Our journey in the Netherlands was both weird and wonderful. We started in Amsterdam, which is like no place I have even been. It is like a fantasy land for grown ups, with a lot less glitter than Vegas. People walk the streets smoking, eating and drinking weed and hash. The Red Light district allows for every man to fulfill his wildest fantasies. These are the things that most Americans associate with Amsterdam, and they are a big part of the tourist market I'm sure, but as shocking as these things would be anywhere else, you expect them in Amsterdam. Here are some things about Amsterdam that really surprised me: The city is much smaller than I expected; less than 1 million people and in area, roughly the size of Denver. The canals are amazing! The traffic patterns are wonderful. Bikers and pedestrians have the right of way in most cases, and automobile drivers have to wait patiently (it is said that there are more bike in Amsterdam than people for this reason). The Dutch LOVE junk food. Fried food is available everywhere. French fries with mayo, hamburgers, and anything fried are staples. There is even a restaurant called FEBO with several locations where you can put your money in the wall and pull out a delicious fried fritter. It reminded me of the weird automats that you see in 1950s movies.
After Amsterdam we took a train to visit our friends Alison and Tom in their small villiage near Zaltbommel. The Dutch countryside is wonderful. They took us to their "River Beach" just on the otherside of the dyke near their home. We spent the afternoon collecting shells and watching the ships roll by. Who would of thought we could enjoy a day at the beach in The Netherlands in October?! Aside from the quaint atmosphere it was great to see some good friends. We have met so many interesting people, but there is nothing quite like a familiar face. We got homemade sushi and traditional Dutch breakfast. They taught us how to ride bikes "The Dutch Way," girls hitching a ride on the back of the boys. It was lovely. We had such a lovely time that we decided to stay and extra day before leaving to head on the Prague.
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