June 20: Return

June 8: Arrival in Amsterdam

Excellent flight, at least 4 hours of sleep, on-time arrival, and both bags arrived without damage. I felt fine, found an isolated space between the car rental booths and terminal windows, and assembled my bike for the 6-mile flat ride to my hotel. I spotted another cyclist assembling his bike outside the terminal, so I rolled outside and introduced myself. 

Ready to Roll. Beautiful sunny, 75 F day in Amsterdam.

Chip. Following his sophomore year at Auburn, despite friends saying he was crazy, Chip bought this bike 2 weeks ago and was on his first bike tour from Amsterdam to Barcelona. He was heading for central Amsterdam, had never cycled outside the US, so I suggested he follow me while he adjusted to The Netherlands bike trail system. My hotel was about half way there. 

First canal on the way to my hotel. Boats on the left, house boats on the right.

Kevin and Melissa left Providence 2 June, stopped for several days in Iceland, then flew to Amsterdam 7 June. They had reservations to tour the Anne Frank House that morning, then we planned to meet at 4 PM for a canal boat tour. I checked into my room, then cycled to meet them, arriving at exactly 4 PM. Kevin wisely booked a smaller boat, just 10 passengers, all Americans. Informative, relaxing, and a great introduction to Amsterdam. Perhaps the most memorable parts were the captain's asides on the clever names the Dutch imparted in America: 

• When they encountered a long island, they named it Long Island.
• Harlem became Haarlem; Brooklyn was . . . (I forget, and several more examples.)

Dog of the Day. On the way to central Amsterdam, I passed a pair of huge red dog sculptures. I later spotted a much smaller grey version, so this must be a universal item. Must be a story.

Typical home with a gable hoist, the only way to get large items in and out of buildings with narrow stairs.

Leaning House. Per the boatman, since Amsterdam is built on a marsh, older buildings rest on wooden piles that often shift over centuries. Buildings could be leveled by inserting more pilings and jacking the building, but the movement often causes cracking, so they leave it leaning.

The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe. With limited land, homes were build tall, adjacent, and facing the canal. Houseboats are a less costly alternative. When houseboats are sold, the sale includes a long-term moorings lease. Moorings are owned by the Government, and thus not subject to random rent hikes, unlike mobile homes in the US.

Some sightseeing boats are quite small.

Public Restroom

Terrible odor.

Real Dog of the Day. Lots of dogs about, with many small ones being carried, especially in busy Central Amsterdam.

Getting back to my hotel. 

After the canal cruise, we took a walking tour of the Red Light District. Not much happening at 6:30 PM. We ate at a small Italian restaurant (2 tables outside, 2 tables inside) advertising real Italian recipes. Simple and excellent. 

After dinner, we relaxed in a nearby park with our gelato and were approached by a white-haired, shaggy, bearded man who needed to talk. No idea what parts he related were true, but here are snippets I remember:

• My father was a famous physicist.
• I built sets for the Amsterdam opera for 40 years and never missed a single day of work.
• I built many boats. (Real or for opera sets?)
• I build a house and a boat on an island, but the hurricane destroyed both.
• I can sleep in the finest hotel or a park bench, it makes no difference.

He was carrying a new chord for his electric guitar, so perhaps he had a place to live, but he looked as if he might be sleeping on a park bench. Dirty fingernails, rumpled clothing, shaggy hair and beard, but a nice, lonely man who just needed someone to listen.

I needed to cycle back to our hotel, while Melissa and Kevin had a 3-day tram pass but no bikes. Unfortunately, all 3 of our phones were nearly dead, so navigating was an issue. We decided I could follow the #2 tram tracks back to our hotel, same tram all the way. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but multiple trams cross and branch. Sparing the details, I arrived at the hotel near dusk after 20+ miles, nearly 2 hours of cycling, consulting tram stop maps, and questioning a dozen individuals. Every one was courteous and helpful. Melissa and Kevin were waiting anxiously in the lobby where we agreed that following the tram tracks was not our best idea.

Overall, light traffic, flat roads, bike lanes everywhere, no wind, pleasant temperatures, beautiful city—not a bad accident.

Cycling miles: 35 today; 35 total. (An estimate, Schiphol Airport to hotel, hotel to Central Amsterdam, then lost in southwest Amsterdam, saved by good angels.)

.