Amsterdam

Aahh Amsterdam. It’s nice to be in a tolerant city with lots to see and do. We picked up the campervan (with GPS) and parked it at the end of a metro line. For six days we visited the city and enjoyed its treats. Great beer, art museums, canal walks, markets, tulips and more. Ben bought an old guy’s hat for only 2.5 Euros, one of the better scores of our stay.
Camping in the van has a huge learning curve. More humorous than frustrating. Most things are different enough to make you stop to figure them out. But we didn’t make any huge mistakes and we’re personalizing the van as we go along so we think we’re going to like it.
The other learning curve was walking. There are streets, bike paths and walking paths. All are used to the max. It didn’t take us long to realize that a change in color and a border on the sidewalk means it’s a bike path. You get a two bell warning before being run over. Everyone has defined right-of-ways and is expected to go or stop accordingly.
There are masses of bikes parked all around the city. Most are simple beater bikes with only three gears. The only “hills” are the canal bridges so it doesn’t take much to get around. And everyone except the oldest get around on bike. The bikes have fenders and side guards to protect clothing and even allow bikers to wear dresses.
It would be a great city for Halloween, but we moved on.....