perspectives
‘Originally built for the Floriade gardening exhibition of 1972’
I take deep breaths and clear my mind of all the clutter while slowly moving deeper into the relaxing and beautiful landscape, the river on one side, lovely villas lined up on the other, creating a simple, yet compelling image that is far removed from the busy city that I have just left. Rowing boats float by, runners pass me and a wide variety of native birds populate the sky. In the distance I can see the highway bridge just beyond the entrance to the Amstelpark and my legs automatically speed up to propel me towards that magic revolving gate that keeps out cyclists and any other kind of non-pedestrian traffic, a unique approach for an Amsterdam park.
around and take in the happy-looking families and groups of friends who had the same idea to enjoy a day in the park. Once inside, the little train that goes around the whole area choo-choos by, filled with smiling kids, steered by a really happy looking driver, who probably has the coolest job in Amsterdam during the warmer months. Paths leading in all directions open up in front of me and I decide to simply go with the flow and see where it’ll take me. I walk along the mini-golf course where all ages are gathered for rounds and refreshing drinks and I am tempted to join them, but instead I walk in the direction of the Glasshouse that is concealed slightly from the main road. A lake with benches next to it invites me to sit, picnickers are everywhere and everything is surrounded by a nice thick padding of bushes, shrubs, trees and many other, often exotic kinds of vegetation. There is so much to see, the Japanese Garden, the Rosarium, the Rhododendron Valley with its roughly 140 varieties, and in the distance I can even sense a hint of the Riekermolen, one of the only eight remaining windmills left in Amsterdam. There you find a Rembrandt monument showing the master painter in a typical pose with a sketchbook in hand. I stroll through the mazes and take a walk into a little wood that is a protected natural habitat. There is art everywhere, nicely integrated into the landscape, adding another pleasurable element to this already impressive set-up.
Eventually I come across a fenced-off section that houses llamas and wallabies...wait, did I say wallabies? That’s right, there are a bunch of them enjoying the sunny day, one of them is an albino, something I had never seen before. The llamas seem almost ordinary in comparison to this unusual and unexpected resident of the park, but of course they are themselves rather far away from their natural habitat and on their own would have made me feel like I had travelled too far and ended up on a different continent. To finish off this I lock up my steely companion and walk up to the wonderful day in one of the most attractive places in entrance, a big blue-yellow contraption that would not and around Amsterdam, I meet some friends for a look out of place in one of the local jails, where I have to picnic and we all agree that this park is an awesome wait a moment until a very sporty guy is finished doing spot for spending a sunny, soothing day. pull-ups on the gate. I use that spare time to gaze
7
Allow me to take you to one of my all-time favourite places in Amsterdam, the Amstelpark. It is one of the city’s largest and more diverse parks and offers more than just open space and green areas, a claim the nearly one million annual visitors can surely attest to. The park was originally built for the Floriade gardening exhibition of 1972 and quickly gained a vast circle of fans and regulars, including myself. To get there in style and without too much traffic stress I start my ride at the Amstel Station. Across the river I go, in the general direction of Ouderkerk, one of my previous destinations, and as soon as I have passed the towering Phillips headquarters, I am in the countryside and instantly traffic is reduced to middle-aged men in lycra riding racer bikes and folk walking or sitting by the water or in the Martin Luther Kingpark.