Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Amsterdam

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam?  Probably, pot and the red light district.  At least that's what I thought of before I went last weekend.  Sure there are a fair amount of “coffeeshops” and half naked girls in street-side windows, but what surprised me were the things I didn't expect. It's an amazing city that has top rate museums, parks, and an interesting history as well.

Amsterdam is known as "Venice of the North" because of the vast network of canals that run through the city.  I don't think I would go as far as to compare it to Venice...the two have completely different feels.  Venice is romantic. Amsterdam, I would say, is more charming.  The canals are not filled with gondolas, but rather family filled small boats and upscale houseboats.

The city has kind of a Scandinavian Greenwich Village feel.  The cobblestone streets are lined with brownstones and unique non-commercial stores with names I didn’t even try to pronounce. The city is small and everyone gets around on bicycles...everyone. All the streets have lanes for bikes. Sidewalks are kind of an afterthought. There were plenty of times I was walking along on what I thought to be a sidewalk only to be almost run over by a bike. Renting a bike is by far the best way to tour the city though. Plus, if you ever get lost it’s easy to find your way because English seems to be spoken more than Dutch.

I’m a pretty liberal guy. I might not be someone who enjoys all that Amsterdam coffeeshops have to offer, but I think people should do what makes them happy.  That seems to be the view of most of the people in Amsterdam. You don't always see that live and let live culture, so that type of attitude was refreshing. Of all the cities I’ve been to so far, I think Amsterdam is the most livable. Of course, I went in the middle of the summer when the weather was perfect and the streets were filled with locals and tourists all having a good time. Things might be different when winter comes along and people are trying to ride their bikes around in freezing temperatures, but my first impression of Amsterdam was a a great one. It will be one of the first cities I make a return trip to for my next European tour.

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