Christie rips over one of Amsterdam's 1000 bridges.
For our second day in Amsterdam, we decided to join the masses and take to the streets - ON BIKES! Yes, Amsterdam is famous for its bicycles, and the stereotype strongly holds true: nearly every man, woman, and child - from suits to students - are cruising around the city on their 10 speeds.
In such a compact city, it is definitely the best way to travel & see the city - especially because many areas are off-limits to cars. It doesn't hurt to that an average of 1 car per week drives into a canal! (No similar stats are available for bikes!)
Choose a caption for this one. I have my heart set on: Canal.
Eric goes high-wire to get the shot.
Renting bikes is SERIOUS business in Amsterdam... as illustrated by this sign. Gotta love MAC BIKES!
Wooden shoes... not just a myth, also a tourist trap!
Lunch was a picnic in the park - also highly recommended! (Holland has outstanding grocery stores, such as Albert Heijn.) While the Dutch consume on average 31 pounds of cheese, we opted for just 1 ourselves to go with our turkey, salami, and ciabatta.
One good thing about Amsterdam bikes is the posture. As compared to North American mountain bikes, the European design of this bike allows you to sit up with good posture as you ride, which is great for sightseeing and horse-play.
Choose a caption for this one. I have my heart set on: Canal.
Eric goes high-wire to get the shot.
Renting bikes is SERIOUS business in Amsterdam... as illustrated by this sign. Gotta love MAC BIKES!
Wooden shoes... not just a myth, also a tourist trap!
Lunch was a picnic in the park - also highly recommended! (Holland has outstanding grocery stores, such as Albert Heijn.) While the Dutch consume on average 31 pounds of cheese, we opted for just 1 ourselves to go with our turkey, salami, and ciabatta.
As we cruised around the social and economic capital of Holland, we let the city's amazing ambiance grab a hold of us. We zoomed passed great museums - such as the Riijkmuseum (great art), the Anne Frank House, and the Van Gogh - fun parks, busy markets, and countless canals and bridges. (Amsterdam also has perhaps the greatest European collection of small, obscure museums, such as those devoted to purses or housebots.) Another thing we got to see was the different neighborhoods - I recommend a visit to the Jordaan district to get a glipse of real Amsterdam.
The traditional coat of arms... TRIPLE X!
The traditional coat of arms... TRIPLE X!
If you ever go to Amsterdam, be sure to rent bikes - there is NO BETTER way to see the city! We found the best to be MAC BIKES... with 3 locations and witty employees in the downtown area.
Arrivederci!
Jason
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