Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Parking signs (there's one along Herengracht—on the left) warn
you to put money in the meter at the end of the block, or have
your wheels shackled with “the boot,” which stays on until you pay
your fine. Parking in the center runs about €27 for a “day ticket,”
and parking fees and fines fund a substantial portion of the city's
transportation budget.
• Continue west, walking along...
Leliegracht
This is one of the city's prettiest small canals, lined with trees and
crossed by a series of arched bridges (some of the city's 400). Notice
that several of the buildings—furniture stores and bookstores—
have staircases leading down below the street level to residences.
Many buildings have a beam jutting out from the top with a
hook on the end. Attach a pulley to that, and you can lift up a sofa
and send it through a big upper-story window—much easier than
lugging it up a narrow staircase.
• The next canal you cross is
...
Keizersgracht
The
Westerkerk
tower rises above the rooftops, capped with
a golden crown and the Amsterdam coat of arms. The crown
shape was a gift of the Habsburg
Maximilian I, as thanks for a big
loan. Rembrandt is buried under
the floor of this “Western Church,”
which dates from 1631. Its carillons
toll every 15 minutes, a sound that
reminded Anne Frank—who hid
out just down the street—that there
was, indeed, an outside world.
Detour 100 yards left (south)
a long the Keiz ers canal, l, where
a triang ular pink dock juts into
the canal—the
Homomonument
(it's three small triangles within
one large one). There are often flowers on the dock, remember-
ing another AIDS victim. The pink-triangle design reclaims the
Nazi concentration-camp symbol for gay men (lesbians had black
triangles) and is a reminder of the persecution homosexuals still
experience today.
For information on gay and lesbian Amsterdam, there's a
colorful nearby kiosk called Pink Point, staffed by volunteers, on
Westermarkt square (daily 10:00-18:00, www.pinkpoint.org).
The green metal structure near the Homomonument is a pub-
lic urinal (called a
pissoir
) that offers only minimal privacy. But for
