The delightful Mandela Suite Apartment Amsterdam is located to the west of the city centre alongside one of the city’s many canals in the Jordaan. This pretty neighbourhood is bordered by the famous Prinsengracht Canal. Over the last 50 years the Jordaan has certainly come into its own. Its enchanting architecture, pretty inner courtyards, boutiques, art galleries and traditional ‘brown’ pubs have combined to make it one of the most sought after locations to live in the Netherlands.
Just a few minutes’ walk away to the east lies the Netherland’s most visited museum, the Anne Frank House Museum, at 263 Prinsengracht. Here you can learn about the stressful lives of Anne, her family and friends whilst in hiding during the Nazi occupation until their ultimate unfortunate discovery. Be sure to visit as early as possible in order to avoid the extremely long queues that occur particularly in the summer months. Ideally visit their website to purchase tickets for a designated visiting time.
Just alongside the Anne Frank House is the Westermarkt area, home to the huge Western Church (Westerkerk). On one side of the church you will find the Homomonument – a landmark paying tribute to the many thousands of gay men and women persecuted under the Nazi regime. The monument commemorates their lives. It is a simple construction of three pink granite triangles (gay men and women wore a pink triangle in the same way that Jews were made to wear a yellow star). One of the triangles representing the past drops down onto the canal side water’s edge. It is a quiet place for contemplation and many floral tributes are left here at all times of the year. People travel from all over the world to pay their respects here.
If you would like an alternative to eating at the apartment then just four minutes’ walk away to the west lies the wonderful Restaurant Moeders at Rozengracht 251. Even if you just pop in for a coffee and cake you will be impressed by the reasonable prices and interesting interior décor. ‘Moeders’ is the Dutch word for ‘mothers’ and since opening 20 years ago the owners have encouraged visitors to bring along a photo of their mothers to be stuck up on the walls of the restaurant. Thousands of framed and unframed pictures now cover the walls. Why not bring a photo of your own mother to add to the collection? The result is a warm and cosy environment. Open 7 days a week the restaurant offers traditional Dutch cuisine. There’s a nice sunny terrace from May until September and if you bring along your mother on her birthday then Moeders have a little treat in store for her.
Getting to and from Central Station form the apartment is extremely easy as regular trams whizz along the nearby Rozengracht towards Dam Square every few minutes. Alternatively you might prefer to hire bicycles and see the city at a slightly faster but no less relaxed pace.
