Posted by Les Faber in Helen & I arrived on our scheduled flight from London at precisely 10:45 AM this morning (local time). Schipol Airport is a wonder of Dutch efficiency (except for Customs – 
). This took a bit longer than expected.
To my utter surprise, my friend Marc from Amsterdamize was waiting to greet us at the Arrivals area. What a treat! More for us then him as he was going to have to deal with 2 Canadians who had minimal (me) to no (Helen) sleep.
It all worked out quite handily. Marc herded us like lost cattle to the departure area for the train that takes you right into the heart of Amsterdam (and the main railway station). From there it is a short 20 minute ride to the heart of this vibrant city.
Photo Credit: Amsterdamize
He then walked us to the Number 13 tram, made sure we got on, and told the Conductor to make sure we got off at Ann Frank’s House. Personally, I really appreciated the TLC as I my mind was mush at that point.
What does this all have to do with cycling? Well, nothing really. But I thought we should tell everyone where we are and how we got here. Getting there is half the adventure. Or something along those lines…..
Oh yes, our hotel. Did we ever luck out! The hotel is 3 renovated canal homes (connected) in a quiet area (the Jordaan) of Amsterdam facing a canal. We are on the 4th Floor with a view to die for. It’s called the Hotel Van Onna (Google it). The rate is reasonable. Our room is spartan, but very comfortable. Nothing like a shower that could peel paint of a car when you are jet-lagged!
It’s raining at the moment (okay as we are not leaving the city until Monday).
I am just realizing that my daily posts (from Amsterdam at least) will be quite long. Bear with me. It will be worth it.
A 3 hour siesta was in order for both of us. As my friend would say: “I slept like a dead person.”. We awoke to the sound of rain pelting down above us. Did I tell you our room was in the peak of the roof of the one of the 4 canal houses that make up this hotel? Tiled roofs with rain coming down hard. Now that is a nice sound to wake up to.
Helen & I decided to walk around the local neighborhood. We borrowed umbrella an umbrella from Theo at the front desk and were off.
I felt like a child in a candy store. As I said to Marc last evening, in North America, one struggles to find great cycling subjects. In Amsterdam, you have to pick and choose as there are so many!
I took numerous videos of cyclists in the rain; plus others of just cyclists doing their thing in this beautiful city. These will form the base for a couple of Vlog entries I am noodling.
Our first dinner in the Netherlands had to be a traditional Dutch meal. Marc took us to Restaurant Haesje Claes, a well-known restaurant that serves traditional Dutch cuisine (no jokes allowed as Helen is Dutch). A good meal followed.
And then on to walking about Amsterdam at night – aimlessly I might add. Believe me when I tell you that people get out here. No hanging about. The outdoor cafes and bars were thriving with business.
On to the day’s photos:
What does Day 2 have in store for us? Perhaps an adventure to Henry’s Workcycles to pick up our Authentic Dutch bikes!
Nice to read that the trip went well.Iwish the rain will stop.Have a nice time H#1
[...] pouring rain this morning sure got us fooled. By ‘us’ I mean, Helen & Les and I. Not that a little bit of rain could really spoil anything, but it wasn’t looking very [...]
You guys seem to have a great time over there! Everything look great! Have fun with your new bikes!
I love Amsterdam. Enjoy your trip. Can’t wait to read more. And be careful crossing the bike lanes in A’dam. It’s almost more dangerous than crossing a 6 lane highway
I just gotta ask: Are all those bikes along the fence at the canal locked up, or just leaning against the railing? I can’t see locks in the photos, but that could just be my eyes
That was so great of Marc to meet you and show you around, and get you settled!
On behalf of Les & Helen I just like to say that it bugs Les quite a lot that he’s not able to respond immediately, as he and Helen spend as much time on the road as possible and sometimes have to look hard to find a place with Wifi. So you know. He has seen and read most of your comments, but hopes to respond a.s.a.p to the new ones.
Cheers, Marc
Hey guys,
Glad you arrived safe and sound. If you get a chance, go and have Indonesian food … can’t get that here in Ottawa. It’s a real treat! Try the Restaurant Puri Mas – a 20 minute walk from your hotel.
Peter & Mary
Hey Everyone: Thanks for your comments and kind wishes. Helen & I are having an absolute blast!
“Digital Dame”. Every bike over here comes standard with a lock that disables the back wheels. Marc, if you see this post, tell us the Dutch name. Plus everyone uses very strong locks. Bike theft in Amsterdam is a huge problem. Sadly, the drug trade produces a need for quick cash. The locks Helen and I got for our new fiets are virtually indestructible. The chain can only be cut with a grinder. Bolt cutters will not work.
@Digital Dame: looks can be deceiving, certainly when you’re distracted by how odd they look or from the dirt that they collected from standing there. Basically, many of them have (rear) wheel locks, attached below the saddle, also generically called ‘fietsslot’ (fiets=bike, slot=lock), as it has been the most common (standard) bicycle lock for decades), or ‘wielslot’ (wiel=wheel). Most of them do have an extra chain or U-lock attached to a bridge railing, a tree or whatever solid, but hard to sometimes spot. Another note, you see many partly destroyed bikes lined up, rotting away or demolished by petty vandalism. Every month a city bike service collects these from the streets to be destroyed and recycled.
Les, you’re spot on, but to be clear for your readers: ‘independent’ junkies (who are not part of any social reintegration program) steal and sell bikes (mostly to students) to fund their drug habits. Just in case anybody thinks drug dealers need a bike to head out and sell as much as they can (I don’t want to give them any ideas either
).
Thanks, Les and Marc. Bike theft is huge here as well (like most places) and likely to increase with the increased use of bikes these days. Keep those excellent new bikes safe, Les! I’m intrigued by the back wheel lock, I wish US bike manufacturers would clue in to something like that.
Maureen
@digital dame: I quickly uploaded a screenshot from one of my videos to let you see in detail what it looks like. You turn the key on the left side, then pull the lever on the right all the way down to execute the actual (enforced steel) circular bar, then turn the key back and pull it out.
Sounds like a great trip – keep the posts and photos coming!
[...] Helen and I participated in our Dutch cycling adventure, we saw plenty of bicycle garages & storage facilities. Amsterdam Bicycle [...]
Looks great on your tour there! Love to stroll the beautiful places riding a bike.