Netherlands Bike Accident
Netherlands | Country 23 | 1 day |
After 8 months of not traveling, I am in Amsterdam for a 12-hour layover. Let’s start exploring!
Some aspects of the Netherlands trip that I find really unique:
- It is very liberal here, and everyone speaks English (and Dutch, of course)
- Once THE superpower with the Dutch East India Company, it declined gradually due to competition from the English and French during the 18th century.
- Canals everywhere in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
I took the train from the airport to the city. No Euros, no problem, as credit cards are accepted everywhere.
Amsterdam is built on reclaimed swamp land, and the canals are of course everywhere to manage the waters.
Buildings are narrow, but 3-4 stories in height, because they are taxed based on the width but not height! We often see pulleys at the very top of the buildings, because it’s easier to pull stuff up than to use the narrow stairs.
Floating cranes for repairing canals (streets are too narrow)
The whole city’s water level is controlled by levees that they call the Delta Works.
Some Dutch Things
I saw a large group of tourists standing in front of a guide. Turns out that they are a walking tour and I asked if I can join them for the tour.
Before Wall Street, this was the first stock market, once the hub of finance.
And, of course, the famous tulips and the Tulip Mania bubble.
The Netherlands, being very sex-positive, has a red light district where booths are rented. You can (to my surprise) see quite a lot from the window - I guess this is for advertising.
Imagine seeing someone by the window in lingerie on her phone with a sign of her OnlyFans in the back.
Cannabis is of course a staple. Coffeeshops could be Amsterdam’s hazy, daze-inducing dispensaries.
WOW!
Suddenly, there was a bike accident right in front of my eyes.
Given that the Netherlands has more bicycles than people, I guess this was bound to happen. A bike crashed into a car at a narrow bridge.
No one was hurt. The driver and the bike person exchanged numbers - and one drove off, while the other walked their broken bike away.
We then arrived at an innocent looking building with a university sign.
This turned out to be the famous Dutch East India Company. Arguably the epicenter of the world once upon a time in the 17th century, it is humbling to be in its precense.
I have yet to visit formerly Dutch colonies like Paramibo and Indonesia.
One family from the tour is Indonesian. They had quite an in-depth conversion with the guide.
Goodbyes
I had some fantastic warm Dutch food in the cold, rainy weather.
Given how little time I’ve spent here, I’d love to come back soon! Next time, I must see a windmill :)
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