Photo posted by Flickr user jimheid. Must view big! Amsterdam, like all of the Netherlands, is a land of water: everywhere you look are reminders that this land and the sea have a tenuous, give-and-take relationship. Amsterdam is ringed with and bisected by a complex series of canals. The historic central canal ring, the site of this photograph, was built largely during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The area is known for its tall, narrow canal houses and the gently arching bridges