Visiting Amsterdam

13 September 2010 By Vera Ciria 0 In Life outside Barcelona

After my visit to Venice earlier this year, I was really looking forward to going to Amsterdam for the first time. There is a magic something about a city with water canals that really attracts my attention. What came as a big surprise is that Amsterdam is not anywhere near as charming as Venice. This is a city where people work and go about their business, amid the endless masses of tourists. This is a city similar to Barcelona, so much hype and a lot less to show, filled with obnoxious tourists interested in drinking, smoking and sex. That said, it is possible to slip into the cracks and really delve into the Dutch way of life.

The light is spectacular, from early morning when the streets are quiet and the only sounds are the birds and bicycles carrying people to work, to the sharp afternoon light and evening display of colours. The range of greens is absolutely mesmerizing, there are numerous parks throughout the city and every house, apartment and canal boat has some display of greenery. The display of colours is searing, the blue of the sky, the red shutters and boats, the warm browns of wood mixed with brilliant white paint on door and window frames. Lush and mouth-watering, even though the temperature may not be too high, a warmth penetrates every pore of your body with the visual display.

The canal boats used as houses are spectacular; what could be better than waking up to the rocking of the gentle canal waves each morning? I’m asking Santa for one this Christmas. Ranging from completely battered to pristine, each boat inhabitant pays their own type of attention to displaying their character and personalizing their abode.

The architecture of the Dutch canal houses is odd to say the least. Straight lines don’t seem to be their strong point and some of the houses lean at a drunken angle. Bulging on the sides, some possess several listing diagonal lines in their door frames, windows and roofs. These buildings seem like something out of Alice and Wonderland and are absolutely charming. This is a city to take long walks and bicycle rides, stopping at any number of canal-side cafés.

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amsterdam, architecture, Barcelona, bicycles, canal house, Christmas, colours, dutch, green, houseboats, light, tourists, venice

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