Amsterdam

Amsterdam

We visited Amsterdam, the city of bikes, at the beginning of November. We expected it to be cold and wet, but quite to the contrary, the days were warm and sunny. Total change of climate in Europe, but I don't want to write about global warming and all the other ugly things related to it.

Anyway, I'd been told the streets of Amsterdam were dirty and full of dog waste, bikers and tram drivers pay no attention at all to pedestrians, tourists are mugged at every corner, all in all not a very inviting city. How untrue is all of this.

Amsterdam was as clean and safe as any other city, and it is this enormous number of bikes that makes it special. It's amazing to see that everybody in Amsterdam rides a bike, even tourists. All the bikes are old, unappealing and cheap, so if they're stolen, which is not unusual, the owner won't lose a lot of money.

The houses are one of a kind, lining the streets along the water canals that are crossed by more than a thousand bridges. Some of the bridges are plain, the others are spectacular, all are romantic, especially when lit up at night.

We visited the Van Gog Museum and Anne Frank Museum, but there are many more worth a visit.