Part IV: Central Europe in .NET

Printer Data Matrix 2d barcode in .NET Part IV: Central Europe

interest and a room of everything you either do or don t want to know about deviant sexual practices Admission is 3 ($480); the museum is open daily from 10 am to 11:30 pm The Erotisch (Erotic) Museum, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 54 (% 020-624-7303), is more clinical and adds some mock-ups of an S&M playroom and a re-created alley from the Red-Light District in the good old days Admission is 5 ($8); the museum is open daily from noon to midnight Drinking beer in a brown cafe, gin in a proeflokaal: When the Dutch want to go to the proverbial place where everybody knows their name, they head to the neighborhood bruine kroeg (brown cafe so-called because they re stained from decades of smoke) This is the best place to try Dutch beer, where glasses drawn extra frothy from the tap are beheaded by a knife-wielding bartender You can find hundreds of these cafes throughout the city, but here are a few of the best: Caf Chris, Bloemstraat 42 (% 020-624-5942), has been around since 1642 and plays opera music on Sunday nights; Gollem, Raamsteeg 4 (% 020-626-6645), has over 200 beers to offer; Hoppe, Spui 18 20 (% 020-420-4420), is an always-crowded classic from 1670; touristy Reijnders has some great people-watching on the Leidseplein at no 6 (% 020-623-4419); and De Vergulde Gaper, Prinsengracht 30 (% 020-624-8975), is another good place for people-watching, with terrace tables and an atmospheric interior After you ve become familiar with the local beer, try the hard liquor the Dutch made famous Visit a gin-tasting house, or a proeflokaal, which looks like a brown cafe but is usually owned by the distillery itself It s customary to take the first sip no-hands, slurping it from the brim-filled shot glass as you lean over it Try Brouwerij t IJ, Funenkade 7 (% 020-320-1786 or 020-622-8325), in a now-defunct windmill near the harbor (good beers from its own brewery, too); minuscule Caf t Doktertje, Rozenboomsteeg 4 near Spui (% 020626-4427), which has lots of antiques and tasty fruit brandies; or the 1679 Wijnand Fockink, Pijlsteeg 31 (% 020-639-2695), where they ve already heard all the English jokes about their name They also display a series of liqueur bottles painted with portraits of all the city s mayors since 1591 Hanging out with hemp: It really wouldn t be Amsterdam without its fascination with intoxicating weeds (see the nearby sidebar, Lighting up ) In the Red-Light District, the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 148 (% 020-623-5961; wwwhashmuseumcom; Tram: 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, or 25 to the Dam), will teach you everything you ever wanted to know, and much you maybe didn t, about hash, marijuana, and related products The museum does not promote drug use but aims to make you better informed In a cannabis garden on the premises, plants at various stages of development fill the air with a heady, resinous fragrance Some exhibits shed light on cannabis s medicinal use and on hemp s past and present uses as a natural fiber Among several artworks is David Teniers the Younger s painting, Hemp-Smoking

Peasants in a Smoke House (1660) Admission is 570 ($910) adults, free for children 12 and under (when accompanied by an adult) The museum is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm (closed Jan 1, Apr 30, Dec 25) Spending an afternoon in the tropics: In East Amsterdam, the Tropenmuseum, Linnaeusstraat 2, at Mauritskade (% 020568-8200; wwwkitnl/tropenmuseum; Tram: 7, 9, 10, or 14 to Mauritskade), investigates the indigenous cultures of the country s former colonies in India, Indonesia, and the Caribbean The best exhibits are set up as typical villages you can wander through They re so realistic that you almost wonder where all the inhabitants went This place may be a good bet when the kids (or your own) interest in Dutch Old Masters starts flagging and you need a change of pace Admission is 750 ($12) adults, 6 ($960) seniors and students, and 4 ($640) ages 6 to 17 The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm (to 3 pm Dec 5, 24, and 31; closed Jan 1, Apr 30, May 5, Dec 25) Cycling around Amsterdam on two wheels: The Dutch are avid bicyclists: The country is home to 15 million people and 12 million bikes The streets are divided into lanes for cars, lanes for pedestrians, and lanes for bikes (each even has its own stoplights) Renting a bike is one of the best ways to explore Amsterdam away from the tram routes and major sights (quiet Sun are best) The only hills are the humps of the bridges over scenic canals For rentals, try MacBike, Stationsplein (% 020-620-0985), at Centraal Station Prices start at 950 ($15) per day and 31 ($50) per week