Amsterdam - anything goes!!

Posted Friday, July 24, 2009 - photos taken Thursday night)

Late yesterday afternoon, we arrived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands located on the North Sea and dubbed the 'Venice of the North' with its 165 canals and almost 1300 bridges. After checking into our first non B&B (the Marriott) we jumped aboard one of the boats for a tour of the city, via the many canals.

The canals are sealed off from the North Sea with locks but are flushed three times a week to keep the water fresh and at the same level. Not only are they used for transportation, but serve as a home for many residents that choose to live on the houseboats.

Amsterdam has the world's oldest stock exchange and 7 of the top 500 companies are headquartered here.

Transportation in the city is by boat, tram, bus, taxi or bicycle - over 500,000 bicycles are in the city. Again here, as in many parts of Europe, the pedestrian crosswalk means very little - don't step into the crosswalk thinking that you are safe! All vehicles appear to speed up and use the "fright factor" to rush the pedestrians across the streets.

Everything is either legal (prostitution) or allowed (marijuana and hashish - in the coffee shops) in Amsterdam. The "sex girls" rent rooms in the Red Light district and display themselves in the windows that are lighted with red lights. (Taking photos is strictly forbidden - sorry.)

Our tour boat.

Legend has it that, when the church was being built, the parishioners could not decide on the steeple (tower) - so they compromised and built three!

The style of architecture has changed dramatically from Italy and France. Notice the post sticking out on the top left just under the roof. All houses have these in order to move the furniture in and out.
Older homes were built by sinking wooden posts into the water for the foundation (concrete piers are used for newer homes). Count from the left and look at houses number 5, 6 and 7. They have begun to lean because the posts are sinking further! People live in the houseboats parked out front.
One of the many bridges.
A drawbridge across the channel into the North Sea.
More homes and shops - on the canals.

Twilight on the canal. The sun does not set until after 10 p.m. (and first light comes before 5 a.m.).

Sarah