Amsterdam in the rain..........

Sunday October 9, 2011

 I started the day with the usual breakfast and then was off for a walk to see more of the city. Unfortunately, there was a slight rain coming down steadily, which did not make for a  pleasant walk.  I walked around for a bit, did some window-shopping and took in the general feel of the city. After a bit more walking I decided to have some lunch and headed over to The Pancake Bakery, which I had read about, and was also recommended to me.  There was a line to get in, and the fact that we stood in the rain, did not make the wait enjoyable.  Once I was seated, after about ½ hour wait, I ordered pancakes with apples and bananas.  When the pancake came out, it looked like a crepe, which was fine by me, and it was excellent, accompanied by a cup of cappuccino.  After this great lunch, I was headed out to do more walking, even in the rain.  There were a lot of people out walking, most using an umbrella and many others riding their bicycles.  One thing that Amsterdam is known for is the number of bicycles, and this was surely obvious rain or shine.

 After awhile I headed back to the hotel to dry off a bit.  I worked on organizing some of my things for the journey tomorrow, and then was back out the door for some more exploring of Amsterdam.  I grabbed a quick dinner at a fast food Asian place called “Wok To Walk”.  It really was not too bad for fast food.  On my final way back to the hotel, I stopped by a small local bar for a cold Amstel to wash down the dinner.  I was back to the hotel by 8:30 PM, getting ready for tomorrow’s train trip to Brugges, Belgium.
      Looking at my visit here, I must say that Amsterdam is quite different than any other European city I have visited. The city is made up of such a diverse group of people, which makes it quite cosmopolitan and interesting.  In addition to marijuana and prostitution being legal, the city is just a free, open, liberal place where almost anything is tolerated and therefore some people might refer to it as decadent.