Holland!!!

Finally, the long awaited pictures from the Netherlands! I was in Holland for 4 1/2 days and stayed with the family of a lady I met in Scotland last spring break. I did not realize until I was there that her husband is actually a pastor for mentally challenged individuals. They were extremely nice and showed me around Amsterdam, Armede (their area that was drained and built in 1975), and many other places in Holland. I saw everything from windmills to dikes. In Holland, there is very little countryside because it has been mostly urbanized. Almost every inch of the country is planned so as to make the most out of their space. Below are different pictures of different aspects of the country.

This is a place that used to be an island before the area was drained. You can see the fortifications against the sea off to the right.

Yes, they do have some old-fashioned windmills left in Holland. This one is actually a house now. The people in front are Ronald and Tineka, my amazing hosts!

A thatched roof on a Dutch farmhouse.

A canal in downtown Amsterdam. The canals basically run in squared tic-tac-toe mazes throughout the entire city.

No, this isn't an optical illusion. The building really is leaning forward. There were two explanations given me: Taxing was based on ground usage, or the building was so old the foundations have shifted.

Two canals separated by a dike. You can see that the two canals are several meters different in depth.

Typical Dutch architecture from the 1600s.

So that's Holland for you. I'll have another post on Corrie ten Boom's house soon.