Wandering around Amsterdam is fun but you have to stay sharp. Something like 40% of all traffic is bicycles and we're not talking about pleasant bike trails through the woods. We're talking streets with narrow sidewalks made of uneven bricks and cobblestones, and bicycles that are moving right along (not to mention the small autos, motorbikes or trucks that share the narrow lanes of the two-way streets). When you come to an intersection, you must look all four ways, judging speed, distance and estimated time of impact for all of the above, before you cross. Yet the houses, canals and bridges are charming. We had lunch in a casual cafe that was furnished with huge light fixtures from a former church, something you don't see back in the states.
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| Circular chandelier from a former church. |
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| Andy and Marlon. American culture pops up everywhere. Marlon is wondering what this old geezer is doing in his restaurant. |
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| No space is wasted. This house is about the width of two motorbikes. |
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| Autumn in Amsterdam |
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| Canals are everywhere. You have to know where the bridges are or you'll come to a canal and have to backtrack. |
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| An apartment house near us. Old meets new? |
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| These two were right out of a movie. They're on the roof of a two-story building. They had made it down the steep terracotta tiles and were shimmying down the lamp post. I smiled and asked one boy if his mother knew what he was doing. He looked tough and said "nah". |
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| Our apartment is in the red building. The neighborhood is a formerly commercial area that has been gentrified. The owner is very nice and the 2-floor apartment is immaculate. (Bed and bath downstairs, kitchen and living area upstairs.) The spiral staircase is, well, a bit of a trip. |
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