To the Old World

Amsterdam is a remarkable place. No matter your conception of the city, I bet you would like it. I only had the opportunity to spend a few days in the Netherlands, but the place is all you could hope for on a vacation. The people are very friendly, some of the friendliest in Europe in my opinion. To make things even better, it seems like the native language in Amsterdam is english.

The city boasts more museums per square meter than any place in the world. Couple that with the theaters, other exibits, the canals, Red Light District, and the liberal culture -- the idea of compromise and 'agree to dissagree' -- and in a nutshell you have what makes Amsterdam remarkable.

One last thought on Amsterdam -- while the inner city seems pedestrian friendly, it is not. For instance, to cross the street -- you are actually crossing several paths, you have to look both ways twice for bikes, at least twice more for trams, and again for busses, cars or mopeds. Even when you think you are safe on the sidewalk, you are always in a battle with bikes. There are more than 600,000 bikes in Amsterdam, you always have to be on gaurd.

Bikes!

The Canals

Canals and Bikes

And in the center of the Red Light District, a Church?