Amsterdam is classically romantic but is also funky, forward-thinking and citizen-friendly. In the old centre, around the southern canal belt, there are these beautiful 17th-century merchants’ houses that 21st-century Amsterdammers still live in. I’ve always thought it wears its historical cloak quite casually and doesn’t just dwell in the past.
The Rijksmuseum is stunning and I love it as a fascinating, cool, accessible museum, as well as for the part it played in inspiring The Miniaturist. I came across Petronella Oortman’s doll’s house there by chance. It’s an exact scale replica of her real home, and Oortman spent a fortune having it created. I thought at the time it was an interesting story, but I didn’t think I was going to write a novel about it. I’m in its debt, really.
The city battles the image created by stag and hen party trips. I didn’t visit until 2009 and so I had the idea of it just being the place where people went to smoke weed without being arrested. You know, the preconception: “It’s going to be full of stoned tourists with their faces in the gutter.” But it’s not been like that at all.
Stroll through the Nine Streets of the Jordaan area and it’s like walking on to a film set. It’s one of the nicest, most peaceful walks in the city. The area is full of old shops – ice-cream parlours, trinket shops, bookstores – and it has a fantastic atmosphere.
I explored the suburbs when visiting Amsterdam’s Tram Museum and ended up seeing the 1928 Olympic Stadium and the huge Amsterdamse Bos forest park. My boyfriend and I jumped on an old tram (€5 return) at Haarlemmermeerstation and took it to the suburb of Amstelveen. You can hire bicycles there and cycle into the forest.
Renting helped me feel more like a local, that’s for sure. The owner of an apartment I rented on the Herengracht through CityMundo was a traveller and an adventurer. She had left her place furnished and it was filled with seashells she’d collected and had shelves brimming with 17th-century books. It was amazing. CityMundo rents houseboats, houses and apartments. If you’re after a nice, but not too expensive, hotel, I’d recommend Hotel Vondel (doubles from £50) on Vondelstraat; it’s not far from Leidseplein and the city centre.
Forget bowls of crisps and nuts for nibbles, at De Kas they serve tiny yellow and red tomatoes from their garden covered in an amazing garnish. I had my 30th birthday at this wonderful restaurant in a massive greenhouse near Frankendael Park. It’s beautifully laid out, with fruit and vegetable gardens and you sit and eat overlooking them.
The sunset when you’re at the top of the REM Eiland island restaurant is dramatic, just like the food. My publisher took me for dinner here when The Miniaturist came out in the Netherlands. It’s actually a former helicopter deck and you climb up and up and up, and are then rewarded with extraordinary views of the waterfront and port areas.
For an immediate food fix, I love the poffertjes (tiny pancakes) that they griddle in sets of 10 at Albert Cuyp market. They just chuck butter and icing sugar all over them and they are the most unbelievable thing. Mind you, throwing sugar and butter at most treats usually does the trick!
During the winter the bar T’smalle is a peaceful place to be. It’s in an old house which is right on the Egelantiersgracht canal and is just so cosy and beautiful, with all its lights twinkling. In summer, everyone sits outside on the canalside terrace. It’s a cool place to have a beer or a glass of wine in the evening.
The waterfront of the Eastern Islands area is beautiful and offers a much quieter experience than all the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Historically, the harbour had been used by the Dutch East India Company but the area had fallen into disrepair until it was redeveloped in the early 2000s; it now has the Nemo science centre, nice new apartments and cafe-bars.
The Vondelpark, in the south of the city, is perfect if you’re after a chilled and sedate place to hang out. It’s worth exploring for the architecture – it was created in 1865, so happy 150th birthday. It’s a relaxing place with a lake, a performance space and cafes.
The light plays beautifully on the canals when the sun hits the water. Even on wintry days it’s still atmospheric. I enjoy seeing the city from a canal boat, especially the Gouden Bocht (Golden Bend) between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat. It’s lovely to see the houseboats bobbing and people going past on their bicycles, as well as all the extraordinary houses.
I’ve got this little house on my mantelpiece: it’s a nightlight in the shape of an Amsterdam townhouse. I love it because it’s a visual reminder of my trips there and the house in my book in a way … and because it gives off a very nice glow.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion