FODOR’S AMSTERDAM & THE NETHERLANDS, 2nd EDITION: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Quirky shops Some would use the word “cheap,” but selective spending is a better way to describe consumption in the Lowlands. It’s no wonder Amsterdam has an array of quirky establishments commanding money for the most unexpected of everyday items. And we’re not just talking about cheese shops. De Condomerie. Said to be the world’s first shop devoted to condoms, De Condomerie is ideally located, sharing the same block as the city’s gay leather scene and just around the corner from the Red Light District. For both men and women, there’s an impressive range of prophylactics in various sizes, designs, and novelties to suit your sexual humor. Joking aside, the staff and the online shop (www.condomerie.com) are ready to answer your most personal questions. De Witte Tanden Winkel. Named “the white teeth shop,” this cute store offers more types of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and related dental care products than you knew existed. And even if you’re satisfied with your trusty Oral-B, the toothbrush Ferris wheel will provoke a smile. Lambiek. To enter here is to enter another world and to have thousands more little worlds at your fingertips. Lambiek takes pride in being the oldest comic bookstore on the Continent. Founded in 1968, this is the brick-and-mortar version of the comiclopedia that shop owner and comic encyclopedia editor Kees Kousemaker devoted himself to until his death in 2010. Diamonds Though the Dutch are known for living modestly, their capital city is renowned for purveying the most immodest rock on earth. Diamonds first made their way to the Netherlands in 1568 when a polisher decided to call Amsterdam home, and his colleagues in the field soon followed. Jews, in particular, established successful businesses in cutting, polishing, and trading diamonds—this was one of the few industries whose inclusion was not dictated by trade guild membership, and therefore open to Jews. Coster Diamonds. If you prefer to keep your diamond duty short and sweet, we suggest visiting this smaller homage to the stone, conveniently located on Museumplein. A replica of their most famous cut, the Koh-I-Noor diamond, is on show, and jewelers patiently await your flash of plastic. Gassan Diamonds. This company is one of the few outlets still located in Amsterdam’s original diamond district. Visitors can get a free behind-the-gleams tour of the cutting room, and groups can prearrange an excursion that ends with a champagne toast. Once the bubbly has been drunk, an expert’s magnifying glass will inspect the small shiny bits lying at the bottom of each glass. All the zirconias will be sifted through to find the one real deal (the value of the lucky imbiber’s prize is determined by the group tour fee). At the on-site store, select your favorite piece for goldsmiths to inlay, or stop by the Amsterdam Diamond Center near the Dam, which Gassan also owns. Drinking from the Source 2011 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany form a Bermuda Triangle of fresh brews and fine distillations known to shipwreck many a sober spirit. Enjoy the ride and fear not, deep-fried bar snacks and late night frites met mayonnaise (french fries with gobs of mayo) will put you back on the radar. Brouwerij ’t IJ. What could be more Beneluxian than drinking a Trappist-inspired pilsner in the foot of a giant windmill? Each year this microbrewery produces 180,000 liters of its most beloved brews. Tours are offered from time to time. Heineken Experience. It’s the Jolly Green Giant of European beers and, unexotically universal though it may be, a Heine does taste better in Holland. A tour through the old brewery gives visitors a course in Brewing 101, some heady facts about the company’s history, and samples! Museum van de Gueuze, Brussels. It hardly seems right to call this a museum; since 1900, this brewery, also known as the Cantillon brewery, has produced Lambik and other specialty beers. Although Lambik is the quintessential Brussels beer, this is, sadly, the only brewery of its kind left in Brussels. Commercially brewed Lambiks bear scant resemblance to the real thing, so drink up while you can. Wynard Fokking. Nestled in a tiny alleyway behind Dam Square, this bar has been pouring Dutch jenever (the forefather to Anglicized gin) since 1679. This is an only-in- Amsterdam experience. Thedistillery next door offers tours and sells jenever by the bottle. Flowers Nowhere else in the world will you be exposed to such a dazzling diversity of flowers. Whether you’re horticulturally inclined and seek some interesting species to introduce to your garden back home, or simply feel like tripping out on some Technicolor tulips, Holland is the place. Bloemenveiling, Aalsmeer. Bulbs are no longer the viable form of currency they were during the Tulip Mania that came over the Lowlands in the 1630s, but flowers remain an ever-blossoming boon to the Dutch economy. Within just microsecond intervals of time, no fewer than 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold every weekday in the world’s largest auction house, which is also responsible for establishing the global going rate of flowers. Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam. Nary be there an infertile moment along the Singel canal on which the city’s floating flower market is moored. Every day locals buy robust bouquets on their way to dinner parties, while travelers pick up bulbs, seeds, and green- thumbed souvenirs. Should buds or bids be your thing, the 20-minute bus ride from Amsterdam is well worth it. Keukenhof, Lisse. It’s the largest flower garden on earth, with roots—in terms of legacy, not botany—that date back to the 15th century. And the parking lot is just big enough for the tour buses it must accommodate March through May. Over the years, the park has become increasingly kitschy, with its schizophrenic collection of outdoor sculptures and random landscape installations, but many will still marvel at the beds upon beds of tulips and, even more impressive, the florid fields you encounter on the drive there. 2011 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc. .