Goodbye to Amsterdam, hello to.......?

Where were we?

Ah, yes, leaving the Rijksmuseum, and on the way to say goodbye to the city of Amsterdam.

Oh, and just so you know, there may be more people biking, and they may be better at it, but the bikers are just as disdainful of pedestrians as they are anywhere.

Febo, in the foreground, is actually an automat!!!

This is for you John, to remember when you think moving in Vancouver is hard!  This is a moving ramp, to get furniture to upper floors.  (they certainly can't go up the steep, narrow stairwells in the canal houses - not even Ikea furniture could get up those!).  By the way, and alternate moving device is the grapple hooks from the ceiling, to which chains are attached, to hoise furniture up to the upper floors!


So, we strolled around for hours, having a last look.  Our last tourist stop was the Begynhof, found through a closed, non-marked door, which brought us in to a peaceful, green oasis in the midst of the city, which was formerly the home to a secret order of Catholics (founded after the country became officially Protestant.

For our last dinner in Amsterdam, we went to an Indonesian restaurant (remember the Dutch colonial past?) for Rijstaffel, which consists of rice, topped with a variety of meat or fish or vegetable dishes, or a combination of all three.  Again, this was not fine dining, but it was fun, and I liked the historical aspect of it!

So, final thoughts on Amsterdam?  Ir is a crowded, bustling, seemingly prosperous place (it would have to be, given the cost of everything).  Their public transportation is fabulous (Mayor of Vancouver take note:  if you want people to ride bikes, you have to accommodate public transportation as well!).  The language is gutteral; it seems harsh to our ears.  It is surprisingly understandable, though, if you know some German (although the Dutch get hugely offended if you say so).  Everyone seemed friendly and polite.  All in all, though, while I enjoyed the trip a lot, I don't have to come back any time soon!

And so, on Sunday, Peter and I head out to the airport, only a 15 minute cab ride from the hotel.  Peter indulged me in my compulsion to be way early (for just about everything, but especially planes) - those considering travel with me take note - but the Amsterdam airport removed one source of anxiety by having gate by gate security, so going through security was a much more civilized procedure than it normally is.  The plane ride was as it should be - boring - although there was a bit more turbulence than I have experienced in recent memory - and, god bless him, Hank was waiting for us at the San Francisco Airport 10 + hours later.

My favorite part of the trip?  When the Customs and Immigration guy smiles at me and says "welcome home, Ms. Jackson" !!!!