Day 314: Biking Around Amsterdam Without a Map

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I had a list of plans for today, but the sun was shining so I had to go outside all day. Patti Beth and I went for a long bike ride without a direction or plan, but to be outside just biking. We left around 9:30 am and came back in time for my physio appointment at 1 pm.

A view of the Amstel River in Amsterdam on a gorgeous day.

Holland is so beautiful and the bike paths make it very easy to cycle around and through all the towns. We started from my house and rode into Ouderkerk and followed the Amstel River into Amsterdam.

Seeing the water always makes me happy and add the sunshine, warm weather and a great friend… life doesn’t get much better than this.

Once we got to Amsterdam, neither of us really knew which direction to go. We had a hunch, and luckily this time we both were right and headed in the right direction, not that we really knew where we were headed, but just towards the center. It’s kind of fun not knowing where you’re going and just enjoying the journey. I mean, we had a general idea of what to expect, but we weren’t quite sure which road or which turn to take, but we were happy just enjoying the new sites around Amsterdam and kept moving forward. Kinda like this whole expat journey, now that I think about it.

We ended up on the back side of Albert Cuypstraat and were pleasantly surprised. We walked our bikes up and down the uncrowded market streets, stopping to buy a sweater for me, and fresh artichokes for dinner. Patti Beth knew of a Surinamese restaurant and we stopped in there for a quick, tasty shared lunch before figuring out our way back home.

We both surprised ourselves how we navigated the city, because we weren’t so good the first time we tried to find a fun shop in the Jordaan… kind of like the blind leading the blind. But I guess we’re getting used to navigating Amsterdam… not that it’s that big, but maybe we’ve just become local enough to feel like we belong here. Hmm…

A perfect day.

What did you discover today? Did you do something that challenged you?

16Feb2013

Day 206: Amsterdam Tourist

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The fun part of having guests in town is being a tourist again. It was fun to explore some familiar sites of Amsterdam again, even though we’ve already see them, but this time with a little more depth.

We went with April and Steve and the kids through Amsterdam today, walking down PC Hoofstraat, Museumplein, and Vondelpark. We were wandering around while we waited for our 1:00pm departure on the Blue boat canal ride. We had been on the cruise before and love it every time. It gives you a great view of the city.

We stopped for a warm up lunch at Wagamama!

Life is good! I hope you enjoyed seeing another bit of Amsterdam with me. What’s your favorite tourist place?

12Sep2012

Day 49: Let’s Go

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Mmm… A smoker with bacon in it!

Let’s Go – Amsterdam.

I love that I have kids and that through them being in school, I get to make new friend’s too. I hear if you have kids or a dog, it’s easy to make friends. I’ll stick with kids, especially since mine are potty trained!

There is a series of Let’s Go – Outings run by parent volunteers where a group of 20 or so will gather and explore different areas together.

Today after drop off, we ventured into Amsterdam and used different trams to get to different parts of the city. It’s always nice to go with someone who already knows the system and can tell you where to stop and transfer from tram to tram. It makes it so much easier.

Our tour guide also pointed out the best butcher, where to find spices, kitchen shops and fancy bakeries to name a few hot spots.

While journeying with new women, I got to meet new friends from Mexico, Barcelona and Argentina who have invited me to come and practice my Spanish with them. This trip was a way to socialize with women from different cultures, because when you arrive in an international school, women tend to gather by nationality. I think this provides comfort initially when everything is so new and different. I love my country and sharing stories with my American friends, and I also enjoy learning about the lives of women from other countries. I loved speaking Spanish today again and want to learn more Dutch too. I loved being out and exploring and feeling more comfortable navigating around my new home town.

Life is good!