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Tired of being a party animal, sucking up culture, or the shopping has worn you out? Then it’s time to relax. Amsterdam has plenty of ways to spend your time passively! Just wander around in the different areas of Amsterdam and find a park to chill out in. And well, yes, we do have them, our coffeeshops -and proud of it-. Important is how and where you smoke. You can smoke with friends, lyingdown in the grass and watching the birds and clouds passing by, or you can try some of the more relaxed coffeeshops listed below.

First of all coffeeshops
There are a couple of hundred coffeeshops in Amsterdam, of any size and atmosphere. We will skip the commercial touristy ones. Those coffeeshops can be loud and expensive. Here are the good options: close to the Spui Square you will find De Tweede Kamer [18] and De Dampkring [19]. The first one is small, not really good to space away, but has got a menu with a wide choice. They provide information about the smell, taste and effects of their variety. When looking for that special kind of weed or hash this is the place. Then there is the Dampkring, which has an overwhelming interior and exterior. Its Indian style makes you feel as if you are somewhere else -hmm India?-. They offer good stuff too of course. Other spacy or dreamy coffeeshops are The Global Chillage [20] and The Kashmir Lounge [21]. The first one has really nice elves, dragons and other fantasy creatures on the walls. The second is a big oriental styled place where they also serve beer. It has an Indian based interior, a good atmosphere and the place just looks great!

Smartshops
Ready for the heavier stuff? Smartshops will provide! Smartshops offer anything from herbal based goodies to fresh mushrooms and other psychedelica. Check the website for exact locations!

Museums & Galleries
Of course in between partying, eating and sleeping there will be time made to inhale culture. The famous Van Gogh Museum [11], the Anne Frank House [12] and the Rijksmuseum [13] will probably be written on your to-do list. The Museum Square or quarter -Just around the corner from the Flying Pig Uptown hostel- is a good place to start.

Fans of modern art will find the Stedelijk Museum, [14] currently on its temporary location in the same building as Club 11 -near the Central station- a must see!

But Amsterdam has plenty more to offer when it comes to museums and galleries! How about experiencing life on board a houseboat in an Amsterdam canal? If you happen to be wandering around the Jordaan area, have a look around on the Hendrika Maria Houseboat Museum [15]. This boat used to be a home to a whole family, and is still in its original state today.

If you need some artistic inspiration for your travel photographs, FOAM is the place to go. The FOAM Museum of Photography [16] exhibits anything from historical to modern photography, and is a museum with international allure. Other than large exhibitions showing the work of world famous photographers, FOAM also exhibits work of young talent and amateurs in smaller expositions. Photographers that have exhibited work here include the famous French fashion photographer Bourdin and the British cult hero Tom Wood.

For a less cultural and more, well, kind of sadistic experience, the Torture Museum [17] will fulfil your needs. This small and dark museum exhibits some of the most horrible inventions to extract confessions, from the inquisition chair to the guillotine.

Shops & Markets
Well, close to the end of your marvellous hectic stay in Amsterdam there might be that need to buy a memory -which you don’t seem to be able to physically recall-, just some new cloths, or a little present for mammy. Don’t worry, The Amsterdam Agenda lists all the worthwhile markets in the city and provides you with an overview of some typical Dutch and trendy Amsterdam shops. To avoid crowds of shoppers you might want to find your way out of the busy Kalverstraat. A great area to visit is the ‘negen straatjes’ -the charming 9 little streets- which cross the city canals. Besides cafés and restaurants, there are plenty of trendy clothing shops to be found here. One of the well known shops amongst locals is Zipper [23] in the Huidenstraat, great for vintage clothing and accessories. Lots of 2nd hand tops, dresses and skirts, retro accessories, hats, bags and more. Zipper also creates new clothes by combining fabrics; like sexy tops created from a t-shirt, or sports sweaters turned into shoulder bags. If clubbing is your thing, than don’t miss out on ClubWearHouse [22] for the ultimate weekend preparation! Not far from the ‘9 straatjes’ you’ll find an extensive collection of extravagant club wear and accessories from local and international designers. Even if the prices might not suit your travel budget, it’s still great to browse around the shop! Also, the staff at C*W*H will be happy to provide you with all sorts of information on clubs and parties in and around Amsterdam, and sort you out with pre-sale tickets too. Would you love to browse an Amsterdam market? For some great 2nd hand bargains, get up early on Monday morning and visit the flea market on the Noordermarkt [24] in the famous Jordaan area. You can find anything from antiques, fabrics, records, clothing & accessories and second-hand bric-a-brac here. You might have to fight with the locals over a funky dress, but it will be cheap! The best known flea market in Amsterdam is the touristier Waterlooplein [25]. A bit of historical education: The Waterlooplein market is Amsterdam’s oldest market. The original outdoor market dates from 1893 -it used to be a busy Jewish-run market- which ended during World War II. In the 1950s the market was reborn and Flower Power took over the market in the 60s and 70s when Amsterdam became a hippie magnet. Now every weekday -except Sundays- about 300 stalls offer anything from bric-a-brac, great second-hand and new clothes up to food, old records and DVD’s. Don’t forget to check out the great 2nd hand clothing shop Episode [26] on the corner, to find hats, skirts or trendy boots.

Festivals & Events
Undoubtedly one of the best events in the world is: Queensday -or koninginnedag as we say in Dutch- On the 30st of April everyone in the Netherlands celebrates the birthday of our -former- queen. For more info see outlined textbox -page 4-. But Amsterdam offers some great festivals and events all year round! Here’s a selection of the other events you can check out.

Vondelpark Open Air
From June 5 till August 28 music, dance and other summer festivities are centred around the open air stage in the middle of the lively Vondelpark. Enjoy the warm summer evenings in the beautiful park conveniently located just across the street from The Flying Pig Palace. There will be something there to everyone’s taste: From classic to hip-hop, from cabaret to mime and from funky roller discos to hot Latin dance nights! You can find all scheduled events on the posters at the entrance of the Vondelpark.

Dance Valley
Next to this, all through the year various dance festivals are organised in and around Amsterdam. One of the most well known, massively popular summer festivals is Dance Valley. This year -for the first time in Dance Valley history- organiser UDC has received permission to turn this huge open air dance festival into a 2 day event -August 5 and 6, 2005-. Carl Cox, Deep Dish, Ferry Corsten, Paul van Dijk, together with dozens of other worldly renowned DJ’s will be playing at the Spaarnwoude recreation area just outside of Amsterdam. Next to a campsite there will be a night cinema, game area and 24 hour café. Weekend tickets will be going for €95,- with €62,50 for a Saturday ticket.

IDFA
From November 24th till December 4th 2005 the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, or IDFA, is held. For 2 weeks Amsterdam will be the buzzing hive of documentary sales, industry screenings and of course public screenings. There’s a run on the ticket desk at the Leidseplein every morning, because the IDFA festival is known to be your only chance to see some of the best national and international documentaries. The real docu freaks will be pleased by dozens films of their favorite genre during this festival! -More info on page 4-

The Parade
One of the most friendly and bubbliest festivals in Holland is the Parade. It’s a theatre festival but is also known for its delicious sangria and carousel. You can take a Parade boat from the Waterlooplein and stroll around all night, drink sangria, dance in the silent disco with headphones on -it looks really funny for the people around not hearing the music you’re dancing on- and see different live bands.

Roots festival
This is my own personal favourite! It’s located at the Oosterpark on the east side of Amsterdam. It’s a festival with music from all over the world, like from Suriname and the Antilles, but also from Turkey and Morocco or from different African countries like Ethiopia and Ghana. All the live music is performed on different stages around the park and there are worldly dishes to tickle your senses. It’s not a trendy, hip event but a great cultural festival. It gives you a good view on what the Dutch population looks like these days. Dance together with small kids, students and ‘old’ people and you’re guaranteed of a good vibe. People of all colours and cultures gather to share their food and music traditions. All of which offers an energetic, lively mix. Go and check it out, the entrance is free!

Kwakoe festival
Another multi-cultural festival is Kwakoe Festival in the Bijlmer area. The Bijlmer is a part of Amsterdam where many families live that originate from Africa, Suriname -former Dutch colony- and the Dutch Antilles. This festival brings you five full weeks of music, food and dancing. The weekends are the best time to go for a visit.

These are just some of the festivals that Amsterdam has to offer. In short: There’s so much to see, buy and experience. So many great parties and -free- festivals to go. See you in Amsterdam? www.amsterdamagena.info

AMSTERDAM’S FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE Have you done the canal tour, the bike ride, seen all the sights and still find yourself in desperate need for a new Amsterdam adventure? Then you are ready to try the Friday Night Skate Tour! These free tours are organised all year round for the somewhat experienced skaters among you -weather conditions provided-. The Friday Night Skate Tour will take you on a fabulous ride across the city and will offer you a new view on many sights plus you get to mingle with the locals. Just watch out for those tricky tram lines! This skating adventure will start in front of the Filmmuseum in the Vondelpark at 8pm. You can borrow skates at the Flying Pig Uptown Hostel or rent them in the Vondelpark.