OTHER SIDE OF AMSTERDAM

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If you are a tourist in Amsterdam, try to find one of the green area in the suburb of the city. Vondelpark is right in the middle of the city, but Amsterdam has many larger parks at its edges. One of them is called Amsterdamse Bos, means Forest of Amsterdam.



This park is about one thousand hectares and built by about 50 thousand workers as part of government effort to solve economic crisis in 1930's. Government promised to provide jobs for at least five years for them. The project (famous as het Boschplan) lasted until 1970 when the last tree was planted there. The main idea of this forest was not only functioned as greenbelt of the city but also to be used by the people.
In this park, there are water areas for rowing, canoing and water biking. Facilities for children are tremendous : climbing, walking, learning about natural phenomenons. Families could gather here for picnic, BBQ or parties.




One of my favorite attraction here is getting on an antique tram. It was organized by volunteers who love antique trams. They run also a tram museum here.




The whole park was designed by two architects Cornelis van Eesteren and Jacoba Mulder. They adopted an English style park with waving meadows, dispersed tree clusters, winding water streams and bending forest edges. But there was an architect who specialized in designing bridges, Piet Kramer. He adopted the Amsterdam Style for 67 bridges in this park and none of them are similar. In total there are 116 bridges in the whole park which connect rivers and paths.
If you visit this Amsterdamse Bos, which is far away from touristic spots, you will see and experience the local's life.

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