Day 4: 7th June 2005: Rotterdam, Delft, Den Haag, Schivenegen, Haarlem, and finally, Amsterdam
Today, we covered the most number of cities we have had to cover in the past few days. It was rush, rush, rush!!
Rotterdam was damp and chilly, with overhanging clouds. The largest port in Europe, this city plays host to the largest shipping lines in Europe.
In Delft we visited the Nieuwe Kerk and the Oude Kerk. The Nieuwe Kerk was simply magnificent, with tower that stood at over a hundred metres, which James ascended.
There, he made a series of panoramic shots. We'll be sure to post them here when he's done with it.
Den Haag (or The Hague), is the political capital of The Netherlands. Its Parliament is situated in the middle of the city. Not far away lies the beach town of Scheveningen. Each year 9 million visitors flock to its shores for a dip in the waters of the North Sea.
From there, we went on to Haarlem for a dinner stop-over, and finally to the most eccentric city we've seen yet: Amsterdam.
The grand-mama of all eccentric cities, this city never sleeps. Or at least, its inhabitants in the Oude Kerk area. Those of you who have been there will know exactly what I'm talking about. For the uninitiated, that area is the red-light district. You can't miss it, and neither would the millions of tourists who simply walk by to feast their eyes on scantily clad women sitting, posing, and preening themselves behind glass windows, in rooms completely lit by red lights. They all seemed more comical than lewd.
The streets of Amsterdam - I have only one word for them - Bah!
It is a complete bugbear to navigate its streets on a vehicle, as we did. Cyclists come from every direction, and roads inevitably are one-way, and some even lead to dead-ends!
Fortunately, the wonderful quirks, "coffee-shops" (they serve smart drugs), and fascinating red-light district, more than make up for its dysfunctional streets.
The parliament house in Den Haag.
These two men play chess on the sidewalk whilst James grabs a shot of the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam in the background.
The Koninklijke Palace in Amsterdam is occasionally used by the Dutch Royal Family. Today, it stands as a landmark in the middle of the Amsterdam city centre, its open square the site for buskers and tourists.
Rotterdam was damp and chilly, with overhanging clouds. The largest port in Europe, this city plays host to the largest shipping lines in Europe.
In Delft we visited the Nieuwe Kerk and the Oude Kerk. The Nieuwe Kerk was simply magnificent, with tower that stood at over a hundred metres, which James ascended.
There, he made a series of panoramic shots. We'll be sure to post them here when he's done with it.
Den Haag (or The Hague), is the political capital of The Netherlands. Its Parliament is situated in the middle of the city. Not far away lies the beach town of Scheveningen. Each year 9 million visitors flock to its shores for a dip in the waters of the North Sea.
From there, we went on to Haarlem for a dinner stop-over, and finally to the most eccentric city we've seen yet: Amsterdam.
The grand-mama of all eccentric cities, this city never sleeps. Or at least, its inhabitants in the Oude Kerk area. Those of you who have been there will know exactly what I'm talking about. For the uninitiated, that area is the red-light district. You can't miss it, and neither would the millions of tourists who simply walk by to feast their eyes on scantily clad women sitting, posing, and preening themselves behind glass windows, in rooms completely lit by red lights. They all seemed more comical than lewd.
The streets of Amsterdam - I have only one word for them - Bah!
It is a complete bugbear to navigate its streets on a vehicle, as we did. Cyclists come from every direction, and roads inevitably are one-way, and some even lead to dead-ends!
Fortunately, the wonderful quirks, "coffee-shops" (they serve smart drugs), and fascinating red-light district, more than make up for its dysfunctional streets.
The parliament house in Den Haag.
These two men play chess on the sidewalk whilst James grabs a shot of the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam in the background.
The Koninklijke Palace in Amsterdam is occasionally used by the Dutch Royal Family. Today, it stands as a landmark in the middle of the Amsterdam city centre, its open square the site for buskers and tourists.
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