His View 

Netherlands - Feliks' perspective

 

We were both excited to see this city, we had heard so much from people before we started traveling and in the cities we had just visited from random strangers. We didn't spend the night in Amsterdam but we spent the entire day walking around. I think this was the most walking we did up to this point. We left our bags at the train station and started for the west side of the city. The canals made it really easy to navigate and get reoriented if the GPS started glitching out. Pretty much as soon as we got out of the train station, there were awesome sites to see in every direction. The canals were full of some really interesting house boats, some really nice and others more handmade by semi-professionals but still served their purpose. The water buses were surprisingly long for the narrow canals but still moved around as well as the John boats. 

 

The Anne Frank House was the top attraction on our list and apparently everyone else’s that day. We saw the line two blocks before we saw the museum. Needless to say we had to make a call and due to time we did not wait. Instead we continued our walk and enjoyed more of the sightseeing in Amsterdam - beautiful churches, bridges, and peaceful little streets that were something like out of a movie. We got a recommendation for lunch at Singel 404 where we had a delicious meal. 

 

We spent the rest of the day basically getting lost in the center of town. Everywhere you went in the city was awesome. I think it was the combination of a number of different things. The canals and boats I think were the biggest awesome factor, the buildings and streets added more character, but the main thing that makes Amsterdam special are all the bikes. Everywhere you looked, I mean everywhere, there was a bicycle. I would probably be safe saying that there is a bike for every person there. There was such a variety of bikes: some so rusty that it's a miracle they can support the weight of a person, others had baskets big enough to carry a fridge. It was really cool to see the local people riding around through traffic dodging tourists like they were born for it, which i’m sure they were. 

 

Overall, Amsterdam was everything that people said it would be and better. Caywood and I both agreed that it was the best city so far. Even though it's famous for other reasons, it has so much more to offer. It kind of reminded me of Austin, TX or Asheville, NC, where there were people of all walks of life, enjoying the diversity they brought to the city. I would definitely come back and explore more because the time we spent here did not satisfy the curiosity it created.