First of all, let me apologize for the bizarre formatting issues I'm having with these posts. Things are hard to navigate on my iPhone from abroad. But, I promise when I return home to a real computer, I'll switch them all into wonderful uniformity.
Let's talk about uniformity for a minute, or rather design in general. Because my favorite thing about this canal city is the dedication to good design on all levels, from the architecture and layout down the the door handles and texts.
Amsterdam is built on canals, much like a famed Italian city. But whereas Venice is built into rambling canals that sink (literally, at an average rate of 1m/years) into a romantic devotion to the past, letting tourists outnumber locals 9-to-1, Amsterdam is a city that knows its history, but never lets the 17th century hold it back. Amsterdam's canals provide structure to the city; a logical suggestion of movement that wagon-wheels from the outer edges, where Ian and I have a hotel, to the inner circle with the train station at the center. Yes, you can take canal tours; yes, you can rent paddleboats, but mostly they're cold and slow. Amsterdam is a city that moves. Quickly.
Biking here is an extreme sport, and we've loved watching how people tailor their bikes to fit their needs.
Like this one, complete with a windshield to protect the baby-seat welded to the handlebars.
This is the bike parking at the train station near our hotel. People don't lock their bikes to anything, they simply lock the wheel to the frame, because anyone carrying a bike whose wheels are chained is a giveaway that it's been stolen.
Ian, sitting on a bike seat affixed to a pole.
Besides the bikes, I would chose to live in this city for the architecture. The buildings themselves are all the same: tall and skinny. But between the door-frames and trimming and window-shutters, they each take on a distinct personality. I'll leave you with these pictures, because I'm posting this from breakfast, and it's a new day for more exploring, (and I've got to go wake sleepyhead brother up).
