Amsterdam fun and granny bikes too!

Amsterdam, the capital city of Holland, through the eyes of a local is so much more rewarding than just hitting the main tourist spots with no other knowledge or education. I LOVE this city. It is so different than any other city I have visited. The funny thing is, I came here once before on my European Contiki tour, but I didn't see it the same way and thus was expecting a similar experience. When I came last time I went to all of the token tourist spots - the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank museum, the Heineken Experience (brewery) and the Red Light District. While these were all very key points of the city, the hours went so quickly when they were spent in museums instead of exploring. On this trip we threw convention to the wind and let ourselves see the city from the seat of a bike and from the eyes of a local. We stayed with Syd's friend Joe from Infusion's Boston project at his apartment in the south end of Amsterdam. It was especially great that Joe could speak the language because when we were out of the tourist district, everything was written in Dutch!

We were instantly fascinated with the bike culture of the city and we were excited to take Joe up on his suggestion to rent pedal bikes. It was by far the the best way to see the city! It cost 13E to rent a bike for 24 hours so we made great use of them to see parts of the city that we never would have seen on foot, or thought to explore. The famous Rijks museum (below) was near the start of our journey. The bike shop was around the corner.

This is the bike shop. The bikes were fantastic, so look this place up if you go.
Syd's buddy Mark, from university who now lives in Oxford, came with us that weekend.
There were even bike-specific traffic lights telling us when to go!
We explored beautiful Vondel park on the many bike trails.And we stopped by some canals to enjoy fresh dutch cheese and baguettes! Joe also took us to some great pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating and great menus for each meal. This is a mosaic column behind the heineken brewery in a great square.
We even got to take our bikes on a ferry across the harbour and saw this Russian submarine!

On Saturday evening Syd, Mark and I headed into the Red Light District - the main tourist attraction that has to be experienced. Syd found it very surreal, but also expected it to be a lot dirtier. Prostitution is legal in Holland so the windows in the district are the best way for the ladies to show their...wares. The ladies in the 'red' windows kept trying to get our attention so we couldn't gape too much without seeming that we wanted their business! There were many sex shows and peep shows being promoted as well but we basically just walked around for a couple hours and took it all in. There were lights and sounds everywhere illuminating the canals and cobblestone streets. It really is quite in your face and doesn't leave much left for the imagination. There were lots of people in the district but it didn't feel overly crowded. I imagine in the summer it must be crazy though - tourist central! We stayed around until 2 am and then rode our reliable bikes back to Joe's.

On our last day in Amsterdam we sadly returned our bikes and then walked the streets to find a canal cruise. The cruise was an hour and it was so relaxing. Mark didn't quite have a conscious cruise, but it was nice that we got to see the city through the myriad of canals.

Walking back to dinner I noticed this family that instantly sparked childhood memories. Does anyone recognize them? If so, write the answer in the comments of this blog!