KZ's Amsterdam Blog

Canals, rain, canals, rain - repeat. It's been raining all day which makes for a little less fun as it gets extra windy being on the water. However, when it's not damp & cold it is a lot of fun walking through this city. It really is made for people on bikes - so many bikes! A ringing bike bell is a very common sound - but they tolerate walkers...I think that if you come from a fairly large urban centre than Amsterdam is very odd as it's very short. Very few buildings are above ten stories or even six for that matter. This difference makes for a much nicer walking experience in my opinion. The buildings are tiny and mostly gabled and have a tendency to lean out over the street. But the architecture is very eye-catching and some of the grander buildings (the palace, Centraal Station) are quite beautiful. Lots of older style churches and so on....I have also decided that all streets/sidewalks should be made out of cobblestones or other stonework because it is much better than concrete. And in that strange effect that only rain can give, the city somehow still looks beautiful. Of course I would still be a lot happier if it wasn't so windy...