Amsterdam area. Long Track Speed Skating. Waterland-North Ice Tour. Speed Skate It.

Marathons of the Netherlands
Skateways.

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Strap on the speed skates and watch for the officially approved skating tours that crop up north of Amsterdam (a 16 mile route, the Waterland-North)  in 2012).  On the day of the Waterland-North, there were 32 other officially approved tours, including near The Hague.  There is a Royal Dutch Skater's Union, the KNSB.  Apparently a single such tour near The Hague drew some 70,000 skaters, see article by Matt Steinglass, Why the Dutch Love to Get Their Skates On, in the Financial Times at http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/6ea81714-56f2-11e1-be25-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1nV2gxhkV.

Netherlands speed-skating tours. Imagine this frozen, swept, with ruts, skate sharpeners, side food.

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Along the way, find food stands, blade sharpeners, through the polders, and get your card stamped at the end for proof of Feat.
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Its other, perhaps more important than fitness and fun purpose:  civil coordination to get the volunteers out to lay mats for walking around too-low bridges with skates on, sweep the ice, set signs, and cooperate with the Icemaster on safety.
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Many years, the ice remains too fragile. Consider the 125-mile "Elfstedentocht" -- last Skate? 1997. See it at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57373580/ice-not-thick-enough-for-dutch-skating-marathon/

Peterson's Magazine 1865 also featured the sport in sporting mode in the US.

Skating US 1865, Peterson's Magazine vol XLVIII

Devotees in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada also sweep its Rideau Canal for a skateway for some 6 miles, see http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/places-to-visit/rideau-canal-skateway.
Inline skaters also have their tours, see international destinations as http://www.skatelog.com/events/marathons-fasst.htm

Amsterdam - Street Karaoke - and a site, Photo Gallery

Street karaoke, gender yes, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is a relaxed and livable city. Outdoor cafes, bikes and more bikes. Karaoke - the gentleman in the boots was very talented - much applause from all of us. This was near the Anne Frank House.

Here is a fine photo gallery for Amsterdam: www.pbase.com/bauer/amsterdam.

More blogs about The Netherlands Road Ways.

Amsterdam - Big-As Life Chess, Sandlot Soccer - City Block size

Life-size chess board, Amsterdam

On the big chess board, White was winning.

This approach to chess is not unusual in Europe. Find one in Salzburg, other places. 










For the soccer, there was an entire half-city block full of sand - no dogs allowed - and it was soccer each time we went by.

City block-size sandlot soccer, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Update July 3, 2010 - The World Cup Soccer in South Africa is going on, and the Netherlands just beat Brazil, see ://netherlands.worldcupblog.org/

Other countries:  clear sandlots and watch the pickup games pick up. Is that so? soccer sandlots as feeders for champion teams.  Make it a part of everyday life.

How about the Bronx next?

Also see street soccer in Dubrovnik.

Amsterdam: Narrowest House in the City? The World?

 Step Right Up to the Narrowest House In The World?

Alley-houses. A single door width at street level, single windows going up.

Several cities around the world boast this kind of residence, built in the alleyways, as the narrowest in the world. See Scotland's bid at ://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/1634975.stm; and Brazil's at ://freshome.com/2007/11/06/narrowest-house-in-the-world-just-1-meter-wide/

Alley-house in Amsterdam. Narrowest house in city?

The advantage of this location location location is, or used to be, low taxes.  Taxes were often assessed based on front footage, or first-floor footprint.  In some places, that practice led to overhangs on higher floors, extending in various directions.  Many places boast skinny houses built in the equivalent of alleys between other buildings.

Which is the narrowest in Amsterdam?  The contestants line up.

We recall that this is, but another site shows another house entirely: see ://goeurope.about.com/od/amsterdampictures/ss/amsterdam_7.htm/.

And this next one shows a clock facade:  ://www.amsterdamtourist.nl/en/home/about+amsterdam/Amsterdam+Surprise/article/xp/content_artikel.Surprise+EN+-Narrowest+house+in+the+world/default.aspx /

There is a house near Conwy Castle, Wales, that makes the same claim as the world's narrowest house.

So, in Amsterdam, said to be the narrowest house in Europe. See Another narrow house. Then there is this one at Singel No. 7, fair use thumbnail from ://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/128061040_a35ac665e7.jpg

said to be the narrowest house in the world:

Then there is this one,


fair use from http://www.nedwater.eu/pictures/amsterdam%20narrowest%20house.jpg

Do an images search for narrowest house Amsterdam, and see even more. Somewhere is a site with stories about how they came to be, but we lost it. Gentlemen, start your facades.

Amsterdam, Theater for Registering Jews WWII

The Netherlands remembers, see the list of Holocaust Memorials and topics including Jewish life in the Netherlands, at ://www.kennesaw.edu/holocaustmemorials/amsterdam.shtml/ This is the Hollandsche Schouwberg, now a Jewish memorial museum.
Hear an audio presentation, at ://www.kennesaw.edu/holocaustmemorials/amsterdam.shtml#04/

Amsterdam, Hollandsche Schouwberg, Theater, Holocaust Memorial

Jews had to register in this area, that had served as a community theater. When they were called to be deported, I understand they also had to assemble here.