Zack in Amsterdam (Again)

Nine hours in Amsterdam should never be wasted. After an interesting trek to get a train ticket, none of my credit cards would cooperate, I finally hopped a crowded train bound for Amsterdam Centraal station. Last time I was here, everything was dead at 8a but this time, there are wall to wall tourists. To escape, I found Café Van Zuylen which only had a Dutch menu and their outdoor bridge seating was difficult to beat. It was nice to relax and enjoy the people of Amsterdam on their bikes and boats.

Similar to last time, I did not make a specific plan and chose to wander the city after lunch in search of a bicycle rental shop. Alas, none appeared and when I finally found one, they wanted 100 euros as a cash deposit. The other shop was taking forever to get folks on bikes and I would have only had two hours before close. Instead, I decided to break in my new sneakers by wandering the canal-side streets. Using the map I intended to bike with, I walked to the Houseboat museum which is on a 99 year old boat and after delivering coal and other raw materials until 1967, it was first converted into a house and in 1997, a museum.

After taking in all there is to know about Amsterdam’s 2,300 houseboats, I heard carousel music in the distance and followed the sound to a tiny boat with a man playing a horn while making ten other sounds at once. Words cannot do him justice but a video sure can. 23 euros is probably not a bargain for Dan Brown’s new book but I finished the Last Train to Zona Verde and did not trust my laptop to last through another film. Just released by Paul Theroux, it was actually a sad depiction of his travels from Cape Town to Luanda. I don’t know if the thrill of traveling through developing countries suddenly wore off or what, it was a disappointment, especially after a week of mostly upbeat assessments of sub-Saharan Africa. Dan Brown better not disappoint.

I imagine after two red-eye flights, I will be fried tomorrow so do not expect anything more until later in the week. I will add more photos later.