Ámsterdam por Panenka
Text by Aitor Lagunas | @aitorlagunas
Ilustration by Pep Boatella @pepboatella
Idealized goal for the European adolescence, Amsterdam is also the perfect destination for a weekend walking among cobbled streets and canals. Home and birthplace of the legendary Ajax and of Netherlands’s total football exhibited in Euro’88, this city also offers places that make it a treasure for the football culture.
SPORTING ELEVEN
1 Olympic Stadium | Designed by Jan Wils -founder of the movement De Stijl along with Piet Mondrian- hosted the 1928 Games.
2 Coffee Jonkhart | 1894: three students come together and they founded the Footh-Ball Club Ajax (misspelling included), predecessor of toda’s Ajax.
3 Museumplein | If you travel to Amsterdam just when Ajax wins an Eredivisie, you may celebrate it at the Rijksmuseum’s park.
4 Meer Stadium | Ajacied home demolished in 1996. The streets surrounding are named after football stadiums. Bernabeu, corner with Prater.
5 Cruyff | He was born at the Civil Hospital in 1947. He grew up in the Betondorp’s neighborhood, near to Meer, where his parents ran a fruit shop.
6 Amsterdamsche Hockey Club | it has more than 2,000 members and has won the last two leagues in Dutch’s other national sport.
7 Voldenpark | Here you will watch football games as well as play them. At this park, sided games are played during the weekend.
8 Oude West | Gullit, Rijkaard or Bergkamp grew In De Baarsjes’s neighborhood. Van Gaal, however, is from the other side of town …
9 FC Amsterdam | Ajax’s local hegemony had only opponent in the ’70s, when FC came to play European competition. Now is amateur.
10 Amsterdam Arena | Since 1996, Ajax finally has the stadium it deserves. Inaugurated the consumist version in the soccer fields.
11 Copa | A brand created by a former player in order to wear ingenious shirts about football. The shop is worth a visit.
TOURISTIC ELEVEN
A Rijksmuseum | Reopened in 2013, offers a wide collection of flamenco painters, led by Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer.
B Heineken Museum | It all started when Gerard Adriaan Heineken met a disciple of Pasteur. Today is Netherlands’s beer.
C Flowers Market | Tulips, national symbol, are the focus of this charming market between channels. An ecological and cheap souvenir.
D A Jordaan Festival | In Amsterdam’s trendiest neighborhood, there’s room in September for street concerts and food stalls.
E Canal Parade | Just before, on the first Saturday in August, a water caravan runs through the city canals with pride
F Ane Frank´s House | After visiting it, one still not understand what threat might suppose that girl who dreamed of being a writer.
G MacBike | Maybe the best way to explore a city with few avenues and many alleyways. And certainly, the native way.
H Red Light District | Around the oldest church in the city have been crowding nightspots, in a strange urban combination.
I National Library | It is one of the architectural emblems of new Amsterdam. It has a cafe on the terrace.
J Coffeshop | Attention: Dutch liberals are wiping out the classic destination for all stoner teenagers. There is still some places.
K Dam Square | City center. Every few minutes spanish-spoken tours depart from it for very little money.
Text by Aitor Lagunas | @aitorlagunas
Ilustration by Pep Boatella @pepboatella
So you feel like visiting Amsterdam, do you? Book your flights here!
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Porto Simply Unique
Porto, Portugal’s second largest and second most important city after Lisbon, grew up on the banks of the Douro river over a period of more than a thousand years. No wonder, then, that its historic inner city is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Indeed, its serene beauty never fails to move any visitor.
What You Should Not Miss – 10 + 1 Proposals
- Wandering through the Old Quarter is one of your first priorities if you want to appreciate the eternal beauty of medieval Porto. In the course of your stroll, you will come across splendid buildings in different architectural styles, notably the La Sé or Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace and the house of the Canon Domingos Barbosa, among others.
- Another stunning tour, which costs only 10 euros, is a ride in one of the rabelos (small boats) along the beautiful river Douro, especially at dusk; a tour which takes you under the city’s six bridges.
- Not to be passed up is a sunset stroll along the Dom Luís I Bridge. Built by one of Gustave Eiffel’s disciples, it links the Porto riverside to the harbour of Vila Nova de Gaia. At 178 metres high, it affords the best panoramas of the city.
- Also highly recommendable is a foray down Gustave Eiffel Street, flanked by multi-coloured buildings on the hillslopes. The street leads to the old Maria Piar ail bridge, built by Eiffel himself. You simply cannot leave Porto without taking a selfie on this spot!
-In the Boavista district stands the Casa da Música, one of the most modern buildings in Porto, designed by the Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas. Make sure you go out onto the terrace to enjoy a Portuguese-style coffee – a dense espresso which in Lisbon is called a bica, while in Porto it is known as a cimbalino –or treat yourself to a delicious brunch in their restaurant.
- Visit the Serralves Foundation Contemporary Art Museum. It lies within the so-called Serralves Park, Portugal’s largest urban park. Make the most of it by going on a relaxing walk. It is here that the well-known NOS Primavera Sound is held every summer.
- Go into the Lello Bookshop, one of Europe’s oldest and most picturesque book stores. J.K. Rowling, the authoress of “Harry Potter”,was captivated by it and, during her stay in Porto, drew inspiration from it for the backdrops to some of the scenes in her famous book.
- Very near the book store is the city’s most beautiful shop, A Vida Portuguesa. This is the ideal place for purchasing all types of Portuguese products – fashion, design, home furnishings, textiles… It’s a dream of a shop, stocked by its owners, who roam the length of Portugal seeking out the country’s most beautiful products.
- The most romantic and touristic quarter of Porto is Ribeira, located on the riverbank, which forms part of the historic city. The Cais da Ribeira street is lined by all kinds of terrace cafés and here the waterfront is buzzing with life. By night, treat yourself to a drink on one of the terraces while taking in the views of the Douro.
- You cannot leave without tasting the francesinhas, a sandwich of ham, cheese, fresh sausage, steak, egg and other ingredients. You will love it, we guarantee! And, if you have more of a sweet tooth, drop in on any pastry shop and ask for a nata, a traditional pastry which has its counterpart in the Beléms of Lisbon.
- Lastly pay a visit to Vila Nova de Gaia, a must-do outing if you’re visiting Porto. Situated on the banks of the Douro, it is the paradise of the famed Port wine. Over 15 certified Port labels offer guided tours of their wineries, which include tastings, to instruct visitors on the merits of their fine wines.
Are you getting the travel bug? Then, come in here and check out our flights.
Text by Tensi Sánchez of actitudesmgz.com
Photos by Fernando Sanz
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