THE NETHERLANDS
Of course there's more to the Netherlands and A-Dam than Red Light Districts and pot cafe's; much of the city is built on land reclaimed from the sea. As such, there are canals everywhere and off-kilter buildings where the underpinnings had settled unevenly. Also made a trip over the The Hague & Delft.
Loved the ‘Vlaamse Frites’.
Netherlands means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with only about 50% of its land being only 1 meter (3.3 ft) above sea level. Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 14th century.
Amsterdam
Yes yes, A-dam's reputation is world renowned for its Red Light District and legal access to cannabis in its unending 'coffee shops' that line the canals of 'The Venice of the North'. The illicit stuff is touristy & gimmicky and just being around it gets old fast. Though, walking canalside and seeing crooked buildings everywhere does make you feel under the influence of something. It's just a trippy place.
Joined again by my number one amigo Sean (whom I traveled Eastern Australia with) we perused the canals, took a few cruises and monopolized the hostel pool table.
Happy Hour ran 24-7 where 3 euros got us 2 bottles of Stella.
Delft & The Hague
The city and municipality of Delft in South Holland is located between Rotterdam & The Hague. The Dutch word 'Delf' is derived from the word delven, meaning to delve or dig - in this case on land reclaimed from the sea as much of the Netherlands is. Delft is widely regarded as the birthplace of microbiology.
The Hague is the administrative and royal capital of the Netherlands and its seat of government. My friend and I stumbled onto a miniaturized Netherlands at the Madurodam. Those wooden shoes, right?
