!!!Amsterdam 2

by Stas Sedov and Sergey Shandin,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

17 December 2014

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

If you look at a map of Amsterdam, you can see channels spread out in
semicircles from the Central Station, located on the banks of the
outgoing sea strait IJ. It is hard to believe that previously the sea
started right at the Dam Square, or simply The Dam ("de Dam" in Dutch).
Hundreds of years of painstaking work allowed workers to push the sea
back and create new or reclaimed land — polders that used to be the
seabed. The city itself lies four meters below the sea level. Canals and
bridges are everywhere here, and water traffic does not concede to the
intensity of the ground-based traffic.

[{Image src='01_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

The old quarters of Amsterdam are perfectly preserved, many buildings
date back to the 17th — 18th centuries. These are ordinary houses handed
down from generation to generation! Their preservation is absolutely
surprising, given that most of them stand on piles driven into the
ground.

[{Image src='02_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='662'}]

Many houses have winches on the top: a long time ago they were used to
drag goods to the upper floors for storage, since the lower floors often
suffered from floods. Now, these winches are not sitting idle either.
They are used to raise bulky furniture to the top and through the
window, because traditionally old houses have very narrow stairs. Two
people can hardly pass each other, not to mention fitting a table or
dresser through.

[{Image src='03_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

The bicycle is one of the symbols of Amsterdam. Cyclists in the city are
the main participants of traffic, they even have special traffic lights
installed, not to mention bike lanes. It is a real pleasure to ride a
bicycle in Amsterdam: the terrain is flat and an uphill ride is not
necessary. Often you can see parents riding bikes together with their
children of all ages. Amsterdam, with its population of 800 — 900
thousand people, has more than a million bicycles, which outnumbers the
citizens in the city.

One of the tourists' stereotypes associated with Amsterdam is legalized
drugs and prostitution. Indeed, you can buy hashish and marijuana in a
coffee shop, but no more than 5 mg. Patrons of these establishments are
mainly tourists. By the way, smoking tabaco in public places is
prohibited.

[{Image src='04_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='959'}]

As for Amsterdam's famous Red Light District, it even has a bronze
monument dedicated to the «workers of the sex industry» — the first and
only such monument in the world.

Prostitution is officially considered a profession, just as any other
type of work; and the sex industry workers not only pay taxes but also
have their own trade union. It is strictly forbidden to take pictures in
the district: you cannot violate privacy! They say that the bottom of
the local canals is covered with cameras of unfortunate tourists who
broke the rule.

[{Image src='05_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

However, the Red Light District was one of the locations scheduled for
our aerial photo shoot in Amsterdam, and so we were very worried about
what could happen to our photo equipment as well as us. Our RC
helicopter barely got off the ground. Onlookers gathered around, and
then a minute later police officers approached us, asking; "Do you know
that it is prohibited to shoot in the district ?" The tone of their
voice was quite friendly, and so we showed them a picture on our camera,
and they nodded. The verdict was unexpected: "It is true, you are not
allowed to take pictures, but so be it. We will stay here with you to
make sure you do not have any problems!. " At the end we even made a
group shot with the police officers.

[{Image src='06_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

The city of Amsterdam is also famous for its museums: it is home to more
than fifty museums. There are museums for every taste: The Art
Rijksmuseum, The Van Gogh Museum, The Rembrandt House Museum, fantastic
Nemo Science Center, the Maritime Museum, which has the world's largest
collection of ships — you name it. It is an interesting tradition to
hold exhibitions in churches. For example, the Old and New churches are
among the most popular venues for exhibitions and concerts.

[{Image src='07_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='621'}]

The ability to arrange spur-of-the-moment celebrations is one of the
wonderful characteristics of Dutch people in general; Amsterdam
residents in particular. Every weekend and sometimes during weekdays,
here and there you can hear musicians playing or find impromptu street
fairs, or sometimes neighbors come out and set a table with food on a
street. Everybody gets involved, regardless of age or level of income.

[{Image src='08_Amsterdam, Netherlands.jpg' caption='Amsterdam, Netherlands' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='555'}]

However, the biggest celebration happens on King's Day. Millions of
visitors come to Amsterdam at this time. The celebration begins the
night before the official holiday with numerous concerts, turning into
the "Royal Night", and continues the next day with a variety of
activities, including a parade of boats and ships dressed in the
national color — orange.

[{Image src='09_Montelbaanstoren.jpg' caption='Montelbaanstoren' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='882'}]

It is always a pleasure, even on a rainy day, which is not rare here, to
stroll along the canals, admiring sailing boats, trying famous warm
Stroopwafel with caramel, and enjoying the sound of the church bells.
The residents of the city are very friendly and helpful, so no need to
be afraid of getting lost, they will always help you find your way. Each
year around four-and-a-half million tourists visit Amsterdam, which is
about five times more than the city's population. Amsterdam is
definitely one of the cities where you want to go back!

\\ \\
[25 Panoramas of Amsterdam 2|Geography/Europe/Netherlands/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Amsterdam_2]










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