退房後，仍將行李寄放在旅館把握最後在柏林（Berlin）的幾個小時。夜色漸暗，柏林圍牆、電視塔、布蘭登堡門以及可愛的地鐵，再見！我要去荷蘭(Holland／Nederland)了。。。從一大疊資料裡翻出早在幾個月前就預定並且自行列印的車票，是德鐵（DB）ICE一等艙，帶著利用廢紙列印的車票（很環保）進入德鐵貴賓室休息，點了咖啡期待著一等艙；也期待接下來的阿姆斯特丹（Amsterdam）。這趟旅行在德國的最後一段火車，實在很慶幸提早購買了優惠票，並且加了一點點錢升等，因為這是一班跨夜的快速列車，通常跨夜都是臥舖夜車，搭這樣的一等艙跨夜還真的是頭一遭。為何說慶幸呢？列車進到柏林中央車站後，二等艙塞滿了沉睡的大量旅客，座椅、地板、包廂，躺的躺、趴的趴，而一等艙最位較少也較大，搭乘的人也十分少，此外還有專人送紙巾及免費點心。告別德國與高級的德鐵ICE，踏上的是第一次造訪的荷蘭(Holland／Nederland)－阿姆斯特丹（Amsterdam）。
離開車站先看了看地圖了解方位，並且詢問站務人員關於飯店的交通資訊後，買票搭上電車前往。。。
▼荷蘭觀光旅遊局（台灣版）
阿姆斯特丹
阿姆斯特丹，是荷蘭首都及最大城市，位於該國西部省份北荷蘭省。根據2008年1月的統計數據，這座城市人口達747,290人；而該城市所處的蘭斯台德都市圈，大約有670萬人口，是歐洲第6大都市圈。
其名稱源於Amstel dam， 這表明了該城市的起源：一個位於阿姆斯特爾河上的水壩，即今水壩廣場址。12世紀晚期一個小漁村建於此，而後由於貿易的迅猛發展，阿姆斯特丹在荷蘭黃金時代一躍而成為世界上最重要的港口。在那個時代，該城是金融和鑽石的中心。 19和20世紀，該城擴展，許多新的街坊與近郊住宅區形成。
阿姆斯特丹是荷蘭的金融和文化首都。許多荷蘭大型機構的總部都設於此，其中包括飛利浦和ING等7家世界500強企業的總部]。作為泛歐交易所的一部分，阿姆斯特丹證券交易所坐落於城市中心。阿姆斯特丹有很多旅遊景點，包括歷史悠久的運河網、荷蘭國家博物館、梵谷博物館、安妮之家、紅燈區以及許多大麻咖啡館。每年有大約420萬遊客來此觀光]。
作為當前荷蘭第一大城市，阿姆斯特丹歷經了從漁村到國際化大都市的發展過程，經歷了輝煌與破壞，以及世界大戰的洗禮，從一定程度上講，她的歷史也是荷蘭歷史的一個縮影。
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The city's status as the capital of the nation is governed by the constitution. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population of 1,209,419 and a metropolitan population of 2,289,762. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.
Amsterdam's name is derived from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010.
As Netherlands' commercial capital and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city.In 2010, Amsterdam was ranked 13th globally on quality of living by Mercer, and previously ranked 3rd in innovation by 2thinknow in the Innovation Cities Index 2009.
The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House,Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually.
A new regulation in Amsterdam could greatly effect the country's famed tolerance for drugs. The goal is to drift away from the country's long-held view of the Netherlands as a free-wheeling utopia. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is hoping to hammer out a compromise with the national government so the tourism industry won't take a hit.
▼GVB，地面電車可說是暢遊阿姆斯特丹的最佳方法， 16 條電車路綫貫穿整個城市，到達市中心的旅遊景點甚為方便。
▼阿姆斯特丹中央車站（Centraal Station），於1889年啟用至今，由3座人工小島和8600之木樁支撐，壯觀華麗的建築讓經過的遊客印象深刻。
▼NS，荷蘭國鐵官方資訊網。
▼黃色和藍色是荷蘭火車的招牌配色。
▼雖然這裡不是威尼斯，但是水路照樣四通八達。
▼可憐的鳥兒。
▼吊橋。
▼馬格勒吊橋（Magere Brug），Amstel河上唯一的木製吊橋，300多年來始終是遊客的最愛。
Magere Brug
The Magere Brug ("Skinny Bridge") is a bridge over the river Amstel in the city centre of Amsterdam. It connects the banks of the river at Kerkstraat (Church Street), between Keizersgracht (Emperors' Canal) and Prinsengracht (Princes' Canal).
The central section of the Magere Brug is a bascule bridge made of white-painted wood. The present bridge was built in 1934. The first bridge at this site was built in 1691 as Kerkstraatbrug and had 13 arches. Because this bridge was very narrow, the locals called it magere brug, which literally means "skinny bridge". In 1871 the state of the bridge was so bad that it was demolished and replaced by a nine-arched wooden bridge. Fifty years later this bridge also needed to be replaced. Architect Piet Kramer made several designs for a steel and stone bridge, but the city decided to replace it with a new bridge that looked the same as the previous, only slightly bigger. In 1934 the bridge was demolished and replaced. The last major renovation was in 1969. Until 1994 the bridge was opened by hand, but now is opened automatically.
Use of the bridge has been limited to pedestrians and cyclists since 2003. It is however opened many times a day in order to let through river traffic. The boats used for sightseeing tours are low enough to pass underneath the bridge when closed. The bridge is decorated with 1200 light bulbs that are turned on in the evening.
A story told to tourists about the origins of the 1691 version of the bridge is that it was built by two wealthy sisters who lived on opposite sides of the Amstel river and wanted to be able to visit one another every day (and were presumably too busy, or not in good enough health, to go the long way round via another bridge, of which there must surely have been at least one). In one variant of the story the sisters, although wealthy, were not quite wealthy enough to afford a bridge of adequate width for general use and so built a very narrow bridge, hence its name. In another variant of the story the sisters' last name was Mager, hence the bridge's name (rather than from its narrowness).
The bridge can be seen in a number of films, such as the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever from 1971.
▼水壩廣場（Dam），阿姆斯特丹（Amsterdam）人民不論慶祝、抗議或市街頭表演，這裡永遠是最佳的集合地點。
Dam Square
Dam Square, or simply the Dam (Dutch: de Dam), is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the most well-known and important locations in the city.
▼水壩廣場（Dam）上的方尖碑，紀念二次大戰喪生的荷蘭同胞。
▼阿姆斯特丹必買的Henri Willig Cheese & More。
▼裡面有各式各樣的Cheese，並且大方提供試吃，有任何問題都可以問店員，他們會很有耐心的介紹各種口味。
▼不帶一些回家當伴手禮實在可惜。
▼壯觀的阿姆斯特丹國家博物館（Rijksmuseum Amsterdam）。
▼I amsterdam，斗大的字樣就佇立在阿姆斯特丹國家博物館（Rijksmuseum Amsterdam）旁。無時無刻都適合照留念的人潮。
▼不在這裡拍個照，實在是太可惜．．．
▼從阿姆斯特丹國家博物館（Rijksmuseum）繼續走下去，就會來到梵谷博物館（Van Gogh Museum）。
▼外觀方正、簡潔俐落。
▼博物館後方的大草皮，看完展覽最適合在此休息曬太陽。
Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum is an artmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, dedicated to the works of the Dutch painterVincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. The museum had 1,600,300 visitors in 2011. It is the most visited museum in the Netherlands and the 23rd most visited art museumworldwide.
▼外部連結（External Links）
Website of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions
Official government site(Dutch)
Portal for international visitors
Amsterdam at the Open Directory Project
▼荷蘭觀光旅遊局（台灣版）
▼NS，荷蘭國鐵官方資訊網。
▼GVB，地面電車可暢遊阿姆斯特丹。
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