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.

INTERESTING CURIOSITIES

FUN TRIVIA

Pack Horse Bridges

While hiking in England we walked over the 400 year old Slater’s pack-horse bridge. These beautifully arched bridges over becks (small streams) are very narrow. There are many of these quaint 300-400 year-old bridges in good condition still standing in England.

Arched lumber was laid and anchored over the stream. A key stone was placed on the center top, then rocks were laid to the edges. When the wood was removed the rocks locked themselves in place. The pack horse bridges we passed over were very narrow requiring single file so it was hard to imagine a horse dragging a cart ---2 wheels vs. 4 on a wagon--- passing over them. These bridges are so sturdy I wonder if they could even be torn down.

Stile Gate
This is not really a gate, but a built-in mechanism to climb over a stone wall. We climbed over a few of them in England. We were told they were ancient stiles using cantilevered stones as steps. Large stones are left protruding out of the wall to be used as steps. A one shoe-wide hole in the top of the wall is used to place your foot and pivot to climb down the cantilevered stones on the other side to reach the ground. The first time maneuvering these stiles  was a bit of a challenge.

Coffee Shops and Cafés
In Amsterdam, Holland you might like to know that a coffee house and a café are not the same thing. You drink coffee in a café. You can legally buy up to 5 grams of pot in a coffee shop/house, but not drink coffee there.

A Bar
In Italy a bar is a sidewalk sandwich shop. One stands at a small round table, often surrounding a support pole, to eat a sandwich. By the way Italy seems to be totally unaware that we like condiments on our sandwiches. A piece of bread, slice of cheese and meat just needs a bit more to taste really good. Individual packets of mustard, ketchup, mayo and relish go with me on my next trip to Italy!

In the old ancient walled city of York, England, a bar is a gate and a gate is a bar. How’s that for confusing when seeking directions?