That is the motto here......on t-shirts, bumperstickers, hats, etc.......
We got to The Netherlands (formerly Holland) via train and an overnight trip across the English Channel by huge ferry. Had a cabin in the ferry that was such a treat after 5 nights in the hostel in London.................Molly and I both took leisurely showers in our own private bathroom! Tiny and small, it felt like heaven. The journey went fast and in the early morning we arrived and took a train into Amsterdam.
I had always heard what a beautiful city this was, and now I know. Full of canals, old buildings, sunshine and bicycles. When we arrived, it was the busiest day of the year for the City~with a half marathon going on called the "Dam to Damloop" where streets were closed and thousands of runners jammed the City. Due to the liberal attitudes of "Ämsterdamians", the porta potties lining the streets included urinals for the men who just whipped it out, peed and ran on........I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't.
I was fortunate to find a lovely, boat hostel at a pier near the central train station. It is a converted canal barge with maybe 15 rooms and common showers/toilets. Breakfast included:) Great location, charming owners, relatively quiet and the soothing rock of the boat at night, making sleeping a delight. Brandon and Hunter came in from Brussels and found us (Molly) to hang with......
The four of us headed to the Red Light District, famous for 24 hours of legalized prostitution, coffee houses (no alcohol served, only marijuana and hash and coffee) and pubs and restaurants. If inclined, you can choose a prostitute by window shopping......I like window shopping, but this kind seemed degrading and yucky.....the red lit windows were women, the red and blue lit windows were women who used to be men...............many were wheel chair accessible..........hmmmmmmmmm. The boys weren't interested. Too expensive. I guess they tried having men in the windows for a very short time, but the experiment did not work. Not as many takers and besides, men just can't keep up the pace like women! That is what we were told.
Okay, the coffee houses. Thank goodness we found a couple stoners from California to go with us to the coffee houses. They know there stuff:) They bought "good shit", rolled their own joints and tried to teach Molly and I how to smoke. I don't think it worked. I prefer my own drug of choice, vino, blanco, Columbia Crest Grand Estates...........miss that. So, the boys were pretty high when we went to dinner and man did they eat!
Amsterdam has more bicycles than people. 80,000 bicycles get stolen every year, although they are recycled by the new owner......locals paint them, decorate them, get old ones, lock them up, anything to avoid being stolen. And everybody rides a bike, rain or shine (not many people own cars, as there is no where to park). Professionals in business suits, kids, pregnant ladies, senior citizens, probably the prostitutes. The bikes have cute little seats for children, big wheelbarrow attachments for carrying things, platforms for dogs and all kinds of interesting add ons. The canals are filled with old bikes. Nobody wears helmets.
We took a 3 hour bike ride and discovered what a sweet mode of transportation it is, but also very daring. Not only are you taking your life in your hands, but you might be putting everybody else at risk! There are so many bikes and walkers and trains that you really have to focus on what you are doing and where you are going. It reminded me of visiting Bejing and Shanghai. The extra precaution here is to not fall into the canals.
Today we went to the Van Gogh museum and did the Heinikken Brewery tour. Did our part to support the local tourist industry~Molly is out at a pub crawl AGAIN. The prices here are rediculously expensive. It is as cheap to buy wine as water. A marginal lunch is 20euro or about $33. Molly paid 1euro for ketchup today, a desperate attempt to maintain habit. My diet cokes are 2.5euro (almost $4) and use a different sweetener or something.......creature of habit, still buy them since they are the same price as water...........
Hey, if anybody wants a postcard, you better send an address because I didn't bring anything!
Ciao~
We got to The Netherlands (formerly Holland) via train and an overnight trip across the English Channel by huge ferry. Had a cabin in the ferry that was such a treat after 5 nights in the hostel in London.................Molly and I both took leisurely showers in our own private bathroom! Tiny and small, it felt like heaven. The journey went fast and in the early morning we arrived and took a train into Amsterdam.
I had always heard what a beautiful city this was, and now I know. Full of canals, old buildings, sunshine and bicycles. When we arrived, it was the busiest day of the year for the City~with a half marathon going on called the "Dam to Damloop" where streets were closed and thousands of runners jammed the City. Due to the liberal attitudes of "Ämsterdamians", the porta potties lining the streets included urinals for the men who just whipped it out, peed and ran on........I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't.
I was fortunate to find a lovely, boat hostel at a pier near the central train station. It is a converted canal barge with maybe 15 rooms and common showers/toilets. Breakfast included:) Great location, charming owners, relatively quiet and the soothing rock of the boat at night, making sleeping a delight. Brandon and Hunter came in from Brussels and found us (Molly) to hang with......
The four of us headed to the Red Light District, famous for 24 hours of legalized prostitution, coffee houses (no alcohol served, only marijuana and hash and coffee) and pubs and restaurants. If inclined, you can choose a prostitute by window shopping......I like window shopping, but this kind seemed degrading and yucky.....the red lit windows were women, the red and blue lit windows were women who used to be men...............many were wheel chair accessible..........hmmmmmmmmm. The boys weren't interested. Too expensive. I guess they tried having men in the windows for a very short time, but the experiment did not work. Not as many takers and besides, men just can't keep up the pace like women! That is what we were told.
Okay, the coffee houses. Thank goodness we found a couple stoners from California to go with us to the coffee houses. They know there stuff:) They bought "good shit", rolled their own joints and tried to teach Molly and I how to smoke. I don't think it worked. I prefer my own drug of choice, vino, blanco, Columbia Crest Grand Estates...........miss that. So, the boys were pretty high when we went to dinner and man did they eat!
Amsterdam has more bicycles than people. 80,000 bicycles get stolen every year, although they are recycled by the new owner......locals paint them, decorate them, get old ones, lock them up, anything to avoid being stolen. And everybody rides a bike, rain or shine (not many people own cars, as there is no where to park). Professionals in business suits, kids, pregnant ladies, senior citizens, probably the prostitutes. The bikes have cute little seats for children, big wheelbarrow attachments for carrying things, platforms for dogs and all kinds of interesting add ons. The canals are filled with old bikes. Nobody wears helmets.
We took a 3 hour bike ride and discovered what a sweet mode of transportation it is, but also very daring. Not only are you taking your life in your hands, but you might be putting everybody else at risk! There are so many bikes and walkers and trains that you really have to focus on what you are doing and where you are going. It reminded me of visiting Bejing and Shanghai. The extra precaution here is to not fall into the canals.
Today we went to the Van Gogh museum and did the Heinikken Brewery tour. Did our part to support the local tourist industry~Molly is out at a pub crawl AGAIN. The prices here are rediculously expensive. It is as cheap to buy wine as water. A marginal lunch is 20euro or about $33. Molly paid 1euro for ketchup today, a desperate attempt to maintain habit. My diet cokes are 2.5euro (almost $4) and use a different sweetener or something.......creature of habit, still buy them since they are the same price as water...........
Hey, if anybody wants a postcard, you better send an address because I didn't bring anything!
Ciao~
