Amsterdam has been known as “The Venice of the North” for so long, it’s time it shed that appellation and claimed its own special title. This charming capital, with its meandering canals and pedestrian-friendly bridges; wooden shoes and cheese; master artists and world-class museums; gracious people and wonderful food; and bicycles, bicycles, bicycles, is a city on the move!
Officially the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the country consists of 12 provinces including North Holland and South Holland. But often the name Holland is used to refer to the entire country due to the fact that this region incorporates the major cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague, which were mostly responsible for the overall prosperity of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is the capital, Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port, and The Hague is the seat of government and home of the King and Royal Family.
Amsterdam is named after the Amstel River that crisscrosses the land. It’s a city that does not easily accommodate cars, let alone trucks, and narrow streets make walking harrowing considering the more than 700,000 bikes being pedalled around or parked in giant clusters, restricting pedestrian access to the even narrower sidewalks. And in Amsterdam, bikes have the right of way! Every year some 35,000 bikes are fished out of the canals; no statistics exist for how many went in still attached to their riders.
Amsterdam boasts a plethora of museums, with the world-class Rijksmuseum filled with classical artists the likes of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Rubens; the eponymous Van Gogh Museum in honour of its much beloved native son; and the Stedelijk Museum of modern art nicknamed the “bathtub” for obvious architectural reasons, as well as numerous others.
