Arriving in Amsterdam

We are visiting our Berkeley friends, Mike and Teresa, who have been living in Amsterdam for nearly a year (with forays in and out of the Netherlands to maintain their visa status). To keep us awake after our transatlantic journey, we all took a walk from their apartment to various parts of the city.

It was a rainy and cool day, but the city is so charming, with the canals, the numerous bicycle riders, and the unique architecture, we didn’t mind the weather so much. Our goal was to visit the Canal House museum, which tells the story of how Amsterdam gradually grew as it reclaimed land from the peat bogs and the sea starting some 1,000 years ago. The museum was built in 1665, commissioned by a Dutch merchant for his home along one of the main canals.

Further walking took us to a houseboat museum (there are around 2,500 houseboats in Amsterdam, but if you want to live in one, you need to find one someone is vacating—no more mooring permits are being issued).

We also checked out the huge new bicycle parking garage built under the water at the Amsterdam train station, which just opened this February. It can store nearly 7,000 bicycles!Read more