Amsterdam!

Sticking with the previously-written article trend, here is something I wrote for a newsletter after a trip to Amsterdam, also known as the greatest city in the world.

Amsterdam: Smokin' Hot Coffee, Red-Hot Bikes

I just got back from Amsterdam. What a crazy city! Nobody ever told me there was so much coffee in Amsterdam. Everywhere I looked there was a coffee shop, offering different kinds of very high quality yet inexpensive coffee. Now, I haven't drank any coffee since I've been in Ireland, but I figured, when in Rome...

The second we got off the plane my friends and I bought a huge pot of coffee. In no time we were giggling and telling stories and having a great time. No wonder coffee is so popular. It did make me pretty hungry, though. Luckily there were tons of fast food and fried food and dessert food stores, just what I was in the mood for. After all that coffee and food we were pretty tired so we went to bed, but not before our hostel-guy told us that it was alright to drink coffee in the hostel. He seemed to be encouraging it, almost insisting. We didn't want to disappoint him so we all had one more cup of coffee before retiring for the evening.

The next day my friends and I bought some very powerful coffee and went to the zoo. The zoo was amazing! For some reason the animals looked a little funnier than normal, maybe that's just the way animals look in Amsterdam. All I know is I couldn't stop laughing at them. We also took a trip to the Van Gogh museum. I don't know if it was the coffee getting to me or if Van Gogh was crazy, but that was some serious art. Seemed to be jumping off the wall.

Another thing about Amsterdam, there are bikes everywhere. They are for sale in windows throughout the city, but mostly for sale in one section of town. I think it was called the red bike district. They also had lots of bike-related products for sale: safety gear, kickstands, videos on bike riding, you name it. You could rent these bikes for an hour or just ten minutes, depending how long you wanted to ride. I didn't rent any bikes, but I was surprised to see so many old men doing it. I guess it is nice to see them getting out and enjoying a relaxing midnight bike ride after the missus has gone to sleep.

The best thing about the bikes is how they put safety first - the government is constantly checking the bikes for anything that might cause an accident, and the riders always wear helmets.

Overall, Amsterdam was an amazing trip. I spent most of my time sampling these different kinds of coffee. We had a lot of fun with that. I regret that I didn't bring any coffee beans back with me so I could grow my own. It's just not the same in the States. Oh well, maybe I will go back some day. I can get my coffee fix and maybe even ride a bike or two...with a helmet of course.


Oh, and furthermore, Susan, a great alternative pronunciation for the city is Hamsterdance.

That is all.