August 19, 2018
That wasn't so bad, was it?
Touring the city parks, with culture in mind
It's not for the faint-hearted, this cycling around Amsterdam business. As everyone knows, bikes rule - and local cyclists have neither time nor patience for gawping, hesitant foreign riders. We have avoided Amsterdam's commuter tide and have also steered well clear of Tourist Central. But there's plenty else to explore and today, Sunday, Tour Leader has plotted a ride that will take us through a number of city parks.
The reason? We have tickets, bought months ago, for an open-air concert in Vondelpark. The New Amsterdam Clarinet Quartet comprises four hugely talented, sartorially sharp musicians playing all manner and sizes of clarinets. As a mere plodder myself, I am in awe of their musicianship.
Mr Heineken is there too, so - all in all, this is a most enjoyable lunchtime experience. The rest of the ride passes in a blur (thanks, Mr Heineken) of green spaces, all populated by pedestrians and cyclists making the most of their weekend.
I'll resort to my blog now to provide some immediacy to this entry.
" The nose should be on high alert in Amsterdam. A sort of watery dankness permeates our barge apartment, not surprising when you consider the intricacies of plumbing above and below the waterline. Good coffee is also a thing in this city. Olfactory heaven right there. But wait. It is really important to know the difference between a café and a . . . coffeeshop. The latter tends to boast a garishly painted frontage but with a gloomy interior. Tourist tip #2: Do NOT ask for a flat white in a coffee shop. If your nose has been paying attention, you will understand why.
"Actually, there is something rather pleasing about wandering the streets of a city where it is okay to smoke weed in public. I confess I found myself sniffing the air appreciatively more than once. It certainly beats the acrid reek of tobacco smoke. In fact, unlike Bill Clinton, I may have inhaled more this week than in my twenties. (Which was only once. Honestly.) If I had wanted to take things further, I could have jumped on a Smoke Boat for a hazy canal tour. Or bought a packet of marijuana cookies, even.
"Like many a European metropolis, the sounds of Amsterdam include sonorous and stately church bells, urgent sirens and insistent tram bells. Add in bicycle bells (to get unthinking tourists out of cycle lanes) and the whoop-whoop heralding the raising of a bridge and there you have it, the soundtrack to the busyness and vibrancy that is Amsterdam."
Today's ride: 31 km (19 miles)
Total: 54 km (34 miles)
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