe orgen

One of the many tombstones which tile the floor of the church

The area outside the church is basically the red light district and although there was not much to be seen from the main street we walked along, there was a definite feeling of seediness in the area.  It seems that this is the type of area from which Amsterdam gets much of its reputation, and it was full of tourists who looked as though they came here only to experience that reputation for themselves.  Having been here for almost 5 weeks now, I can definitely say that this type of area is the exception, not the rule when it comes to this beautiful city.

Centraal Station