Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM — This city is proof that good things come in small packages.

"We have the liberty of London and Paris and Berlin . . . but we have retained the sense of a village," said Boris De Munnick, a public relations officer at the Rijksmuseum. "We are small, but we have an international reputation."

It's also considered a lively place, where people work and live, according to Yvonne Zumpolle, a tour manager and guide.

Amsterdam's charms range from the simple to the sublime.

The simple: walking along the tree-lined canals, taking in the sights and sounds.

The sublime: attending a concert at the Concertgebow, home of the Concertgebow Orchestra; looking at paintings by world masters at the Rijksmuseum (think Rembrandt and Vermeer) or the Van Gogh Museum.

Both the music and the art here speak an international language.

Amsterdam takes pride in tolerating a wide spectrum of lifestyles.

Marijuana, for example, is legal. You become aware of that fact when you walk past an establishment that otherwise looks like a fast-food place with a sign that says "magical mushroom." And alongside rows of fresh flowers at the floating flower market are packets of cannabis seed for sale.

Prostitution is legal, too. In the red-light district, young women wearing nothing but fancy underwear stand in picture windows to lure customers. They give new meaning to the term window shopping.

But if you look beyond the sleaze, you'll find some of the world's crown jewels of culture.

Here are highlights:

• The Rijksmuseum is to Amsterdam what the Louvre is to Paris and the Prado is to Madrid.

Like other big European cities and their big-name museums, a hefty chunk of Amsterdam's identity is tied to the Rijksmuseum.

The building dates back to 1885 and is one of the city's signature architectural achievements.

In a massive restoration now under way, the interior will be completely redone with new galleries and state-of-the-art technology. The stately exterior, however, will remain intact. The museum is scheduled to reopen in 2008.

In the meantime, the cream of the crop is on display in the more modern Philips Wing. Museum staff edited the massive collection down to 400 of the most significant, most beautiful works. The result is "Rijksmuseum, The Masterpieces."

Many, such as Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" and Vermeer's "The Kitchen Maid," have attained celebrity status. Others, such as exquisitely detailed doll houses from the 17th century, are a reflection of the way people lived back then.

A visit to "The Masterpieces" is like dining at a top-notch restaurant. Every morsel is worth savoring.