AMSTERDAM NOTES

                                      Some Fun  Trivia

 Nether means low land and since so much of the country is reclaimed land, the topography is very flat.

Amsterdam is full of bicycles. It is estimated there are 12 million bikes in the country. Bikes are just a means of transportation to go shopping, to work or to school. There about 11,000 miles of biking paths or special lanes.

Years ago taxes were paid on the width of a house so the houses are very narrow. Most houses are two or

House hoist

three stories high. By necessity, stairways are also narrow making getting furniture to the upper levels difficult, if not impossible. Hoists, used to lift furniture to the upper floors, are seen at the top of many buildings.

Old canals were filled in and made into roads and new canals dug. The shallow canals contain only about seven feet of water. The water level is fixed and stable. There are 2500 house boats on the canals.

The first church service was held in 1631 in Westerkert. At that time it was the largest Protestant Church. The 85-meter tall tower is topped with the Imperial Crown and the city’s coat of arms of Maximilian. Rembrandt is buried at Westerkert, and it was this church’s bells that Anne Frank could hear while in hiding

The Royal Palace is on  Dam Square

The Rijkmuseum, built in 1885 houses  important Dutch and Flemish paintings, and the building itself is extraordinary. Rembrandt’s Night Watch is a huge painting and has many details, some obvious, and many hidden.

Since the 16^th century Amsterdam has been an important center for the world’s diamond trade. Both the world’s largest and smallest diamonds were cut here and are part of the English crown jewels in the Tower of London.

By 1274 there were many watermills driven by rivers and streams. In 1414 the earliest drainage mills were invented and by 1450 many could be found in South Holland. The invention of the camshaft and crankshaft in the 17^th century made it possible to use the wind to power the mills. Although the mills did not originate in Holland, the Dutch developed the mills and made maximum use of them.

 Wooden shoes are traditional and have been found to be warmer and dryer than rubber boots. Clogs are mostly worn in the countryside and in fishing villages.  Three million pairs of clogs are manufactured every year. At one time leather shoes were a luxury only the wealthy could afford.

BORA BORA, TAHITI

                         Small but Gorgeous Island
       It was a beautiful sunny day as we approached Bora Bora. I was taking pictures just as the sun was peeking over the low part of the island.

      Bora Bora means first born and in this part of the world is pronounced Pora Pora as there is no ‘B’ sound in Polynesian. Capt. Cook sighted Bora Bora in 1769 on his first voyage. Bora Bora refused to accept French sovereignty when Tahiti became a protectorate in 1842 and remained independent until France annexed it in 1888. Her last queen died on Tahiti in 1932.

     The main island is 6 X 3 miles and is surrounded by coral islets. Two smaller islands are separated on the west by a channel. The east side of the island is barren. The fertile west side’s main crops are vanilla and copra. Tourism is also a major industry. The population is 4500.

     The interior of the island has slopes, hills, cliffs, and U shaped mountains with deep gorges that are covered with native vegetation. Captain Cook named the islands the Society because of their close proximity to each other. It is home to 400 species of native flowering plants including more than a dozen orchid varieties.

      On the island we had our first ride in the colorful les truck for 22 mile ride around the island. Our les truck was even decorated with live hibiscus and the poles of the open air vehicle were wrapped with palm fronds accented with torch ginger. The island is incredibly beautiful. Every turn in the road afforded us a photo op. The flora was abundant and colorful, truly a picture I doubt any artist could ever capture.

      Our local guide/driver told us, “The island has one physician, one pharmacy, and one hospital—clinic really as it is only able to handle minor problems.”

     As on the island of Tahiti the population inhabits the perimeter of the island with the little houses for their French bread at roadside. The bread baked by Tahitians is delivered by Chinese---real community spirit.

     We made many stops along the way not only for photos but also to learn about the culture. We ate tiny thumb size bananas, which were very sweet and sampled fresh taro and poke, an island tapioca and papaya pudding. There are no public cemeteries. Relatives are buried in yards.

There are more than 40 coral slabs from ancient open-air temples called marae. These temples were built by Bora Bora’s ancient native population. The turtle stone, a petroglyph representing several turtles, is another ancient relic. We  had fun feeding some big hermit crabs.

During World War II Bora Bora was home to 6000 men stationed at naval and air bases. The word tabu originated when some of the men left behind about 200 blue/green eyed blond babies.

Near the base is a reef where an abundance of friendly and curious moray eels live. There are certain areas where the eels are hand fed regularly. Tahiti has no dangerous animals, no snakes or scorpions. The most pesky insect is the mosquito.

We saw the hotel cabana where Jack Nicholson stayed when he was in the islands and the huge house Marlon Brando built for his Tahitian wife. The manicured yard was beautiful but very American rather than ‘island’. The view was magnificent.

In 1991 a cyclone destroyed the Club Med plus a few other structures. Club Med rebuilt. The southeast side of the island has beautiful long white beaches. Bora Bora is truly picturesque.