AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

The site of the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal was once the place where the great 'spiegel' ships, the 'fluiten' and the 'hoekers' of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) berthed, heavily laden with spices. The IJ, Amsterdam's major waterway, was heavily sailed centuries ago during the heyday of the world's first multinational, the VOC. From 1602 onwards, these large vessels often had to face grave dangers on their long travels. It is easy to imagine how happy the passengers and crew of these ships were to return to their home port. To behold the familiar canals of 17th century Amsterdam once more, and to see the church steeples looming over the horizon again. You have arrived in Amsterdam, historical city on the Amstel and the capital of The Netherlands, a country dominated by water for centuries. Where the Amstel River flows into the IJ is the probable location of the first settlement. Today's Amsterdam still exudes the atmosphere of the Golden Age, when the city was the trade centre of the world. And that's precisely what makes Amsterdam so exciting: you don't have to close your eyes to imagine bygone days. The images around you of centuries' old buildings, canals and churches help to give your daydreams form and content. You get to know this charming old inner city best by taking a cruise through the historic canals with their countless bridges. Or you might want to take a walk along the magnificent canal houses and former warehouses, ending up with a drink at one of the vibrant plazas lined with a diversity of restaurants and cafes, including the traditional 'brown' cafes. Amsterdam is rich in culture, boasting more than 40 museums and galleries, for example. The largest cultural centre of Amsterdam, with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Concertgebouw, is concentrated around the Museumplein. The Rijksmuseum houses Rembrandt's imposing painting of 'Night Watch' along with the rest of the country's major works. The Van Gogh Museum has one of the richest collections of the work of the famous painter. The Stedelijk Museum features modern art from 1850 onwards, including Matisse, Picasso and the influential Dutch artists Mondriaan and Rietveld. For more than 400 years, Amsterdam has been the world's major centre for the diamond trade. A number of the most famous diamonds in the world, such as the Koh-l-Noor and the Cullinan, were cut here. At the diamond factories you can see for yourself how diamonds are polished and learn the meaning of the famous 'Four Cs': cut, carat, clarity and colour. But there's more: Amsterdam has an enormous variety of shops and wonderful department stores, all within walking distance of each other. Especially in the area of art and culture, you can indulge yourself to your heart's content in the many antique shops and galleries. And if you reside outside the European Union and spend NLG 300 in one shop on one day, don't forget to ask for a tax refund. Amsterdam is varied and eventful in the evenings, too. Theatre, concerts and, of course, the lively Amsterdam cafes. After an evening stroll along the illuminated canals, if you drop in at the Holland Casino, you'll see just how glamorous Amsterdam can be. Cruising over the polder landscape If you had sailed in the 17th century to Amsterdam, you would have come by the other side: the Zuiderzee, now the IJsselmeer lake. The Zuidenee and the harbours of Amsterdam became so silted, however, that large ships could not reach the harbours without help. This situation could not go on. First the North Holland Canal was dug, to be followed at the end of the 19th century by the North Sea Canal, the one you are presently cruising on. The first things you see of The Netherlands are the Hoogovens (blast furnaces) and the locks of Ijmuiden Two examples of 20th century Holland, where modern industry and water management are important. The locks of IJmuiden, the entryway to the lower-lying hinterland, belong to the largest complex of locks in the world. The complex consists of various locks, of which the Kleine Sluizen (Little Locks) are the oldest: 1876. The Noordersluis (Northern Locks), which you enter through, is now the largest lock in the complex. The accompanying buildings are examples of the New Realism style of architecture and the related Amsterdam School. Good, strong locks are an undeniable necessity, as the land behind the dunes has been reclaimed from the sea and actually lies under the water level. The row of dunes on both sides protects the land from the sea, the dikes in the interior protect it from flooding from rivers and canals. Leaving the locks behind, you travel via the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam. On the south side of the canal you see the city of Velsen with the country estate of Beeckestijn (1720) and more southerly, Haarlem, with its splendid old inner city and fascinating museums. North of the canal are modern cities such as Beverwijk and Zaandam, the location of the world-famous Zaanse Schans with its many mills and characteristic half-timbered houses. For the majority of the route, however, you see the traditional Holland polder landscape until you enter the Amsterdam harbour area. Tucked away in this landscape is the defence system of Amsterdam, the longest line of defence in Europe, named by UNESCO as a monument in 1996. If you look over the dikes, you see far beneath you a typical Dutch landscape where recreation and environment-friendly agrarian management go hand-in-hand with careful maintenance of the existing nature. Far beneath you? Yes, because besides the fact that your cruise ship is very large and tall, the canal itself is also higher than the land around it. You are sailing, thus, 'above' the landscape. The prosperity of the 20th century has taken a certain toll on nature. A serious program of restoration has been launched in recent decades. The locks of Ijmuiden are even equipped with special fish passages so that the fish can swim via the canal from the sea to the IJsselmeer. The banks of the North Sea Canal are a good example of responsible nature management in which the goal is to enhance the ecological structure so that animals and plants have room to cross-pollinate, disseminate and multiply. A European cultural mecca, in Amsterdam's museums you can see masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer. Tour the world-famous home of Anne Frank.