Sweet smoke above the Amstel river

Amsterdam, founded in 13th century on the banks of the Amstel river, is the bigest city in Holland. It is interesting that despite being the capital of the country, the seat of government is elsewhere (The Hague). The coat of arms of Amsterdam has three crosses representing the three types of catastrophe which used to befall the city: flood, fire and plague.

People cycle a lot here and the unaccustomed tourist should know to stay away from the cycling lanes, otherwise terrible accidents may happen. According to statistics there are 700'000 bicycles in Amsterdam. 80'000 of them are stolen each year, and another 25'000 end up in the canals.

Water is a wonderful element and the semi-circular canals give Amsterdam its unique charm. There are also boats and barges used for permanent housing. Observing the narrow buildings around the canals it is hard to see one that stands straight. This is because of their wooden foundations that slowly sink in the soft sand.

A huge and at the same controversial attraction are the coffeeshops selling canabis, as well as the red-light district de Wallen where you can see women dancing behind windows offering various sex services.