Amsterdam: Windmills, Canals and narrow tall buildings

So I arrived in Amsterdam after an eight hour flight from Detroit. I was a little overwhelmed by nothing being in English and trying to figure out where to go by deciphering Dutch. Also, my luggage is a lot heavier than previous estimates. Despite my stubbornness that a duffle bag would be the best option for a second piece of luggage after my travel backpack, I am now regretting not bringing something on wheels. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to get my cards to work in the automated train ticket machines, and I finally found a person at a desk to accept cash. I got to my hostel, which was practically in the heart of Amsterdam, around 7:30am. I was super excited to see the city, and I was really happy when they said no one slept in my bed last night so I could check in right away. After showering, changing, and generally pulling myself together after two hours of sleep, I headed out to stroll around.

It was pretty uneventful being on my own, but I did get to see everything on the map. Despite it being a pretty typical drizzly day in Holland, I saw most of the city centre. I’ll post pictures soon on Facebook. I wondered all around the canals and old buildings. Lisa says the buildings are so narrow and tall because people were assessed for taxes by the size of their lots. Kathleen says wooden shoes rule! I saw the old churches, canal boats, draw bridges, the central square, the windmill, famous buildings, main shopping streets, all of it. The coolest part was just wondering around, the canals, they go on forever and ever. The Anne Frank Museum looked interesting by there was a huge line. I’ll do it if I go back, as well as The Van Gogh museum. The whole city centre is picturesque around every turn. Except for the Red light district. I didn't try and "cafes" but it's hilarious to wonder around and see all the people in the windows. That would not fly in Canada.


Amsterdam also has so many bikes, everywhere. It’s very flat. In some places, most places, there are more bikes than cares, and wider bike lanes than roads. No one wears helmets, but appear to be relatively safe. In the rain, people were even biking while holding a huge umbrella. I don’t think I’m this coordinated.

Short trip, ok, onto the train quick and heading to Grenoble to visit Fadi and Erin.