LAST DAY OF AMSTERDAM
We have left Amsterdam and we are now on the road to Berlin, Germany. We were so pleasantly surprised at how unique Amsterdam really is. The man made winding canals through the city and the never-ending stream of bicyclists and the 17th and 18th century buildings and so much natural beauty. We enjoyed floating through the city and seeing the 2500 floating canal boats that line the many waterways. Most of the boats are old and tired but still highly sought after for living accommodations. One evening was spent seated on the edge of the canal, drinking a mixed drink and discussing life as we watched a variety of passing boats parade by with all levels of occupants. Evenings like that have made this trip unique adventure of a lifetime.
The large variety of nationalities and the acceptance of alternative lifestyles are a part of the Amsterdam we saw. We witnessed the extremes of the various areas from the red light district of the ladies in the windows scantily dressed to bike riding in a picturesque country side of 16th century Dutch windmills – only a 30-minute bike ride separated the two. We saw people of all ages use their bikes with no helmets (a helmet wearing cyclist was a rare sight), scooters on the bike paths as well as micro cars, no stop signs but a courteous yielding of all directions seemed to be the norm. The congested downtown was a mixture of pedestrians, bikes, scooters, cars, buses, trams and an underground metro. The traffic jams were there but the mood did not feel tense – acceptance would be my one word if I had to sum up Amsterdam. Acceptance of prostitution, Acceptance of choice of personal safety (bike helmet), Acceptance of mode of transportation, Acceptance of nationalities, Acceptance of marijuana.
Amsterdam is a place that I look forward to coming back to. Following are photos of some of what we saw. Beth
· Rijksmuseum – one of the top 10 museums in the world with a total collection of 1 million pieces from the years 1200-2000,
· Banksy art gallery showing
· Crane hotel
· Container ship apartments
· A windmill for 1500’s
· A beautiful sunset
