amsterdam

I know little about amsterdam, except for two little things: they have canals (which i learned from watching ocean's 11) and lots of bicycles. upon arriving at amsterdam for our 5 hour layover, we had two choices before us: pedal boat on the canals or bike around town. we opted for the latter option, thinking it would give the better overall feel of amsterdam-ian culture and lifestyle.

biking around amsterdam is perhaps one of the bravest things i have done. seriously. the roads were so very narrow, making it difficult to dodge pedestrians, other cyclists and cars— cars which would sometimes be coming at me head on— without running into something. the worst part was the bumpy cobblestoned roads; it made biking in a straight line nearly impossible and i would veer left and right without meaning to. so many times I would be just riding along when accidentally swerving into the middle of the road right in front of a moving car. so scary.

we rode around town quite aimlessly with no end destination, stopping to take pictures of the canals or to peer into the windows of antique shops. amsterdam is a lovely city, so quaint and european: grey cobblestoned roads and old buildings with the prettiest facades.

we arrived in the city much to early the shops (and most other things) but we did find a little cafe where I had some soup and toasti. the toasti was kinda like a grilled cheese. a bit weird but yummy nonetheless. i was starving at the time and starting to feel naseous from a lack of sleep and food and so the toasti provided the necessary energy to bike back the train station to catch our flight to rome.

I don’t know if I’d visit amsterdam again. maybe not an intentional trip, but another layover would be welcomed. a trip to see some rembrandts would be nice.

next up, the start of our roman holiday!