“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventure we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Amsterdam has so much beauty… its bridges, its canals, its streets, its cafes, its skewed houses…

Please click image to enlarge

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Part of the series On the Road.

Entering the city was already quite an awesome feeling. Seeing the windmills …the last photo is the De Gooyer which is the tallest wooden windmill in Amsterdam. It is octagonal in shape but too bad we weren’t able to take a good shot of it because the coach was moving too fast or we were too slow in taking out our cameras 😳

First thing that you will notice upon entering its city streets are the abundance of bikes thus getting its name, the “Bike capital of the world”. In this Dutch capital, there are more bikes than people… day or night bikes massively outnumber cars on the streets.

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For first timers like us, a canal cruise is the best option to get acquainted with the city, its story and architecture.

We happened to pass by a Hop-on, Hop-off canal bus which is another possible way of going around and seeing the strategic points around the city.

The city is best viewed at water level. Amsterdam, also known as “Venice of the North”, has 165 canals. It was such an enjoyable and relaxing experience looking up at the houses from the cruise. The local tour guide gave us all the ins and outs of the city as well as some gossips haha

While on the cruise, we were advised that at some point there will be an alignment of seven arch bridges. So all of us got ready for it… but as you can see below… it’s a FAIL cause everyone stood all at the same time.

Houseboats are very charming but very expensive. Researching in google (below) Well no chance of buying it or even renting it at this price.

Houseboat rental prices in the Netherlands vary from 100 to even 1,500 Euro per day. Purchase prices depend on how old the boat is. A used houseboat costs between 45,000 – 230,000 Euro and a new one from 175,000 to 1 million Euro. The price is strongly dependent on how old the boat is and what standard it has to offer. –amsterdamhangout.com

Some facts that we learned from our guide:

1. One of the reasons why the houses are so narrow was because during the early times, the tax that the people paid were based on how wide the facade of your houses were.
2. In the olden days wooden piles were used to build houses so with the passing of time and the quality of the wooden poles, the buildings of Amsterdam sunk unevenly in the ground, making the houses appear skewed.
3. Because the houses then were so thin, narrow and deep, these canal houses had hooks and pulleys outside the houses to help hoist furnitures and other valuables to the upper levels.

Below are some interesting finds on the streets of the main city. A bike shaped like dutch clogs, street art, Amsterdam trams, mechanical Dutch street organ.

Some places of interest from left to right.

The National Monument on Dam Square is a 1956 cenotaph in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A national Remembrance of the Dead ceremony is held at the monument every year on 4 May to commemorate the casualties of World War II and subsequent armed conflicts. 

Royal Palace of Amsterdam is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk.

Magna Plaza Shopping Centre

The Nieuwe Kerk is a 15th-century church

Westerkerk church tower is the biggest church in Amsterdam, built 1619 – 1631.

Good that we were told beforehand *wink wink: Coffeeshops (koffieshop) or Coffee House (Koffie Huis)? Don’t be mistaken if you are looking for coffee, tea, cakes, juices and sandwiches plus buy soft drugs like marijuana then the Coffeeshop is for you. But if you want the same thing minus the soft drugs then go to the Koffie Huis, Koffiebar, Koffiesalon but without the green and white sign.

Cannabis comes in all shapes and sizes in Amsterdam. Wonder what the ice cream tastes like…didn’t get to try.

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These are extraordinary times. Some information may have changed due to Covid-19, always check for updates. Stay safe.

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