Rivers are roads which move, and which carry us whither we desire to go.
~Blaise Pascal
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| canals and bicycles |
Force myself awake by 8:30, after a thirty hour trip and landing at midnight. I am ready to leave with
the hotel shuttle to enter Amsterdam by 10am. A quick double espresso but I
forget my sunglasses and shuttle schedule. What else? Who knows. I'm here
for the adventure! I text my
friend Elodie that I don't think I can meet up with her tonight. I am drained.
I buy a jump-on-jump-off tour ticket for bus and boat
on the recommendation of an Italian couple I met on the shuttle. There is
free WiFi on the tour and it is a comfy way to see the city after a 36
hour trip. We just passed Rembrandt’s last home. It’s tiny because at the
end of his life, he couldn't afford his previous home. Ironic. If he had
a fraction of the money that one of his paintings would sell for today …
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| bicycles |
The guide recording says that Amsterdam is mostly built
on pillars driven into the sand below, like Venice, and the majority is
reclaimed land. That’s why many houses are tilting. The American couple I met on the
tourist bus want to eat at Hard Rock for lunch. I walked about four blocks beyond and had a great typical
Dutch sandwich and local microbrew.
It is SO worth getting away from touristy sections of the city.
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| canals and boats |
I love how Amsterdam has so many different types of
boats. From dinghies to boats that look like old dories refitted, to aluminum
sailboats, refitted barges, and just plain old flat houseboats.
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| tiny trucks everywhere |
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| last old windmill |
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| canal houses |
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| canal homes and boats |
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| as you wish | | | | | |
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