Bikes and canals.. guess where?!

The most adorable little bakery (wish I wrote down the name though!)

Fantastic market along the canal

Same market (night shot from the other side of it)

The famous 'I amsterdam' sign

Two and a half days in Amsterdam was not enough time!  We tried to see as much of the city as we could by renting bikes one of the days... so above are a few of the snapshots we captured on our adventures around the city.  The hostel we stayed in was pretty awesome!  So many fun and friendly people from all over the world... one of the many reasons why hostels are great.  We found a fantastic little bakery that had a soup of the day that I could eat EVERYday. Pumpkin bleu cheese. Simply amazing.  Laura and I each had a cup of the soup and shared a vegetarian bread pudding.  I have never had bread pudding that was served as a meal item, only as a dessert, and it was scrumptious! Maybe I should just write a food and drink blog.  I think this is what it's turning into anyways... ;)

The canals and bikes are probably the best (and worst) part of Amsterdam.  I love the fact that everyone embraces biking and bikers get a lot of respect on the road. Actually, they own the road... it is also probably the easiest and most eco-friendly form of transportation for the city too considering the amount of canals and people.  Everywhere you turn hundreds of bikes are locked to whatever permanent structure is available, often lining the canals and bridges. The only reason why the canals are terrible is that it completely messed with my sense of direction, which is usually pretty good!  I had no idea where I was going half the time. Thankfully maps work wonders, just takes a little extra time to orient yourself.  If only I had wi-fi constantly I could google-map my way through the confusing cities!

We also wandered toward the old Van Gogh museum, but it has been relocated and ended up sketching the exterior of the old museum instead.  Saved money and worked on my sketching skills... score.  After our sketching session, we grabbed Dutch pancakes at a nearby cafe.  This was also delicious. Probably because it had strips of bacon in it.  Both of these sites are located near the I amsterdam photo above.. such a fun area of the city.

I think the architecture in Amsterdam should get more credit than it seems to.  I mean, almost EVERY building has something crooked on it.  Many of the buildings were completely leaning on the building next to them.  I have no idea how these are actually standing, but it was quite comical to see how crooked some of them were.  Even the doors to enter appeared to be crooked on the facade... there must be some custom angles cut for some of the doors (or trimmed to fit as they shift over time.)  According to the post below, it is due to the fact that stilts were used in the foundation (which were probably wood and rotting) causing the buildings to slant as they rot.  I'm not sure how accurate this is, but seems possible given the canals surrounding them.

http://mabuse.aminus3.com/image/2009-09-02.html


Arrived in Florence today after a very or VERY lucky day traveling from Amsterdam. Everything happened to work out perfectly with trains, flights and buses (yes, we actually did use all 3 forms of transportation. It's great!)... and despite the massive downpour we had on the way to dinner (caught in the rain without an umbrella) I think Florence is going to be a beautiful city.  I am sharing a great apartment with 3 lovely ladies, just a short walk to the river.  Looking forward to the next two months!  Maybe I won't need to dig out a map to see where I am by the end!  There will be a lot more walking here as the public transportation isn't as developed as other cities we have visited, but it is also much smaller.  We had our welcome dinner tonight with the whole group re-united and had a 3 course meal of traditional Italian cuisine.  I'm having gelato for breakfast in the morning and then going for a long run through the streets of Florence. Goodnight!