We woke up, got ready, and ate our final hostel breakfast. While eating, I reminisced back to a month ago, when I entered the same hostel cafeteria. At that time, I had never before seen a meat and cheese tray set up at a breakfast buffet, and I remember thinking how strange it was. This time, I am a different man, a man wise in the ways of the breakfast meat and cheese tray.
We checked out and walked to a tram stop. I was a little worried that the trams may still not be running because of all the garbage on the tracks. No worries, the system is back up in full force. And so are the city workers, cleaning up the mess from the night before. By the time we were out on the streets, many areas of the city had been cleaned up nicely. Other areas still looked like a garbage dump.
We took a tram to Centraal Station. The plan for the day is to store our packs in a locker at the station, then rent bikes and spend the day in the city. We would have to catch a train for the airport at about 6:00 in order to catch our 9:00 plane to Manchester.
After storing our packs, we rented bikes from Mac Bikes. It was funny to listen to the guys behind the counter grumble about having to work the day after Koninginnedag. They all agreed that they should be given two days off, Koninginnedag and the day after.
These guys at Mac Bikes were so laid back. They just rent bikes all day and talk to interesting people from all over the world. Doesn’t sound like a bad gig. Work just enough to live simply (and no more). Use the rest of your time to live life deeply. Favor quality over quantity in all things. This is how I imagine these guys live. Possibly I’m wrong, but they have inspired me all the same.
Ok, enough philosophy… We rode from Centraal Station in the general direction of the Anne Frank House. On the way, we basked in the beauty of the city. It is quite the experience, biking through the city alongside other cyclists and pedestrians, a much different experience than driving through an American city in a little steel cage. It is more real, more human.
(I am a little depressed as I am actually writing this post in Minneapolis. We had to drive to pick up our cat and the entire experience was miserable. The streets are ugly and overrun with machines. There is no human interaction except for the occasional honk or obscene hand gesture. Is this the society I live in? How depressing!)
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There was a line stretching around the block at the Anne Frank House, so we decided to skip it. We continued riding down the streets and stopped at a fruit stand and bakery for lunch supplies.
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We rode on toward the Rijksmuseum and ate our lunch at the nearby Museum Plein (large, grassy field). Workers were dismantling a stage from a concert the night before. We sat and ate. I was noticing how dry everything looked. We had been to the same spot a month before and the grass was very green. I guess they haven’t received any rain for something like 28 days.
As we ate, a couple sat near us. They rolled a joint, smoked it, then walked away. The philosophy in the Netherlands seems to be “live and let live”. I tend to agree.
After lunch, we visited the Rijksmuseum. The museum is currently undergoing a renovation, so only a small portion of the collection was on display. The Rembrandt’s were incredible! My perception of beauty has really been enhanced from all the art and music I have experienced on this trip.
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After the Rijksmuseum, we rode through Vondelpark and spent some time lying in the grass. As we sat, two women and a child rode up and set up a picnic. It looked very enjoyable. I took random pictures while Darcy took a nap.
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As we were leaving Vondelpark, we witnessed a bike crash into a pedestrian. No one was hurt, but the pedestrian was pissed.
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The rest of the afternoon we spent riding around. I was on the lookout for a bike shop that sold unique bike accessories. We stopped at a few places that offered mainly service. A guy gave us directions to a good accessory shop, but they were closed by the time we arrived.
Next, we stopped for a beer, then started heading back toward Centraal Station. I tried to capture photos of some of the things we saw that day involving bikes.
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A lot of passengers on bicycles ride sidesaddle on the back rack. I have never seen this in the States.
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Many families with small children still use bicycles for transportation. Some bikes are capable of hauling three children. How can they possibly manage without an SUV or minivan?
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I also saw a girl riding a bike while guiding another bike alongside. She was traveling through busy city streets like anyone else with her two bikes.
We returned our bikes to our friends at Mac Bikes, picked up our packs, and caught a train to the airport. Our plane departed from gate D41.
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The service on the KLM flight was excellent! The cabin crew was courteous, beer and wine was free, and we received a little snack on the flight. On our way to Amsterdam from Manchester at the beginning of the trip, we received these delicious gourmet sandwiches, and it was only a one-hour flight. Much different than the level of service you would receive in the States.
We arrived in Manchester at 10:00 pm. Our flight back to the States does not depart until 11:00 the next morning. Since the dollar is so weak against the pound, we decided to sleep in the airport, instead of pay for a room. While we were looking around for a place to park, we saw a bunch of people crowded around a tiny television. A football (American soccer) game was on and the people were cheering loudly in unison at certain intervals. This sport is huge in Europe, and worldwide for that matter.
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I rolled our luggage and Darcy over to the terminal from where our plane would depart. We found a cozy spot (relatively speaking) next to an escalator that constantly repeated “Do not bring your luggage on this escalator”. We did our best to get comfortable and tried to get some rest.
Click here to see all our Amsterdam II photos.
Click here to see all our Manchester II photos.
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