aMStERdaM - In Your Pocket

Sightseeing
Heineken Experience G-9, Stadhouderskade 78, tel.
(+31) 205 23 92 22, www.heineken.com/experience. If
you'd like to see how one of the world's most popular beers is
made and sample the finished product at its ultramodern bar,
then look no further than the Heineken Experience, which truly
is an experience. Although this tasty brew, which is distributed
in over 170 countries around the globe isn't produced on the
premises, you can take a tour and learn about the company's
evolution from its founding in 1864 in Amsterdam to its current
status as a multinational brand. View exhibits that chronicle
Heineken's innovative leaps in both brewing technology
and marketing that launched the famous red star logo on
six continents. Pass the awards gallery and enter another
room where the four basic ingredients of beer are explained
and then move on to a large hall filled with giant copper vats
where you can take part in the process by grinding malt. Next
pass the stables where the Heineken Shire horses are kept,
eventually making your way to the Brew You 4D experience
where you see, feel and smell what it's like to be brewed from
start to finish. Take a break at the tasting bar where a guide
will pour you a brew. Proceed to the video room with green
couches and a ceiling made of Heineken bottles, bottle your
own personalised brew for €6, create your own video or move
on to the STR bottle experience. At long last you'll reach the
climax of the tour where you can enjoy two cold beers with
dozens of other Heineken fans. Exit the experience via the
Heineken shop where you can get pretty much anything with
the Heineken logo on it. If you still haven't found the perfect
souvenir then take the Heineken Shuttle Boat to the Heineken
Brandstore near Rembrandt Square. Q Open 11:00 - 19:30
(last tour at 17:30), Fri, Sat (June, July August; last tour at
19:00) 10:30 - 21:00. Admission: €17. AU
House of Bols Cocktail and Genever Experience
F-10, Paulus Potterstraat 14, tel. (+31) 205 70 85 75,
www.houseofbols.nl. Founded in Amsterdam in 1575, the
House of Bols is one the world's oldest spirits makers, not
to mention one of the oldest firms on record. Today, the
award-winning Genever Experience showcases the roughly
40 liqueurs it sells in 110 countries around the world as well
as the wide varieties of jenevers it produces. Take a selfguided,
interactive tour and learn about the history of the
House of Bols, discover the importance of both smell, taste
and colour in the drinking process, practice your bartending
skills in the flair simulator and, best of all, taste a delicious
cocktail prepared by graduates of the upstairs drinks pouring
school in the trendy Mirror Bar. QOpen 12:00 - 18:00, Fri
12:00 - 22:00. Closed Tue. Admission: €11.50. A
Rijksmuseum F-9, Museumplein/Jan Luijkenstraat
1, tel. (+31) 206 74 70 47, www.rijksmuseum.com.
This colossal building occupies nearly an entire city block.
Although most of the museum is currently being renovated,
its most popular exhibits dedicated to the Dutch old masters
are still open to the public. View ancient weapons, gold and
silver artefacts and of course an incredible collection of the
nation's best old masters including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Bol
and Steen. Scenes depict everything from biblical tales and
windmilled landscapes to portraits and illustrations of 17thcentury
family life, not to mention exotic scenes from Holland's
far flung Golden Age colonies. Some of the museum's most
famous paintings like Rembrandt's The Jewish Bride and
The Night Watch are also described in detail in laminated
information cards, so you can take your time and discover
interesting facts about each of these canvases. Queues can
be long at peek times, mostly due to security checks, so
plan accordingly. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Admission: adults
€12.50, 18 and under free.
www.amsterdam.inyourpocket.com
zuid: sightseeing
Stedelijk Museum F-10, Museumplein 10, tel. (+31)
205 73 29 11, info@stedelijk.nl, www.stedelijk.nl.
The Netherlands’ most important museum for modern and
temporary art was in a coma for an unexpected eight years.
But as of September 23 it will be more accessible than ever.
The entrance has moved from the street to the park side,
which means that the cultural living room of Amsterdam now
has its own chill-out and meeting area outside. Moreover,
this square will function as an outdoor exhibition space.
The addition of a new building has doubled the size of the
museum and the Stedelijk is now the proud owner of the
largest exhibition space in Holland. It has no windows, which
makes this 1100m2 area also suitable for displaying digital
and video art. The interior of the old and new buildings have
been completely integrated, so you’ll hardly notice where the
100-year-old edifice ends and the modern one begins. if you
lose your bearings just remember that the old part houses
the permanent collections, while the new building exhibits
temporary work. QAdmission: adults €10, children 13 - 18
years €5, children 12 and under free. AK
Van Gogh Museum F-10, Paulus Potterstraat 7, tel.
(+31) 205 70 52 00, www.vangoghmuseum.com. Very
few tourists leave Amsterdam without visiting this incredible
museum. Its vast collection includes roughly 200 paintings,
500 drawings and 750 letters that comprise most of the
works produced by the troubled artist in his short 10-year
career. After dabbling in religious vocations and art selling,
he finally embarked on his true calling in 1880, which is where
the museum's permanent exhibit begins. Those familiar with
only his later works will no doubt be surprised to see the dark
greys, browns and blues used in Van Gogh's earliest still lifes
of cabbages and clogs, not to mention some of the subject
matter such as a smoking skeleton. The vibrant paintings
for which he is now so renowned only appeared later during
his time in Paris when he ‘discovered colour'. Although the
museum is indeed a shrine to all things Van Gogh, it also
displays a varied collection of works by world-famous artists
from early mentors like Anton Mauve and Jules Dupré to such
icons of Impressionism as Monet, Manet, Pissaro, Gauguin,
Renoir, Cézanne and Toulouse-Lautrec from which he drew
inspiration. The museum also offers temporary exhibitions
in the basement as well as a café and a large shop where
you can buy prints, books and other Van Gogh souvenirs. The
crowds of visitors at peek times might limit your appreciation
of the experience, so why not drop by on a Friday night
when you can enjoy your art with some music and a cocktail!
QOpen 10:00 - 18:00, Fri 10:00 - 22:00. Admission: adults
€14, children 17 and under free. AUK
Chill out at the Heineken Experience
Summer 2012
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