Amsterdamned

The joy of having a sibling

Amsterdam - bicycling to sustainability

Amsty Damsty

I amsterdam

I amsterdam is the slogan of the city and the people of Amsterdam.

It is a proud expression for all the benefits, opportunities and dimensions of excellence that make Amsterdam the city of their choice.

The symbol “X X X” which is seen all over the city of Amsterdam does not have anything to do with the RLD in the city centre.

They are actually the three crosses of St Andrews and they represent the constant struggle of the citizens of the city with the three dangers which have traditionally plagued the city:

flood, fire, and pestilence.

Schiphol Amsterdam is the fourth largest airport in Europe and the tenth largest in the world.

Measured by international passengers, Schiphol is the third busiest airport in the world.


The city of bicycles: Bicycles parked outside the Central Railway station.

The population of the city is around 750,000 people.
And there are about 700,000 bicycles in the city ( Almost one bicycle per resident :-O ).
Each year, about 80,000 of them are stolen and 25,000 end up in the canals.

Speeding bicycles is one of the major safety issues for tourists.
Bicycles enjoy a dedicated lane in almost all roads and speed along at very fast speeds.
What I found most surprising was that most bicycles did not have any brakes and yet they sped at very fast speeds.

Transportation by car is discouraged by the local government, with initiatives such as Autodelen and Meerijden.nu being sponsored, and steep parking fees and a great number of streets are closed off for cars in the city centre.

Tourists scuttle to one side of a ferry on the Prinsengracht Canal (Prince’s canal) while it crosses Anne Frank’s residence.

During World War II, Germany invaded the Netherlands and installed a Nazi civilian government that cooperated in the persecution of Jews.

However, a minority of people in Amsterdam helped the Jews in hiding and suffered persecution themselves in doing so.

More than 103,000 to 105,000 Jews were deported from the Netherlands to concentration camps, of whom perhaps the most famous was a young German girl, Anne Frank.

Only 5,000 Dutch Jews survived the war.

In the last months of the war, communication broke down, and food and fuel became scarce. Dogs, cats and raw sugar beets were consumed to stay alive.

And most of the trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel.

After the break with Spain in the 16th century (eighty years war), the Dutch Republic became known for its religious tolerance, except towards Catholics who had to worship secretly.

Jews from Spain and Portugal, prosperous merchants from Antwerp (economic and religious refugees from the Low Countries still controlled by Spain), and Huguenots from France (persecuted for their religion) sought safety in Amsterdam.

Moreover, after freedom from the Dutch, a lot of people from these former colonies migrated to Amsterdam. People and therefore cuisines from all parts of the world are thus very common.

In the beginning of the 17th century, in Holland, the tulip was starting to be used as a garden decoration in addition to its medicinal use. Botanists began to hybridize the flower. They soon found ways of making the tulip even more decorative and tempting. Hybrids and mutations of the flower were seen as rarities and a sign of high status. In the months of late 1636 to early 1637, there was a complete “Tulipmania” in the Netherlands. Some varieties could cost more than an Amsterdam house at that time. Even ordinary men took part in the business. They saw how much money the upper class made in the commodity and thought it was an easy way of getting lots of money with no risk. The bulbs were usually sold by weight while they were still in the ground. This trade in un-sprouted flowers came to be called “wind trade”.

People started selling their businesses, family homes, farm animals, furnishing and dowries to participate. Finally, the tulip did not appear to quite so rare as to justify such high prices. Over-supply led to lower prices and dealers went bankrupt while many people lost their savings because of the trade. This is referred to as the “Tulip Crash”.


Trivia:

* Although Amsterdam is officially designated as the capital of the Netherlands, it has never been (save a brief period between 1808 and 1810) the seat of the supreme court, government, or parliament of the Netherlands, which are all located at The Hague.

Amsterdam is also not the capital of the province in which it is located, North Holland, whose capital is located at Haarlem.

* The Amsterdam Stock Exchange (AEX) is the world's oldest stock exchange.

The 24 hour Velo at Louvain-la-Neuve

The 24 hr velo (24 hour bicycling) is the BIGGEST STUDENT PARTY in Belgium.

The event, which regularly draws upwards of 100,000 students to the city, runs annually from 2pm Wednesday to 2pm Thursday some time in October.

The starting concept was simple, to race for 24 hours on a bike.

Nowadays, competitiors are separated in three categories:
(i) Racers, that race seriously.
(ii) Folk bikes, including decorated bikes and home built contraptions.
(iii) Charity racers raising money for humanitarian causes.

600 policemen come from outside the city to manage law and order during those 24 hours.
A large number of special trains run to Louvain-la-Neuve on that day.

Photo - Jasvinder Singh

Hurrah ... its a goal finally !!!

Malmo - the city of the 'Turning Torso'

Bicycle stand near railway station - the bicycle stand near the Amsterdam Central station was way bigger than this

Postcards from The Big Apple - New York

The Moon, clouds and a skyscrapper

(6th avenue near Times Square, New York)


Its a concrete jungle out there - View of Manhattan from Manhattan Bridge

The Empire State Building as visible from Union Square


731 Lexington on a cloudy morning. Btw, Bloomberg's New York office is in this building and this is where I did my internship in the summer of 2006 (my seat was in the 15th floor and facing 58th street between Lex and 3rd Avenue)


The same building at night. The top floors with penthouses which house Beyonce Knowles, Johhny Damon and other celebrities make it the tallest residential building on earth.


Central Park in the evening


The Brooklyn Skyline


Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan


Flights queueing for take-off at the John F Kennedy Airport


New Jersey skyline from Manhattan

14th street - Union Square

(From L to R) Staten Island, Statue of Liberty & Liberty Island and Ellis Island

Downtown Manhattan and the Staten Island Ferry


Subway Station (Lex & 59th)


Times Square


Downtown Manhattan

Who says locking does not help.

'DUMBO'
No insinuation towards Sandy! I am referring to the view which is popularly known as
DUMBO -
'Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass'


Step Aside - The no.5 Express train to Brooklyn.



Penrod Street, Corona, Queens.
This pic was taken from the balcony of the flat where I lived for two months in the summer of 2006.