Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
celebrating...too soon. The Nazis dig in and punish the country
by cutting off rations, plunging West Holland into the “Hunger
Winter” of 1944 to 1945 in which 20,000 die. Finally, it's spring-
time. The Allies liberate the country, and at war's end, Nazi hel-
mets are turned into Dutch bedpans (€6.50, Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00,
Sat-Mon 11:00-17:00, well-described in English, no flash photos,
tram #9 from station or #14 from Dam Square, Plantage Kerklaan
61, tel. 020/620-2535, www.verzetsmuseum.org).
Two recommended eateries—Restaurant Plancius and Café
Koosje—are adjacent to the museum (see listings on page 189), and
Amsterdam's famous zoo is just across the street.
s
Tropical Museum (Tropenmuseum)
—As close to the Third
World as you'll get without lots of vaccinations, this imaginative
museum offers wonderful re-creations of tropical life and explana-
tions of Third World problems (largely created by Dutch colonial-
ism and the slave trade). Ride the elevator to the top floor, and
circle your way down through this immense collection, opened in
1926 to give the Dutch people a peek at their vast colonial holdings.
Don't miss the display case where you can see and hear the world's
most exotic musical instruments. The Ekeko cafeteria serves tropi-
cal food (€7.50, daily 10:00-17:00, tram #9 to Linnaeusstraat 2, tel.
020/568-8215, www.tropenmuseum.nl).
