 
Bos
and
Beyond Tour
Biking through the Vondelpark and the Amsterdamse
Bos (Amsterdam’s Woods) provides a wonderful view of the
Dutch ability to integrate human activity with nature. With
hikers, bikers, horseback riders, rowers and people playing
various sports, Amsterdam’s parks are busy places, but
the human use does not detract from the natural beauty. The
Vondelpark, a green urban meeting place, is always abuzz with
human activity, but don’t be surprised to see a blue heron
patiently fishing amongst all the action. Riding down the Schinkel
we come to the Amsterdamse Bos. It would be easy to get lost
on the bike paths that snake through
the woody watery park.
In the country and villages [...the
people] seem plain and honest, and content with their own;
so that if, in bounty, you give them a shilling, for what
is worth but a groat, they will take the current price, and
give you the rest again; if you bid them take it, they know
not what you mean, and sometimes ask, if you are a fool.
—
Sir William Temple (1628-99)
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Along the Schinkel, the Olympisch Stadion (Olympic Stadium), scene of the 1928 Olympics, anchors the western edge of the
Nieuw Zuid (New South), planned and designed in the Amsterdam
School style by H.P. Berlage (1856-1934). Further on, at the
far end of the Amsterdamse Bos is the Bovenkerk, designed
by P.J.H. Cuypers (1827-1921), architect of the second Dutch
Golden Age.
For those going beyond the Bos, we can head
east to the Amstel river villages, including Ouderkerk on
the Amstel. From this village, the Bishop of Utrecht’s
representative, the Sheriff of Amestelle oversaw the hamlet
that would become Amsterdam. Later, in 1614, when Amsterdam
was becoming a place of refuge for Sephardic Jews from Portugal,
they received permission to establish a cemetery here along
the Bullewijk. On our way back to Amsterdam along the Amstel
we can talk a bit about what Rembrandt would have seen here
during his frequent walks sketching along the river.
Tour
Hightlights:
Four to five hour tour:
Vondelpark, Schinkel, Amsterdamse Bos, Bovenkerk, Olympisch
Stadion
SIx to seven hour tour: Nes on the Amstel, Ouderkerk on the
Amstel. PICTURES
AND PROSE | FAQs
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