專四晨讀美文：Amsterdam

Amsterdam
When the sun is up in Amsterdam,
the largest city in the Netherlands
sits quietly on the Amstel River.
You can rent a bicycle,
visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum,
or take a water taxi.
But when the sun goes down, the partying begins.
In the big clubs and in coffee shops,
tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke.
Several areas of the city clearly show
the two worlds that rule Amsterdam.
And they're all within a short cab ride of each other.
For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers
to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events.
Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there.
And there is the Royal Palace
and the Magna Plaza shopping mall.
But as evening descends on Dam Square
so do the party-seekers.
Hip pop or funk music
begins blaring from Club Paradiso and Club Melkweg.
These are two of the most popular clubs in Europe.
So if you come, be ready to dance.
The clubs don't shut down until 4 am.
And while you are there,
check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city.
Don't worry about getting lost.
Although Dutch is the official language,
most people in Amsterdam speak English
and are happy to help you with directions.
And you'll notice
that half the people in the streets are on bicycles.
They rent for 17 US dollars to 20 dollars for a whole day.
Amsterdam also has a good canal system.
From anywhere between 2 US dollars and 9 dollars 50 cents,
you can use the canal bus or a water taxi
to cruise the "Venice of the North".
You can take in the picturesque canal house architecture:
The rows of neat, narrow four-story dwellings of brownstone
with large windows are well worth seeing.
Many of them are several centuries old.
You might also want to jump out of the canal bus
at the Museum Quarter and start walking.
Masterpieces by Dutch artists such as Rembrandt,
Bruegel, Van Gogh and others are on display
at the Van Gogh Museum,
Rembrandt House and others.
The city has an appreciation of its historic past.
One place to visit is the Anne Frank House in Nine Streets.
It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary
during World War II.
Visitors can view Anne's original diary
and climb behind the bookcase to the room
where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.