Stooping in Amsterdam
Stooping in Amsterdam No garden? No problem! Here in Amsterdam, there are flowers everywhere. There are few parks in the canal belt, where I live. (Okay, none.) But the dutch love their flowers and gardens so much, they make gardens wherever they can. Usually on the sidewalk. I find it enchanting. If the sun is shining, you can see the residents of the tiny dark apartments move entire tables outside to have drinks or dinner with friends in the precious sunlight. Often they will sit on little benches at the top of the stairs that lead to their front doors. New York was first New Amsterdam and was settled by the dutch. Lots of dutch words stuck around. The dutch word for a small porch is “stoep”, which is pronounced “stoop”. That is where the american word “stoop” comes from. Today in America, when someone sits on their front steps just hanging out, it’s called “stooping” and the dutch are masters at the art of “stooping”. Notice the sit...
