Amsterdam - "City of Canals"

Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands is a city that many of you will be familiar with.  It is famous for its romantic canals, bridges, more bicycles than people and of course tulips!

In the 13th century, Amsterdam was a small fishing village.   It was protected from the Amstel River by a dam, hence the name Amstelredam. 

Amsterdam is situated approx.3 ft. below sea level and built on eleven million wooden poles.  Most canal houses require about 10 poles and are very small at the entrance, the reason for this is that homes were taxed for the size of the facade of the house. That’s why everyone built high and longhouses.

You may know that Amsterdam is known for its Red Light District, but did you know that at the beginning of the 20th-century dancing was forbidden?  Incidentally, when a room in the Red Light District is blue or purple it indicates that the woman is transgender.  

Amsterdam known as the "City of Canals" has 165 canals, which is more than Venice.  It also has more bridges than Paris.  If you enjoy museums, Amsterdam is the destination for you!  It has the highest centration of museums per square mile in the entire world.  Amsterdam Airport Schiphol even has a museum, being the only airport in the world that has a museum. You can find it behind passport control and the entry is free.  

Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, and Stedelijk Museums are definitely museums you should make sure to visit while in Amsterdam.

Did you know that water in the canals is so clean that the Zoo gives its elephants pure drinking water straight from the Amsterdam canals? and contrary to most destinations in the world Amsterdam has worked so hard to abolish harmful pesticides and set up special flower gardens inside the city that since 2000 they have 45% more bee species?

Last fun fact - for those of you who love cats, you may also want to visit the Poezenboot, a catboat that is an animal shelter.

Interested in discovering the charming 17th-century city of Amsterdam? please contact me at Lene@PerfectlyPlannedJourneys.com or 703-927-0588, and let's plan your adventure.

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