Run in Amsterdam

With my friend Stephane, hired as the volunteer photographer of the day, we join the urbirun tour route at Westerkerk Church, where stand the tiny fragile statue of Ann Frank, who lived World War II as a teenager, hidden in a attic, under the roof, in a house very close to this church.

We let urbiun guide us to Royal Palace, on the famous Dam Square. The Royal Palace is looking a bit sad, without guards wearing colorful uniforms, without golden fences, unlike in Copenhagen, Stockholm, or London… But anyway, the royal family lives in Den Haag…

Along Kalverstraat, shops are still closed, and we enter in the Beguinage through a small gate. The Beguinage is a real safe haven, in an inner courtyard which hosts a small church. Here used to live Beguines, nuns who do not had not pronounced wishes. There is also the last wooden house in the city, since this method of construction was banned a long time ago, because of the risk of fire. Another small vaulted gate, and we are back in the street, heading to the Flower Market.

This market stands on boats, moored along a canal, even if the flowers are no longer transported by boats.

We take a short break to introduce urbirun to other runners we meet on a bridge (obviously), just after the Leidseplein. They are of course totally enthusiastic about our brilliant idea, and at the same time, I must confess that’s it rather unlikely that they answer “it’s a totally uninteresting shitty idea…”. People are polite.

We enjoy briefly the calm of the wide paths of the Vondelpark where we advise you to go running too, but of course the day after you made the urbirun tour… The Vondelpark, it’s a bit like Amsterdam’s Central Park, Hyde Park or Englisher Garten, but smaller. So it seems that not anything Dutch is necessarily bigger…

Then the Museumsplein comes under our running shoes, a plain lined with museums with modern architecture, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Van Gogh Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the famous Rijksmuseum, which we cross under vaulted galleries (have a look at the bay windows which offer beautiful views on ultramodern halls, contrasting with the classicism of the building outside architecture). A giant spider is waiting for us at the exit, but it may have 8 legs, urbirunner’s 2 legs are much faster.

We run along magnificent canals, where the red bricks of the bent and crooked houses that we find along the canals (if you want to know why, there is an explanation here https://maison-monde.com/maisons- amsterdam-leaning), are perfectly reflected.

urbirun tells us that the bottom of these canals is covered with bicycles, since more than 8'000 bikes are found in the canals every year, and authorities estimate that 25'000 bicycles disappear every year in canals…

We across the wide Amstel, river that gave its name to the city, on The Skinny Bridge, a tilting bridge whose origin is controversial, on which it was almost impossible to cross on foot, and whose current version dating back to the 19th century, is no longer so thin.

From bridge to bridge (there are 1280 bridges throughout the city), and having chosen the short version of the urbirun tour, we arrive to the bridge where Brad Pitt and Georges Clooney meet in the Ocean’s 12 movie, but we consider that we are classier that them. Of course, we are runners…

Then here we arrive at the Nieuwmarkt market square in the center of which stands the Waag building. Former gateway to the city, then weighing house, it is now a restaurant, lit by more than 300 candlesticks. Worth a look inside.

A left turn, and we enter the famous Red Lights District, its windows and its red lights. Rather quiet in the middle of the morning, even if our elegant stride arouses covetousness, since a woman (who should better get into the sport very quickly) invites us to go behind her curtain. No risk of slowing down, do not worry.

While running around the Oude Kerk, the old church, if you are attentive, you will find a breast-shaped pavement … yes, this church is in the heart of the red district. Moreover, although the tour route is mainly paved, pavement is very regular, and really it does not feel like running on this usually not good coatin. We forget it outright.

After passing a few closed red lights windows, we arrive near the train station. This gigantic building, neo-renaissance style, is standing on almost 9000 10m high piles, planted in the loose soil, to ensure stability. Every single house in the city is built on a dozen piles, which serve as foundations.

Then we approach the end of the tour, running in the district of Jordan, very quiet, where terraces along the canals are quite attractive, and of course after this run of about 10 kilometers, a short break is well deserved.

In short, running in Amsterdam is running in a real postcard decor, while discovering a wide variety of different atmospheres. Just watch out for bicycles, canals, and showcases …

Try, we guarantee you that you will not regret it. Just click here, and download … well, for sure, then you have to run… but you can walk too, we don’t mind and won’t check, and we won’t tell anyone…