Amsterdam is a promising city. With its intense bicycling culture, it promises to be cycling heaven for a Crazyguy. With its cosmopolitan makeup and cafes and restaurants everywhere, it promises culinary delights. With its picturesque canals and quaint houses, it promises a laid back, artistic experience.

We found that with one hand Amsterdam delivered on all these promises, while with another hand it snatched them away. Cycling heaven includes hoards and hoards of cyclists, and lots of them are fast moving and have no time for slow tourists clogging up their pathway. And, it you are so slow that your bike is actually stopped, it risks getting stolen! Cosmopolitan cafes and restaurants included, for example, a shwarma place that charged us 12.50 euros (That's $17.50 Canadian, eh) for a small plate of chicken chunks and salad, plus a can of coke. The laid back and artistic experience can only be reached through crowds of stressed out city dwellers, on their way to office jobs.

Balancing this, we could go everywhere, everywhere!by bike , without much fear of getting lost or trapped by big roads or being run down. We found an Indian restaurant that was good value and unequaled quality, and we shot hundreds of photos of some of the most appealing cityscapes anywhere.

The bottom line: Amsterdam is a place that feels good as a home base, jumping off point for most European cycling. If you play it right, you can speed up to its pace, and get things (like making train or plane connections, bike repairs, getting finances in order, or maybe buying up a few bags of diamonds)done. Or, you can find backwater (literally) areas, and chill out.

Heart

0

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply