Stanley travels to Amsterdam!

Flat Stanley is in Holland, or is it the Netherlands? 

It is necessary to understand that these are not two interchangeable names for the same country, but rather that Holland is the name for part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Holland makes up only two of twelve provinces that define the country.  However, it is in Holland that Stanley finds the more familiar cities of Amsterdam (the capitol) The Hague (location of the government and parliament), Rotterdam, and Haarlem, among others.

 We all know about the picturesque windmills of the Netherlands.  Since more than half of this tiny country is below sea level, it is very vulnerable to flooding.  Canals were built to get rid of the excess water in the reclaimed land areas (polders) and windmills were built as pumping stations for draining  excess water from the polders.  Due to new technology, many of the windmills are non-functioning today, but over 900 windmills still exist in the country.

Stanley explains what he has learned about the whispering language of the windmills:  The mills speak a language that can be read from the positions of the sails.  There are four positions: the celebration, the mourning, brief resting, and long resting.  In each position the sails will be slightly tilted one way or another.  These different positions speak to the townspeople and let them know what is happening in the miller's life.  During WWII, messages were relayed by prearranged signals to warn people in hiding about forthcoming raids.

 Holland has over 2,734 miles (4,400 km) of rivers, canals, and lakes.  Stanley enjoys his afternoon traveling by boat down one of the many that run through Amsterdam.  Since the city is below sea level, Amsterdam is built entirely on piles.  Not surprisingly it also has 1,281 bridges. Stanley doesn't swim, so be careful dude!
Stepping carefully out of his boat, Stanley takes a ride on one of the thousands of bicycles found in the city.  Every Dutch person has a bike in the Netherlands and with a population of over 6 million people, that's a lot of bikes!  Stanley finds it difficult to navigate as he pedals through the streets. The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe and one of the most densely populated countries in the world. This requires 9,000 miles of cycle paths!

Six million people may not sound like a lot, but The Netherlands is a small country.  It stretches 194 miles (312km) from  North to South, and only 164 miles (264km) from East to West.

Six million people may not sound like a lot, but The Netherlands is a small country.  It stretches 194 miles (312km) from  North to South, and only 164 miles (264km) from East to West.
After paddling and pedaling, Stanley is in search of other things to do in Amsterdam.

There is the Anne Frank house and museum where Anne and her family were hidden from the Nazis during WWII.http://www.annefrank.org/


There are many other museums to visit as well including two famous for their art.  Since Flat Stanley is an Art Club Member Extraordinaire, he decides to find out more.


He could visit the Rijksmuseum that houses many of the great Dutch Masters such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer.
 http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/meesterwerken

Or he can view the latest exhibit in the Van Gogh Museum that houses over 200 of that artist's paintings, drawings, and letters.http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=101&lang=en
The following day Stanley experiences one of the many flower markets that has made Holland famous.  The streets are lined with glorious flowers of all kinds.  Some are even being bundled and readied for shipment to the United States.

Stanley didn't make it out to Keukenhof Gardens. This magical area showcases the famous Dutch tulips.  It is a seasonal park and opened only from March to May each year when the flowers are in bloom.  It is located southwest of Amsterdam. Keukenhof has over 7 million (!) spring flowers planted on 70 acres, so different types of brilliant bulbs are blooming throughout the season. Keukenhof is one of the most photographed sites in the world.  To read more about Keukenhof visit: http://www.keukenhof.nl/22/touristic-information/

Farewell to Amsterdam and all Stanley's new friends.

Dank u wel voor een groot bezoek. Ik hou van uw land. Uw vriend, Flat Stanley