Amsterdam

On Saturday, in bright sunshine, we set off early in the morning, via the ferry (Dover to Dunkerque) to drive to Holland.    This is the first part of our trip, with Brian and Susanne, which starts in Holland and ends in Le Lavandou, Cote D'Azur.   

We could easily get used to the bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine, but we dare not, as it will change.   We are enjoying it immensely though.   Thank goodness we have turned on some sunshine, otherwise Brian and Susanne will go back to New Zealand, with the view that the UK especially has only cold and wet weather.

So with Brian and Susanne settled in Aaron and Kylie's house in Houten, we drove our motor home to the farm camping ground, which is 7 minutes bike ride away.   A beautiful spot, surrounded by farm land, and smelling of freshly spread manure. 

So yesterday we set off to explore Amsterdam, the city with beautiful streets and waterways, plus an area that is attractive to people seeking life's pleasures, or certain ones anyway.

First off, a visit to the double layered bike parking area under Houten's railway station.    How do people recognise their bikes?   At Amsterdam Railway Station the bike parking area is three or four bike stories high.  Impressive!

  

As usual we missed the train so needed to wait for a while for the next train.  Pleasant seating area though.

Typical scene.   A bridge over muddy water.    Actually the water is very clean.   Must be the reflection.

Brian enjoying the sunshine on the canal boat.

These two beautiful swans have made a nest of local rubbish, and are awaiting the birth of their babies.

A picnic lunch, standing up style, due to the lack of public benches, then off to a cafe for a cup of coffee, so that we could sit and rest.   And in our desperation for a cup of coffee and sit down we headed for the more seamier part of Amsterdam.   I must add that the children were not with us when we visited the 'not so nice' part of Amsterdam as they went with Aaron to visit a museum.

But alas, no coffee, due to the lack of cafe's and a surplus of coffee shops.   For the unsuspecting visitor, a coffee shop is there, not for coffee, but for a leisurely puff of dope, together with dope biscuits or some such delicacy.   The smell of marijuana around was overpowering to say the least.

So we visited the cafe opposite the coffee shop, which also turned out to be a bar, not a cafe.  Still no coffee, so we made do with a beer or a vodka and lemonade.    It was very relaxing, drinking our alcoholic drink, and savouring the odd waft of dope, and watching all the barges go past.

'The First Coffeeshop' or so the sign tells us.  The orange streamers have been put up, in order to support the forthcoming European cup.    There are flags and streamers everywhere, plus orange hats, scarves, and even underpants for sale in the shops, all in readiness for Holland's success in the cup.

So ever onwards through the seamier side of Amsterdam, namely the red light district.   Photographs are banned in this part of town, so alas there are no photos of the ladies posing in the windows.  

But still plenty of bicycles around.    These have taken a tumble, due no doubt to absorbing too much dope.

But the view down the canals are still breathtakingly beautiful.

The gables on the houses are typical Dutch, such as the neck gables on these houses.   On the front of each gable is a hook and winch in order to lift the furniture up to the windows.

Many of the houses in Amsterdam are on a lean, not due to too much dope smoking around, but rather due to being very old, and being built on piles in very marshy land.   No doubt each house keeps the next one upright.   The houses below were built during the 17th Century.

This very old Dutch house below is now a restaurant.

At long last coffee plus bitterballen.   Very delicious.  And in a more genteel part of Amsterdam too.

So back to the Railway Station, which is no longer the scary place full of undesirables we remember.   But a clean and efficient place now.   After a comfortable short train trip, we arrived back in Utrecht, where they had attached coloured umbrellas to the ceiling.   A modern art show.   Very effective too.

So after a trip to Amsterdam to see the elegant houses and beautiful waterways, and which ended up with a look at the red light district instead, we came back to have a quiet drink in cool, green beautiful Houten.

And I must add that we resisted buying the green dope lollypops for sale on a market stall.    They did look delicious too.   But the taste?