View Larger Map

blue pin: visited; yellow pin: transit;

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Day 21: St Goar (Germany) - Amsterdam (Netherlands)

The Netherlands (Holland)
The landscape is pretty flat and we could see very far far away without any mountains or hills that block our view. The country has a lot of canals, like Venice. Because the land is pretty low, the country is prone to flood. To encounter this, they build dykes which is a water gate that can be closed during the high tide to prevent water from coming in. Some of the canals are man-made to facilitate the overflowing water and serve as waterways. The Dutch also build windmills which use wind energy to pump the water out. That's why there is a saying: God created the earth. The Netherlanders created the Netherlands. Holland is also famous for its agriculture.


Holland's countryside



We visited a cheese and clog making factory. There was no demonstration of cheese making, instead the girl just explained to us how to make cheese followed by cheese tasting session. Afterwards, we had a chance to see the clog making demonstration. According to the clog maker, a Dutch guy has to make a pair of clogs to present it as a wedding proposal to their dream girl. It will take someone three to five years to master the skills. And if the girl doesn’t like it, then they have to make another one. But he said, try to give it to other girls first. :)


The colourful clogs




The giant clogs


Demonstration of clog making

Afterwards, we visited a diamond factory. The diamonds were expensive, they were generally double the price in Singapore, and the style was quite old fashioned. :P


Imitation of famous diamonds in the world

At our hotel nearby was a small port where a lot of yachts were parked. It was almost like Nice in France.






My dream home


Sunset



When we had our dinner, I realized that there are a lot of similarities between Indonesia and Netherlands in terms of food and language. (Indonesia was colonized by Dutch for 350 years.) Some of the Indonesian local snacks like croquette and rice crackers are also available here with the same name.

After dinner, we were heading to the infamous red light district. It was really an eye opener. There were rows and rows of cubicles which were dimly lit. Inside the cubicle, the lady strutted out her stuff in a provocative way in front of the glass door. Curtain being drawn meant she is busy. :)

There are a lot of coffee houses in Amsterdam that sell drugs. They are legal in this country. I saw souvenir shops selling cannabis lollipops, cannabis pastilles, and the plant itself!!


Sex museum at red light district.

Koninklijk Palais


The Royal Palace at Dam Square

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is a very beautiful sunset!!!