Travel Links   Day One   London on My Own
London to Amsterdam   Amsterdam
 The Rhine Valley

First, the obligatory windmill:

I found that I enjoyed taking pictures of buildings and streets, so here are a few of those:

You can see the train station in the distance on this one, and note all the tourist-related shops on the left-hand side. Aaron explained to us that the buildings in Amsterdam are designed to lean towards the street, so that furniture can be lifted to the upper stories and brought in through the windows. This saves the trouble of trying to navigate the narrow, twisting stairways with couches and beds. You can see the leaning buildings in the picture below.

Even in a bustling city, you can find quiet streets, not far from the busy spots. I like this photo of the canal.

And, because Amsterdam is so bike-intensive....

The streets seem quiet, even at rush hour.

Amsterdam was a great spot to begin the tour. Most people spoke enough English that I could make myself understood. There were things we'd come to encounter in the other cities: canals, ice cream, red light districts.... And the city also had an aura all its own.

Travel Links   Day One   London on My Own
London to Amsterdam   Amsterdam  The Rhine Valley