Amsterdam has often been called “The Venice of the North.” Between the
two cities there is a resemblance; but they also differ from each other
essentially. Venice is golden; while Amsterdam is gray. Venice inspires
romantic memories and poetical associations; Amsterdam, even with its
many attractions, is distinctly practical and commercial.
Amsterdam is a seaport in the province of North Holland. It is one of
the chief commercial cities in Europe and the largest city in the
kingdom of Holland. It is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
Amsterdam stands on flat, marshy ground into which piles fifty feet long
are driven to form the foundations of brick houses, which are usually
six or seven stories high. The form of the city is a crescent, and the
arms of its canals project into the Y.
Amsterdam is really a city founded upon islands, ninety in all. It has
miles of liquid streets, which are spanned by three hundred bridges. All
through the city float heavy barges, many of which are the homes of
citizens.
Among some classes of the Dutch it is customary, when a young man has
saved or borrowed enough money, to buy a huge, broad-shouldered boat and
install therein not only his entire family, but also his poultry, hogs,
and even cows. From then on he is independent, and master of his own
floating house, stable, farmyard, and express wagon. He transports loads
of merchandise from town to town, and is in a small way even a farmer.
When he moors his boat to take his wares from house to house he uses a
cart, and to draw this cart he employs dogs. When the merchandise is
sold the driver calmly seats himself in the cart and makes his patient
animals pull him home. If he does not own a dog, he merely puts the yoke
upon the shoulders of his wife, and she acts as a willing steed.
The little houses in the vicinity of Amsterdam are thoroughly
characteristic of Holland. They have sharply pointed roofs of pretty red
tiles, neatly painted walls and blinds, and a monstrous windmill on one
side. Within they are scoured and polished so that they almost shine
with cleanliness. Even among the wealthy citizens of Amsterdam there is
not much display of luxury. The houses are quite plain, but always
brightly clean.
To most people who are used to paved streets and plenty of dry land it
would not be pleasant to dwell among the watery streets with their
narrow sidewalks of Amsterdam; but to a Dutchman it is impossible to
have too much water about his house. Even with a canal in front and
another on each side he will add, if possible, an artificial pond in his
small garden.
[Illustration: STREET SCENE, ROTTERDAM]
_HOLLAND_
_Rotterdam_