Amsterdam: Jordaan

Amsterdam resembles a spider web attached to the Ij (pronounced eye) Channel, which connects to the Zuiderzee to the English Channel.  The strands of spiderweb are actually a series of five concentric canals encircling the downtown with occasional perpendicular canals connecting the concentric ones.  Ultimately Amsterdam was built as a city to move around in via canals and not one that it is easy to convert to car traffic.  Today the city is easy to move around by trams, bicycles and walking, but difficult by automobile. Amsterdam does all it can to discourage automobiles coming into the center of the city.

Mastering the trams is the secret to exploring Amsterdam.  They go just about anywhere you would want to go.  They are reasonably priced, safe (save for the possible pocket pickers) and fast.  Another good feature is that they all radiate out from central station, so if you are lost, just hop on a tram, eventually you will end up in the center of town

Amsterdam Central Station

The canal system of Amsterdam

  

This was once the unquestioned wealthiest city in the western world, an international trading center, and the incubator of capitalism.  It was the merchant, trader, farmer and manufacturer burghers working in a reasonably democratic manner that sent this city and the Dutch into its golden age of prosperity approximately 1575 to 1675.  It was during this period of great wealth that the concentric canals were built to service the new growing neighborhoods.  One of those neighborhoods was Jordaan (yar-dahn).  Today, Sandy and I took advantage of the trams and our feet to explore Jordaan.  

We started at Dam (dom), the cultural and tourist center.  We walked west deep into the cozy, slower paced, and post card perfect areas of Jordaan.

The Royal Palace on Dam Square

New Church on Dam Square

Oh how the Dutch like their beer.  I don't even think about ordering Scotch here!

 A good example of the different style of gables.  There are even more.

Note the red building in the middle...it is wide enough for a door with three stories above it.

All the buildings are built atop pilings driven into the boggy soil of this land reclaimed from the sea.  And,  they all slowly sink at their own rates.  The middle two buildings lean in on each other while the outer two buildings slope away from the others.

Of course every canal is deserving of a picture.

Enjoying the sunny day on Big Head Bridge

The big head

A downstairs residence with the always present bicycle.

Sandy and I and the Herengracht Canal

I don't know how the canal boat pilots do it

A statue of Anne Frank, the house she and her family hid in for 25 months is right down the street from here.

Newer than the New Church, the Westerkerk (West Church)

some houseboats

Birdhouses and bicycles. 

We finished our walk deep in the Jordaan at a little cafe beside a small canal surrounded by Dutch drinkers and diners.  Sandy had a Heineken and I a Brouwerij 'T Ijwit, both Dutch beers.  

And, Bitterballen

This was a good walk on a good day and a good way to end it.