Random Amsterdam Images

I finally downloaded the images from our antique digital camera (you still have to turn a crank to fire up the USB port). They are slightly out of sequence with my life, but you get the idea. We only had one day, which isn't much. Coming from Norway, everything was very cheap, and it was nice to be in a large city again. Our agreement with traveling is that we really don't do the tourist thing very well- and we don't aspire to. We live so close that we travel with the idea that we will always return for one reason or another. It takes all the pressure away from trying to see everything in one day. In fact, we really didn't try to see anything, other than a random canal tour (which is about as touristy as it gets) and an aborted attempt to visit the Anne Frank museum. We both like wandering around town, stopping in cafes (not to be confused with coffeeshops), eating out, etc. Art museums can be alright, although we didn't put any effort into art this trip. After awhile, it is too easy to be completely desensitived to a museum.

I never took photos of the bike parking ramp by the train station. It is already so famous- and so huge that I couldn't do it justice. Of course, the thought of parking even my lease beloved bike in a public space like that makes my skin crawl... or maybe that is my foot acting up again.

Bikes and canals.

More bikes. And no, that isn't all parallax error- the buildings often seem to be leaning in every which way. Some have gigantic shims between them and their neighboring buildings, which heightens the appearance that they are hand-drawn (some of the roof lines are incredibly crooked).

Bikers and tracks.

Even more bikes and canals.

My wife took this of a very attractive guy on a bridge.

Under a bridge.

Why we didn't see the Anne Frank Museum.

A striking woman posing before a shoe boat.

A hillbilly hang-out down by the water.

I took other photos that more accurately reflect my complete lack of photographic skills, but this gives the general idea.