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The following introduction to Amsterdam is quoted from the Lonely Planet Amsterdam guide. (Note 1)
Amsterdam is a work of art, a living monument with some of Europe’s finest 17th- and 18th- century architecture. It’s also at the cutting edge of social, cultural and economic developments thanks to its famed tolerance, which bring together people, ideas and products and allows them to flourish.
There’s a lively arts scene, fantastic pubs and unrivalled nightlife. Gays and lesbians find the city a breath of fresh air. Affordable restaurants serve food from all corners of the globe. Street artists – musicians, acrobats, fire-eaters – provide ready entertainment. Open-air markets sell anything from food and flowers to funky clothes, disused furniture and 78RPM records, and myriad shops full of quirky items line side streets and alleyways.
Despite the ready availability of sex and drugs there’s surprisingly little violent crime. Whoever made this whole affair work has done a great job.
Amsterdam has often been called the Venice of the North, and in many respects the comparison is apt. Venice occupies a lagoon, Amsterdam a marshland where river meets sea, and both have had to struggle with water in order to survice (Venice has 117 islands, 150 canals and 400 bridges; Amsterdam has 90 islands, 160 canals, and 1281 bridges). Both were city-states that built far-flung maritime trading empires. Both had a ruling class with strongly republican sentiments, whose wealth rested on money created through commerce and finance, not on inherited land-holdings. Both left a world-class legacy in visual arts.
But there are marked differences: Venice has no road traffic – only pedestrians and a large fleet of busy watercraft; Amsterdam has 550,000 bicycles, less road traffic than it used to, and little water transport apart from tourist boats. Venice is an architectural marvel full of tourists, but in the off season the place seems dead; Amsterdam is equally attractive and full of tourists, but in the off season is keeps powering along and shows no signs of slowing down. In short, Amsterdam is a thriving city that’s alive in all respects; Venice is a museum with relatively little to sustain itself in the modern age.
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