Netherlands

Amsterdam

15.09.2012

While I was in The Netherlands I decide to do some research on the country's specifics. Here is what I found.

Capital city: Amsterdam
Population: couldn't find
GDP per capita: $40,500
Language: Dutch
Religion: None
Ethnicity: Dutch
Area: 16,040 sq miles

When I arrived in Amsterdam I first thought myself that I was going to see some of the most notable canals of the city

Keizersgracht

(literal English translation: Emperor's Canal) is the second and widest of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam, in between Herengracht and Prinsengracht. It is named after Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Herengracht

Herengracht (Patricians' Canal or Lord's Canal) is the first of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam. The canal is named after the heren regeerders who governed the city in the 16th and 17th century. The most fashionable part is called the Golden Bend, with many double wide mansions, inner gardens and coach houses on Keizersgracht.

Singel

Singel encircled the medieval city of Amsterdam. It served as a moat around the city from 1480 until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river. It is now the inner-most canal in Amsterdam's semicircular ring of canals. The canal should not be confused with Singelgracht canal, which became the outer limit of the city during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century. 250px-Amsterdam_airphoto

250px-Amsterdam_airphoto

While I was in Amsterdam I also took the liberty to visit the Van Gogh museum and here is what i learned.
This modern museum houses some 200 paintings and 550 sketches showing Van Gogh in all his moods. This biggest in the world collection, combined with hundreds of letters by Van Gogh, and selected works by his friends and contemporaries, form the core of the museum's collection. 250px-Van_Gogh_Museum_Amsterdam