Belgium, France and Holland

We got to sleep later this morning until 7:15 am, and then we headed out for our city cruise after breakfast. We traveled through the city with its amazing 17th century buildings, canals and bridges. We visited a working windmill on the south end of the city, and continued on to see the St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Palace, the Jewish Holocaust Memorial and Anne Frank House among other sites.
We were taken on a canal cruise in a glass topped boat and saw the city from the water side. The canal boat captains are very talented in manoeuvring around other boats and through the narrow, busy canal openings.
We saw some "drunken" buildings where the tall, old buildings are leaning noticeably towards their neighbours. We were told that all buildings in Amsterdam were built on wooden pylons because the area was originally a swamp. Now, several centuries later, the pylons are starting to rot and give way, causing the buildings to list. Apparently the Dutch are shoring up the foundations with cement now in an attempt to save the UNESCO protected area.
What strikes me the most after the sheer overwhelming sense of history of the city, is the hundreds and hundreds of bicycles in Amsterdam. Most people travel by bicycle here, which makes for healthy people and less pollution which is so different from home. This city is made for walking and cycling, so everything is easily accessible. At home, our sheer distances between towns creates challenges to this healthy way of life.
Amsterdam is wonderful!Leggi altro