Couple of weeks ago Alex, my Dutch friend invited me over for a short visit. Few days later I had the tickets from Tallinn to Weeze and back. Perfect weekend getaway. First weekend in a long time I did not have my laptop with me and it felt good!
It was interesting seeing Netherlands from a locals’ perspective. Alex was very nice and borrowed a bike from his co-worker and we spent a big part of Friday in Apeldoorn just riding around. I was surprised that everyone was on bikes and how bike friendly the city was.
Amsterdam was not much different. Bikes everywhere again, though the traffic was quite heavy compared to a more quiet Apeldoorn.
People were friendly, food was great and I am sure I will be back there one day to experience it all from a different angle.
Plenty of bikes in different shapes can be seen below, mixed with some shots of canals, tulips, windmills and canal houses…
Cycling in ApeldoornIt was surprising that no one had helmets on. Not even small kids…Het Loo Palace “The Woods Palace” in Apeldoorn.Trash can for the passing bicycle traffic in Apeldoorn.Marken – a former island/fishing village is nowadays connected to the North Holland mainland by a causeway.Marken with its historic wooden houses on the right clearly sits below the sea level…Most houses in Holland are made of bricks so the Marken with wooden houses really stood out.A small souvenir shop in Marken still makes wooden clogsI did not see anyone wearing the wooden clogs, but a couple of houses in Marken had them set as flower pots.Zaanse Schans – a real tourist trap. Yes you get to see the old windmills, but you are not alone.Tulip field and an old windmill outside of Sint Maartensbrug. Much better than the tourist packed Zaanse Schans.Off the train in Amsterdam and the first thing you see is more bicycles and after a five minute walk you will very likely also smell some pot… Welcome!An empty street in Amsterdam…A bicycle with a big trailer.This is another part I really liked – the canal boats. Living on water is something I would love to try one day!Upside down! Street artist spinning on his head in front of Rijksmuseum.Home is where you make it!A more modern version of a canal boat with lots of flowers/plants on it.A small concert on top of a canal boat. A good way to get the Sunday started.
“The otherside” was probably one of the most memorable coffee shop names in Amsterdam.Doing something similar in most big cities with a little baby would be suicidal, but not in Amsterdam…The traffic in Amsterdam was quite heavy. Did not see any accidents, but reportedly it is common for locals on bikes to hit tourists.Oh! All that daily cycling. I bet Dutch women have very strong legs….
![Change of Perspective [Aerial VIDEO]- The Game of Shadows](https://lifecalls.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/shadows.png)
