Nowadays you can just drink from the tap in Amsterdam. And if you are out with your parents, you can buy a bottle almost everywhere for a euro or just a little more. It is therefore difficult to imagine that less than two hundred years ago you had almost no drinking water in the city. […]
But nothing could be further from the truth, the Amsterdam city coat of arms with its recognizable red and black stripes on which three white crosses are placed one above the other, was conceived hundreds of years ago. In fact, it is so old that it is no longer even known what it represents. The […]
One even more beautiful and imaginative than the other. The so-called facing bricks however were not placed because they look good, but mainly served as a landmark. Before postal codes and house numbers were invented, postmen in the city had great difficulty finding the right address for their letters. They sometimes searched for hours before […]
The ones responsible for all the hubbub in the largest park in Amsterdam are so-called ring-necked parakeets. Almost 4,000 of such birds live in the trees and shrubs. And because they have a good time in the capital (though it is a bit too cold and rainy), there are more every year. The ring-necked parakeets […]
Unlike other types of fish, herring is not cooked or baked, and you can impossibly use a knife and fork; you have it raw and hold it by its tail. A lot of tourists think that’s just a crazy habit, the Dutch love their so-called delicacy. If you still want to try it, you can […]
When he was given the title of King of the Netherlands, after the conquest of the country in the nineteenth century, he immediately had a large balcony built on the palace on Dam Square. From there, he thought, he would be able to greet the Amsterdammers who would obviously cheer at their new ruler. That […]
However, a great secret is hidden behind the beautiful facade: if you follow the narrow stairs, past all the age-old rooms, you will discover a real church in the attic. Completely with beautiful statues, decorated columns, and a large organ. The church has a very old-fashioned Dutch name, Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (or in […]
Almost 150 years ago, life in the big city was not very good. Most of the houses were small and in very bad shape, the water was polluted, and poor people did not have enough food to eat. Sarphati who worked as a general practitioner heard all the complaints of his patients and decided that […]
