Living with the Dutch!

Hoe gaat het,
Hoe was you dag? Het park is tegenover het hotel.

Hello, How are you?
How was your day? There is a park across the street.

Yesterday, I did alot more than I set out to do. The night before Lindy sent me to the store for milk and cat litter. You have to bag your own groceries and again, buy what you are able to carry. Harder here to travel a bit, most everything is written in Dutch.

Bikes--Everyone rides bikes here in Holland, tons of them. Lindy lent me her bike to go downtown. Let me explain the bike situation. All of the bikes are sort of like a cruiser bike. Like the ones you see on the beach in California. They don't ride mountain bikes bc since it is mostly flat terrain, you don't really need all the gears and since people are riding so frequently, the cruisers allow your posture to be more upright, not so hunched over like a mountain bike. So comfort is better. The handle bars are very narrow, not much wider than my hips. I was intimiated at first to ride, bc there are TONS and traffic and pedestrians and trams etc. Plus, Lindy has longer legs and just lean over at the stop lights, I have to get off the seat to touch the ground. She had to remove the baby seat from the front of the handle bars in order for me to get off like that.

Downtown--I rode to Central Station where the tourist information booth is and sort of the central part of town. I cashed all of my travelers checks and had to pay 40 Euros commission to do so, (about $55). So, I went out of my way in the States to get travelers checks, no vendor will take them yet, and few banks. So I cashed them all, not too keen on carrying that much cash, but at least I am able to use it.

Train/Tram--Trains go from city to city, trams take you to destinations within the city. This wasn't clear to me until I tried to buy a ticket for the Train, instead of the Tram to get to the Anne Frank house. Appearently the information booth lady didn't think it important to tell me. Amsterdam looks very large on a city map, but really it is all very close. Had I known this I would have ridden the bike to Anne Franks bc it was just a few blocks away.

Anne Frank House--Anyway, I rode the tram, got there, went through the house. It was fantastic and very educational. It is the actual house where she lived along the canal. Her family of four and two other couples were in hidding for 2 years from the Nazi's. They had small video clips of the workers who worked the store front. Mr. Frank owned a store that made jam, which was the store front of the whole building. The Jews were hidden upstairs in the back, so from the front it looked like a store. All of the real estate here is sectioned into long, rectangles and are 3-4 stories high. Anyway, Mr. Frank was the only survivor after the liberation camps. One of his workers, Meib gave him all of Anne's diaries and he was the one who had them published. There was a video of him describing receiving those diaries and how long it took him to read through those. It was VERY touching and also VERY popular. There was a line to get into this, had to wait 30 minutes. The secret doorway was hidden behind a bookcase and the tour led you through that area. Anne Frank died one month prior to the liberation of the concentration camps, she knew her mother and sister were deceased and thought her father was too. Since the family was split up, no one knew for sure. Her friend thought she could have held on had she known her father was still alive. It was a very touching experience and I am glad I went.

Canal Tour--I went on a canal tour for an hour. This boat was mostly enclosed in glass w/ open windows, I actually should have ridden the Canal Bus, which allows you to get on and off at certain stops. I was roasting on the boat and couldn't really take pictures. If I have more time I will go back and take the Canal Bus. I got to see Gentleman's Canal, which is very pretty and narrow. Lots of bridges and water everywhere. Skinny Bridge is a famous bridge that can be opened for tall boats. It was funded by two sisters and ran short on materials during construction. They literally had the one last beam for the bridge when it was finished.

Architecture--Like I said, most buildings are 3-4 stories high and are build right next to eachother. There are large hooks that are attached to the top of the roof on the front of each building. A steel beam sticks out of the roof and attaches to this hook. This allows a pulley method to hoist large furniture to the upper stories and enters through the windows. In addition, as the building goes up, it also leans out a bit. Curved if you will from the street to the top. This is so the furniture has room to swing a bit and not break windows. Also allows for the rain to drain off and not seep into the building.

Opps--Then I was looking for a tour booth to sign up to go to the country. I couldn't find it and was riding around up and down streets. Next thing I know, I see SEX SHOP--LIVE PORN. Yep, right in the middle of the Red Light District. Parked my bike and walked around. It is not as obvious as I would have thought. Took me a second to realize where I was. The "windows" are lined up along the canal and the ladies stand in there dressed provacatively, dancing and gettin' jiggy with it! You are not allowed to take pictures of them, I didn't try but appearently that is a no-no. I had a beer and sat outside and watched the world go by. Being from Vegas, nothing is too shocking at this point. I am glad I was there during the day. I went into a souvenier shop. They sell souveniers alright, just not tee-shirts and key chains.

Bike Ride Home--At this point I am very confident on the bike and know where I am going. I was cruisin'!! I was passing people, pedaling fast and having a ball, that was the best part of my day!! I loved it! I thought to myself, "I can't believe I am in Holland on a bike!" I thought I should have had a bell on the bike so I can ring people out of my way...Don't they know this is a bike lane?! Tourists...I even made a cell phone call while pedaling like the locals do. Had a great time on the bike...

Today--Slept in VERY late. Went for a run along the canal and the park. Had a salad at a cute cafe. Shopped at the market for a new suitcase and gifts. Feel good and much more rested. I really like it here!

Must go, meeting Lindy for dinner and people keep peeking in the room to see if I am done on the computer. I am at a hotel now. Gives me more space to spread out and get out of their hair. Small apartment and plus they are moving and packing boxes. My hotel is right down the street.