Summer Trip-Amsterdam (22-25th July)

Driving to Ramsgate to board the ferry to Belgium the traffic was dreadful; it felt like we stopped at every traffic light. But on the ferry we were able to relax, before beginning our drive to Amsterdam. We finally arrived at about 11pm and found our houseboat to be very cosy. We managed to get an onstreet car park very close to us but it cost us twenty Euros per day to park there. After lunch the following day we walked to the centre of Amsterdam – Leidseplein, where we visited the Tourist Office. From there we made our way to the Bulldog Bar, where Mark has hazy, but great memories from when he visited twenty-three years ago. Mark and Terri-Lyn then took a one and a half hour cruise along the canals while the girls went on a paddle boat ride. We hired 5 bikes for 24 hours so we could see more of the city, then enjoyed a quiet night relaxing on the pontoon of the houseboat.
On our bikes we all took turns leading the way through the streets of Amsterdam to heaven only knows where. Alexandra inadvertently led us down a red-light street – TWICE. There were scantily-dressed women sitting behind windows trying to tempt customers. At a picturesque outdoor café we stopped for some cool drinks, before dropping the bikes off. The girls were set up with pizza for a night on their own while Mark and Terri-Lyn visited a friend of Soo’s, Karen (aka Haggis) and her husband, Simon, who live in Amsterdam. They cooked us homemade pizzas and we had a happy night chatting together.
OVERVIEW OF AMSTERDAM:
* Lovely, fun city set on canals – a great place to be
* People are very friendly and speak excellent English
* Easy going nature. Eg. Prostitution legal; Cannabis legal and sold in cafes
* Bike riding. It is unbelievable how many people ride their bikes; so many, but plenty of bike lanes through the city. * Helmets are not required and not worn – babies sit on the front handle bars without protection.
* The houseboat on the canal is the best accommodation that we had on the trip.
* This is one of the few cities in the world where Mark feels he could live in, outside of Australia.