Amsterdam Travelers Recommend - page 2

If you want a day trip out of Amsterdam, then head to some great destinations in Belgium. Like Bruges with its great canals, soaring Gothic churches and rows of imposing merchants’ houses. The Castle of the Counts, Basilica of the Holy Blood and the unparalleled collection of Flemish Primitive art in the Groeninge Museum make this a well-rounded cultural crash course. The charms of nearby Ghent represent a perfect blend of old and new, with its beautiful churches and public buildings. Meanwhile the country’s capital Brussels, doesn’t skimp on breathtaking sights either, presenting a showcase of styles from early medieval to the clean modern lines. Finally Antwerp, is the sophisticated, self-confident centrepiece of Flemish Belgium. The focal point of the world’s diamond trade also has its fair share of artistic jewels, including Rubens’ house.

Running from November 27 to Jan. 18, 2016, the festival will exhibit a series of magnificent light and laser installations specially commissioned from contemporary Dutch and international artists. Flashing artworks are strategically placed to light up the streets and canals; a massive futuristic globe is perched outside Centraal Station, a glittering skyscraper reflecting off the water in Prins Hendrikkade; and the artwork Reflections by Teresa Mar coats the façade of the Hermitage Amsterdam in a spider web of sparkling multicolored neon. The Boulevard of Light spreads out from the Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) to Muntplein along the Amstel Canal, illuminating the water, bridges, locks, Stopera, and the Hermitage Museum’s gables to create a spider’s web of a million sparkling colors. Thirty works of art using light were selected from the more than 300 entries for this year's festival, which centers on the theme 'Building with Light.'