Rembrandtplein. From the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam it’s a short walk or a tram stop to a square with the name Rembrandtplein. It was named after the famous Dutch 17th century painter Rembrandt van Rijn. For 15 years this square … Read More

Place de la Concorde. One of the most famous – or should I say infamous – squares in Paris is the Place de la Concorde. It was designed in 1755 in honour of King Louis XV and therefore named after … Read More

Royal Palace The Royal Palace in Amsterdam has not always been a Palace. During Amsterdam’s Golden Age Jacob van Campen constructed it as a City Hall. Amsterdam became rich from trading with the far east and transporting slaves to America. … Read More

Amsterdam. In the center of Amsterdam you will find a square with two national monuments. It’s called ‘Dam Square’ and usually it’s crowded with people. You can walk there from Central Station in about 5 minutes. The first monument is … Read More

Centre Georges Pompidou. We visited this place during one of our stays in Paris. The Centre Georges Pompidou, known to most as Centre Pompidou, houses a museum for modern art in Paris. It opened its doors in 1977 and was … Read More

Holocaust. Krakow is a beautiful city. It has a medieval center and lots of landmarks. Unfortunately most people know Krakow only from the film Schindler’s list. Krakow had a large Jewish population. During the war- years most of them where … Read More

Austerlitz. Everybody knows that Austerlitz is not really a Dutch name for a town. It is the place where Napoleon’s French forces made a stunning victory. Only 75,000 French soldiers defeated an army of 90,000. As a result the Netherlands … Read More

The Wall. Just after the Berlin airlift, when Kennedy said “Ich bin ein Berliner”, the U.S.S.R accepted that West Berlin remained in hands of Britain, France and the United States of America. On the morning of 13 August 1961 the West German State secured … Read More

The Metropol. In the early days of the movies people gathered in the movie theaters for a night out. Most of them had art deco interiors. During the last part of the 20th century movie theaters became bigger. 6 or … Read More

The Louvre. In the first years the Louvre was only open for the public during the weekends. But if you were an artist you were in for a treat. Artists could enter the museum during all other days of the … Read More

Panthéon. Paris was and is the main seat of power. Many important people lived in Paris. They also died. Paris dedicated a burial site and monument to them. The Panthéon is open for public. You’re not only able to visit the … Read More

Central Station Amsterdam. For many tourist this is the gateway to Amsterdam. However, the building itself is not just Amsterdam’s main train station, but it is also a landmark. It has been designed in the 1880s by Pierre Cuypers, the … Read More