Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Friday, May 14, 2010
Took a canal cruise this morning, and saw the city from a different angle. At least the sun was out today so it felt a little warmer! As we passed the central station we saw the largest bike car park in the world. The Dutch have no excuse not to win gold medals in cycling. They are fanatics when it comes to bikes. I'm still trying not to jump too high when I hear a bike bell ring behind me! When we got back to the drop off point I caught a tram back into the city centre. I walked around one last time there then took a tram to Vondelpark. This park is right outside the entrance to my hostel. It is a park that was once privately owned by the people who lived around its perimeter. They had very limited rules in the park and these have remained. So you can pretty much do anything you like. Yesterday our bike tour guide (who was a bit of a hippie herself) told us that it’s a popular nudist sunbathing spot in summer and that she was conceived in the park – too much information! Well didn’t see anything like that today but I did buy some bread and salad from the supermarket and had a picnic lunch. Then I walked from one end to the other. Pretty quiet day, and headed back early to pack my bag and charge my ipod for the long (10 hour) bus ride to Berlin tomorrow.
