Holland and the Netherlands
Spring is a great time to travel. Nature creates excellent conditions for walking. It gets warm outside but not hot.
Greenery already appears on trees and on the ground, but it is not yet so strong that it would close houses and architectural monuments.
So in this strange and unusual city I managed to visit in the spring. My story today will be about the city of Amsterdam.
As you know, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. The name of the city comes from two words: “Amstel” - the name of the river and “Dam” - “dam”. In the XII century, it was a small fishing village, but during the Golden Age of the Netherlands, Amsterdam became one of the most significant ports in the world and a major trading center.
From the title it becomes clear that Amsterdam is located on the Amstel River, and more specifically, at the mouth of this river.
The first documented mention of the city dates back to October 27, 1275.
When I read about this city as a child, it was called Northern Venice.
The fact is that in Amsterdam hundreds of kilometers of canals, more than 1,500 bridges and about 90 islands allowed Amsterdam to receive the title “Northern Venice”. The city has four main channels: Singel, Heerengracht, Keysersgracht and Prinsengracht. The singel has existed since 1428 as a moat, passing along the western border of the city, the other three were dug in the XVII century, which is called the golden age of the Netherlands. Then, residential buildings and multi-storey warehouses were built on them. These channels form four concentric half rings encircling the city. The system of Amsterdam canals is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I always really wanted to see this miracle, but it was always difficult for me to go to Holland, since on vacation I most often want to go to the warm sea. By the way, the Netherlands is often called Holland, as part of this country there are two provinces called North and South Holland. These provinces were the main and most famous in the world and now the whole country, which consists of 12 provinces, is often called precisely Holland.
The Russian tsar Peter the Great and his high embassy visited precisely Holland, in Russia the Netherlands is also known by this name.
How is it to visit Amsterdam?
And so, one spring I needed to fly to Milan. And I decided it was worth seeing flights from Moscow with a change in Amsterdam, and I was very glad to see that it was, among other things, cheaper.
So, I managed to be in Northern Venice.
Interesting moments that you immediately see when you find yourself in Amsterdam:
- List of unusual moments
- A huge number of bicycles!
- No window curtains
- Very tasty herring in the form of fast food
- The smell of marijuana in the streets
- Open toilets
- And much more
Of course, a short walk around the city is not much, but it was very interesting. Amsterdam is a very peculiar city. For example, historically there are no curtains on the windows.
Local residents believe that curtains should not be hung for the sake of peace, prevention and prevention of illegal actions.
The history of this custom dates back to the sixteenth century. The king appointed the cruel Fernando Alvarez de Tolero the third duke of Alba as local governor. During his short four-year rule in the Spanish Netherlands, more than 18,000 ordinary citizens were executed. Among the many prohibitions was a taboo on closed windows. The duke was afraid of secret associations of citizens and unauthorized assemblies. And thanks to the open windows, this can be prevented.
Although I heard one more version that increased taxes were levied on window curtains and people saved this way.
In addition to architecture, there are also interesting features in the city of Amsterdam. As in any port city, venal love has always flourished here. Prostitution in Amsterdam is legalized and there is an interesting Red Light District. This is a place where prostitutes put themselves on display in open windows.
And in Amsterdam you can legally buy soft drugs. They are sold in special coffee shops.
And besides, it is surprising for a Russian person - open toilets on the streets of Amsterdam.
Walking the streets of Amsterdam is wonderful. And I hope to repeat it.
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