Quelques Détails: February 2012

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population of 1,209,419 and a metropolitan population of 2,158,592.

Its name is derived from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010.

The city is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies. In 2010, Amsterdam was ranked 13th globally on quality of living by Mercer. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually.

A typical scene from the streets of Amsterdam. (from Dam)

From the window of a coffee shop, which looks at a canal. I prefered to sit in places that had the view of canals. I enjoyed watching the calm water, which could be full of ducks or swans, sometimes.

During this trip we used the trams a lot, because Interfly had chosen a hotel, which was located far from the center! This is why I took a lot of photographs from the tram stations, while we were waiting.

A perfect place to sit and read a book or just watch the street...

Streets of Amsterdam...

I sometimes discovered unexpected subjects, like this awesome garden, and the bicycle was put in a very decorative way that I really enjoyed the moment, while I was taking this photograph.

I founf this window full of green plants and "earths" before ariving to the Hermitage Museum, and I loved it.

It was so great just to watch the canals and the bicycles.

Amsterdam cow, frrom a studio of an artist.

Works in the studio were very different and colorful, that I liked very much. Besides there was a slogan on the wall which said, " Art is not a job, it's a life syle." It's true, but it still makes people gain money, even it is hard to prove yourself as an artist. Art have to be your life style and you have to be creative to be successful.

Everyone has a bicycle, so they have their own roads, which is something really important. It is not very important to own a car, there, which is important in Istanbul. I think in Istanbul there has to be bicycle roads everywhere. I hate traffics.