Amsterdam

Greetings from Berlin! I'm a bit behind on this blog - it's more time consuming than I'd imagined, mostly because it takes so long to upload photos. I flew into Eindoven last week and took a train to Amsterdam and stayed in an adorable apartment he rented from airbnb.com (http://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/153087). The buildings have poles jutting out at the top - they hold rope and a large hook - it's used to transport furniture and appliances through the windows as the staircases are extraordinarily small.

I wasn't too keen on some of the more touristy areas, but I learned I'd rather be around pot heads than alcoholics - they are much nicer, more laid back, and less threatening than drunk people. 

Amsterdam was the most scenic city I've seen yet, though I hear Copenhagen is even more so. There are canals, cute shops, and cafes everywhere. 

I ate in every night instead of eating out because we had a good grocery store less than a block away. 

There are more bicycles on the street than cars - a lot more - and most of the streets have dedicated bike lanes between the sidewalk and the road. I rented a bike for the week for about 6 euros a day. Here many people don't lock their bike to an object, but loop a large chain around the frame and front wheel, and lock the back wheel with a built in wheel lock. The bikes are mostly old and very heavy and would be impossible to use for commuting in DC up hills such as that on 15th Street NW, but Amsterdam is a very flat city, so they aren't a problem.

A bike parking garage next to the train station - it was packed.

Amsterdam has an electric car share program:

And beautiful flowers:

The following photos are from the flower market. It's open daily and everything is very inexpensive as compared to prices at home. 

Ginormous bulbs:

Bonsais for less than 10 euros - I want all of them.

More bulbs - so many to choose from!

A beautiful library, fully equipped with a restaurant, cafe, and piano that anyone can play in the entrance. I tried to print some documents there but wasn't able to understand their program as it was in Dutch and I didn't feel comfortable asking for help translating. Not being able to speak the local language can make the most mundane tasks - printing documents, buying groceries, asking for directions, filling out forms, ordering food, etc -  nerve wracking when you are alone. I have a lot more sympathy for immigrants and foreign tourists as a result. 

The next two images are from Vondelpark - a very large park where many people gather after work. There was a string quartet playing next to a bridge and people commuting home stopped to listen to the free music - it was a great atmosphere. If you click on the picture, you can see two adults to the right with children on their bikes - this is a common way of transporting kids to/from school/daycare. 

I read a Terry Pratchett book in the grass and polished off a good amount of hummus and fresh bread from a restaurant in the park - I really liked this place:

Dessert waffles from the flea market - mmmm. 

A good idea for a table: 

A large bicycle for transporting goods - in this case it's a cheese store advertising their products.

On the left is a large church. On the right are buildings with prostitutes sitting behind windows, beckoning pedestrians inside. It turns out our apartment was right next to the red light district. The women work during the day and evening, but it didn't feel particularly sleezy during the day. I didn't like the evening because it was packed with men on the hunt - always an uncomfortable feeling. I wouldn't have walked through alone.

I also toured a couple of museums while I was there, to include a Van Gogh museum with hundreds of his works. I've never been particularly impressed by his sunflower paintings, but seeing it in person is an entirely different experience - the prints do not capture the texture of the brushstrokes or the way the paint reflects the light. They are much, much better in person. Only one painting in the permanent exhibition was on loan at the time - my favorite one, the almond blossoms. Perhaps next time...