Amsterdam City Centre Photo Gallery #4

The tulip came from Turkey via Vienna and flourished in the Netherlands' sandy soil. It became a huge speculative commodity in the mid-1630s when a few rare bulbs costed as much as a house. This get rich quick frenzy came to a crashing end in 1637 when prices fell to just 10% of its previous value in 3 months. However, the tulip's importance as a flower and association with the country continued.

I've had a mix of cloudy and sunny weather during my short trip to the Netherlands. With grey skies in the air, I tried to look for indoor spaces such as museums.

Magna Plaza already looked impressive on the outside. The neo-Gothic post office is just as impressive inside even though I had no interest in shopping.

Houseboats docked along Amsterdam's canals were once cheap alternative housing but have turned increasing upscale in recent years. The city is believed to be home to about a quarter of the country's 10,000 houseboats, which are marked with "T/O" in an address.