One of my favorite place to unwind is the Begijnghof, a place of peace tranquility in the middle of Amsterdam. This is what wikipedia has to say about this beautiful piece of Amsterdam
The Begijnhof is one of the oldest inner courts in the city of Amsterdam. A group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings, centre on it. As the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage. Today it is also the site of the English Reformed Church. The Begijnhof differs from the usual Amsterdam patricians’ court in that this old people’s home was not founded by private persons. It bore closer resemblance to a convent, although the beguines enjoyed greater freedom than nuns in a convent. While beguines took a vow of chastity, and while they considered themselves obliged to attend Holy Mass every day and pray various official prayers, they were free to leave the court at any time in order to get married.
source: Wikipedia
