The scene in Dam Square. This is the place where many of those involved in smoking pot hang out.
Amsterdam's famous red light district - where prostitution is legal.
A canal in the Red Light district.
The canals in Amsterdam are used for commercial purposes, as opposed to Bruges. There are numerous house boats
which stay permanently as homes there.
Amsterdam has a large flower market, where you can buy flowers, bulbs and other gardening supplies.
Amsterdam is a city of bicycles. Here is a four story parking area, where in any other city, you would see
cars, but here it's bikes.
Another parking area for bicycles.
These homes are in the town of Marken. Until 1959, it was an island harbour used for fishing in the Zuider-Sea.
At that point the sea was closed with a dike and gradually became a fresh water lake called Ajssel Mir.
Previously, due to frequent flooding, the homes were built on stilts and the only the top two floors were used.
Now, since the lake maintains a stable level, the bottom floors have been built in and used for living space.
A small drainage canal in Marken. Although it looks green, the water is not foul.
This is the harbour area in Marken.
Living space in the Marken homes was at a premium. Here is a typical Marken bed. The parents slept
sitting up, since the bed was too short to lie down. The baby slept in a crib just above the bed.
The younger children slept in the opening below the parents bed. Older children would have a
sleeping area on the next floor up.
This is another pretty drainage canal in Marken.
This is the Marken cemetary. Notice that all the graves have numbers only and no large grave stones.
The local church has a registry informing inquirers of the number of their loved one.
Here is a Netherlands old style windmill, used for pumping water, not for generating electricity. The names
"Holland" and "Netherlands" are not interchangeable. North and South Holland are provinces in the country called the Netherlands. Also, there is no language called Dutch there. It is called Netherlander.
This is Ajssel Mir (Aissel Lake). When the Zuider-Sea was diked up, water was allowed to flow out at low tide.
At high tide, the dike was closed. This gradually made the lake fresh water, since the salt flowed out but
could not return.
Amsterdam has a large flower market, where you can buy flowers, bulbs and other gardening supplies.
Amsterdam is a city of bicycles. Here is a four story parking area, where in any other city, you would see
cars, but here it's bikes.
Another parking area for bicycles.
These homes are in the town of Marken. Until 1959, it was an island harbour used for fishing in the Zuider-Sea.
At that point the sea was closed with a dike and gradually became a fresh water lake called Ajssel Mir.
Previously, due to frequent flooding, the homes were built on stilts and the only the top two floors were used.
Now, since the lake maintains a stable level, the bottom floors have been built in and used for living space.
This is the harbour area in Marken.
This is another pretty drainage canal in Marken.
This is the Marken cemetary. Notice that all the graves have numbers only and no large grave stones.
The local church has a registry informing inquirers of the number of their loved one.
This is Ajssel Mir (Aissel Lake). When the Zuider-Sea was diked up, water was allowed to flow out at low tide.
At high tide, the dike was closed. This gradually made the lake fresh water, since the salt flowed out but
could not return.