|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Posted: Monday June 12, 2000 11:34 AM Amsterdam ArenA
The Amsterdam ArenA was completed four years ago and is the futuristic new home for the 1995 European Champions AFC Ajax. After many years at the aging De Meer Stadium, Holland's most famous club relocated to the highly advanced venue that holds 50,000 seats and boasts a retractable roof, as well as an impressive leisure complex. The Dutch national side begins its Euro 2000 campaign in the capital and returns for one of the opening phase's showpiece fixtures against World Champion France. The second semifinal will also take place here on June 29. However, the ArenA is no stranger to prestigious fixtures, having hosted the 1998 European Champions' League Final, as Yugoslavia's Predrag Mijatovic clinched a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid against Juventus to secure the Spanish giant's seventh European triumph.
Constructed over three years from 1993 to 1996, the stadium was inaugurated by Queen Beatrix. One of the most modern stadiums in the world, its roof is made of two giant 105m x 36m panels, which can be opened and closed in just 20 minutes. It is home not only to Holland's most famous soccer club, but also the Admirals NFL Europe football team. Its major problem has been the field, which has been replaced several times because the grass withers in the closed surroundings. Amsterdam:Amsterdam is a compact mixture of the provincial and the cosmopolitan and is certain to attract a flock of visitors for the Euro 2000 Finals.The cultural epicenter of the Netherlands boasts a network of ancient canals and magnificent architecture as well as a vibrant social scene that centers around areas such as Leidseplein. Nicknamed "Venice of the North," the Netherlands' capital is built along 80 kilometers of canals. The nickname is shared by cohost Belgium,'s Bruges. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum have splendid art collections and are popular public attractions. Amsterdam's excellent public transport network of trams, buses and a small metro system is an easy way to get around. As with the rest of the country you can use a strippenkaart on all services -- these are available from any GVB public transport office, post office, selected tobacconists, and train station ticket counters. All services stop running around 12.30am, when night buses take over, running hourly through the night from Centraal Station to most parts of the city. Taxis are expensive and can be found in ranks on the main city squares (Stationsplein, Dam Square, Leidseplein). Alternatively, bicycles can be hired from Centraal Station or from a number of similarly priced bike-hire firms scattered around town. Some 1.5 million tourists each year visit the city's famous museums, such as the world-famous Rijksmuseum, housed in Rembrandt's old dwellings, the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank's house, the Royal Palace.
Check out the weather in Amsterdam.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
