Upsidedowntown. Zwanenburgwal (Verversgracht), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Covid-19 has made usually vibrant Amsterdam into a kind of quiet Upsidedowntown. Obviously tourism has often been a bane to cities of this kind, exemplified in Amsterdam by the uncouth press in the now deserted streets and alleys of the Red Light District not far from where this photo was taken. On the other hand, tourism has made of Amsterdam an exiting cosmopolitan city and especially, too, it yielded lots of revenue. And that revenue helped to gloriously restore and maintain Amsterdam's buildings, museums and churches, canals, and parks, and stimulated its commerce. One shudders to think of the downfall of this fine city if tourism falls dramatically in the wake of the present pandemic.
No canal boats with tourists today... calm waters everywhere. Here's a reflection in the Zwanenburgwal - formerly called the Verversgracht (Dyer's Canal) because painted fabrics were once strung out here to dry in the sun. To Olymp's back is the startling red-brick town hall and opera house with the well-known and popular Waterlooplein, the market of which is now much diminished...
Upsidedowntown. Zwanenburgwal (Verversgracht), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Covid-19 has made usually vibrant Amsterdam into a kind of quiet Upsidedowntown. Obviously tourism has often been a bane to cities of this kind, exemplified in Amsterdam by the uncouth press in the now deserted streets and alleys of the Red Light District not far from where this photo was taken. On the other hand, tourism has made of Amsterdam an exiting cosmopolitan city and especially, too, it yielded lots of revenue. And that revenue helped to gloriously restore and maintain Amsterdam's buildings, museums and churches, canals, and parks, and stimulated its commerce. One shudders to think of the downfall of this fine city if tourism falls dramatically in the wake of the present pandemic.
No canal boats with tourists today... calm waters everywhere. Here's a reflection in the Zwanenburgwal - formerly called the Verversgracht (Dyer's Canal) because painted fabrics were once strung out here to dry in the sun. To Olymp's back is the startling red-brick town hall and opera house with the well-known and popular Waterlooplein, the market of which is now much diminished...