Amsterdam

We took the train to Amsterdam on Friday and came back late yesterday (Saturday).  Had a great time in Amsterdam, a wonderful city. Bit of a shock, even to old hippies like us, the number of 'seed' shops, the sex museums, and what we found lying on the footpath (see our photos, you'll be surprised).

Christmas-time on an Amsterdam houseboat

Loved the bicycle culture, and those Dutch bikes, so old fashioned, so practical in every way.  Plenty of spots to carry stuff, and I love the way children are catered for, on the front, in the safety of their parents arms.  I remember my father having a child's bicycle seat like that, it was a leather and metal contraption, but it was between the handlebars and the seat, so the parent's arms were shielding the child.

Also on the Dutch bikes, the children are normally in a wheelbarrow-type contraption in the front, not in a wheelie thing on the back, so the children can see, and the parents can see them - it seems more sensible than the ones we usually see in Australia.  And there are windshields on the front of bikes to protect children from the wind.

There are multi-storey bicycle parking lots, no wonder they've been able to bring down emissions, with bikes and a great public transport system.  The ferries are free for everyone, and since 1990, trains have been free for students.  Don't tell me socialism doesn't work!

a few of the houseboats we saw

As we only had the 2 days in Amsterdam, we did a lot of walking, but also took a canalboat tour.  I went a little crazy taking photos of houseboats, it's always been a dream to live on a houseboat in the middle of Amsterdam.

Lots of stuff going on in the streets, as it was New Year's Eve - Daniel and Laura are due back from Amsterdam tomorrow, so no doubt we'll hear more then.

Today was quiet in Brussels, though I did my usual long walk just to see what was going on.  Tuesday will be back to work for most, and back to normal.

Bonne Année à tous!