"Amsterdam’s diversity is on full display when locals from Suriname, Turkey, Morocco, and Eastern Europe vent at the “speaker’s stone” in this large park in East Amsterdam every Sunday at 1:00 PM. Designed in the English landscape style, Oosterpark has a natural feel, with a pond populated by grey herons and a few rare, wild parrots. Among the numerous monuments are one commemorating the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands in 1861 and another honoring Theo van Gogh, a distant cousin of the painter who was murdered in 2004 by a Muslim extremist. Streams, walking paths, and a children’s wading pool make this a great place to chill, with fewer tourists than Vondelpark or Westerpark — except in July, when Oosterpark hosts the Amsterdam Roots Festival, the city’s largest world music event." - MATADOR_NETWORK
