Located at the edge of Amsterdam’s Red Light District, and part of the ever expanding Chinatown, the Nieuwmarkt, is a picturesque open space with lots of bars, restaurants and coffeeshops in the area.
Dominating the Nieuwmarkt is the Waag, once part of the ancient wall (circa 1488) around Amsterdam, it now houses a trendy organic restaurant.
Amsterdam’s Museumplein has been completely renovated, and is now one of the most popular parks in the city. A huge expanse of green grass extends from the Rijksmuseum on one end to the Concertgebouw on the other. Also surrounding the Museumplein are the Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, an underground Albert Hein supermarket, as well as embassies including the American Consulate cattycorner from the Concertgebouw.
The BAC is turning all of Barcelona into a huge arts venue.
According to our sources in Barcelona the BAC is bringing artists together from 13 different countries around the planet, and will bring all of Barcelona on a virtual “trip” through different cultures and artistic visions.
In the past few years, there have been remarkable changes taking place in both the range of options and the programming quality available in Holland. The introduction of digital cable and satellite dishes have expanded the number of channels way beyond what was broadcast over airwaves, or on the analog cable systems of just a few years ago.
Now you can see TV from all over the EU and Asia, Africa and the US. With digital cable and satellite you can also order movies or listen to digital audio from dozens of genres. You can even send and receive email on certain systems.
I must warn those moving to Europe that their existing TVs and VCRs from other countries might not work in Holland. The Dutch broadcast using the PAL B/G format, and any NTSC equipment won’t work. Unless you have multiple formats available on your equipment you’ll be out of luck for viewing Dutch TV, or videos. If you purchase equipment in Holland it might not play your NTSC videos or work back in your home country.
The Dutch telephone system has undergone a complete revolution thanks to the developments of the past few years. Once upon a time the system was under the complete control of KPN, the royal Dutch phone company. Today, several years after the monopoly was broken, KPN is nearly bankrupt, failing to compete with mobile phones, international and other Dutch phone service providers.
So what options are now available for making calls in Holland? First, the once ubiquitous phone booths are almost extinct. It used to be every public business like pubs, restaurants even shops had a public phone. But thanks again to the widespread use of mobile phones, few locals need to use a pay phone anymore. So finding them is next to impossible. In fact, not long ago I was in the Jordaan, without my cellphone, and needed to make a call. I stopped in half a dozen public places, some of which still had a phone, but not one still worked.
In Amsterdam going to a movie theater can be an interesting experience. I remember one of my first visits to the Tuschinski theater, I was stuck in a small, hard seat in the balcony with my knees stuck up against the chair in front. I needed a shoe horn to get in it, and a crowbar to get out. In addition the cigarette smoke was choking me, and the interminable “pauze” or break in the middle of every movie was enough to make you wait for the video release.
At the time I thought something was seriously wrong with movie going in Amsterdam. Other theaters suffered similar problems, too, especially the smoke. Well things have been changing, and many movies are now shown without the “pauze”, and some theaters have banned smoking too.
Aveburywas built during the Neolithic period and is the largest complex of Stone Circles & Avenues on earth.
Avebury was ‘Rediscovered’ by John Aubrey in 1648. He published an account of his frequent visits in his book ‘Monumenta Britannica- Templa Druidum.’
In the 1720’s the antiquarian William Stukeley mapped all the surviving Avebury stones and left a huge record of his visits in words and drawings. He published his findings in his book ‘Abury, A Temple of the British Druids‘.
The site was restored in the 1920’s & 30’s by Alexander Keiller who’s posthumously published book ‘Windmill Hill & Avebury Excavations 1925 – 1939‘ is considered the most complete account of the complex..
Avebury is now a World Heritage Site. It is currently badly managed by the National Trust…
Rail travel in Britain has seen better days. The privatization process has been completed and the results are mixed. Privatization was supposed to encourage competition, but we’ve yet to see all the benefits. Prices have gone up, service is spotty, accidents are more frequent, and delays are the norm.
Still, taking the train is often the best way to get from Point A to Point B. There are express trains to the airports and between major cities. But for long trips to distant cities, the low-cost airlines are a much better value and can save you time too. Smaller towns all over the country, are still serviced by trains, although many of these lines are being discontinued as unprofitable.
Rail tickets are not cheap, and prices continue to rise. A word of advice: don’t buy one-way tickets unless you must. They’re now priced like airline tickets, meaning a round-trip costs only a pound or two more than a one-way, so you’re paying a big premium. If you’re planning an extensive rail journey around the country, you should opt for one of the many passes available through BritRail. This will save you a lot of money and time waiting in queues.
I was very impressed with some of the new trains coming into service. Virgin Rail is putting its new Voyager trains into service and these are almost like airplanes inside (with much more leg room). You can even jack in your headphones and listen to several channels of very good music and interviews with artists. But then again, you’d expect that from the company that owns Virgin Records. Virgin Voyager trains are all non-smoking, and they have special mobile phone prohibited cars. Their restroom facilities are state-of-the-art too!
I had an interesting experience on a trip from Brighton to London. There were several short delays and the train conductor was so apologetic, getting on the P.A. system each time, giving long detailed explanations about each incident, and expressing such heartfelt regret that we were arriving late. He was so concerned that we might be inconvenienced. All this for delays that totalled together less than 15 minutes. I felt like patting him on the back, to let him know it was O.K, and we weren’t too upset about it. This is how it used to be, when service was the name of the game. Don’t expect such personal concern on a regular basis anymore.
NOTE: This article was submitted by an unidentified reader. The opinions and viewpoint in this story are not necessarily those of the publisher’s.
Le Village Hostel, Heroin, and Street Crime
March 2002
We booked a room in a hostel at 20 rue d’Orsel, near rue d’Abbesses, with a view of the Sacre Coeur from the window. It was cheap, with peeling wallpaper and mixed-sex rooms, which I find annoying but well it was 17 euros a night, so we dealt with the minor stuff without complaint.
Many foreign visitors to Britain never go further than London on their trip. There’s a good reason for this. London is one of the greatest cities in the world, and there’s so much to do and see here, there’s little reason to venture beyond the city for those mainly seeking the cosmopolitan experience.
London is Britain’s center of government, finance, publishing, art, music, shopping, fashion, dining, theater, museums, clubbing and more. Few places on the planet offer the diversity of options to the visitor as does London.
Changing of the Guard