DUTCH WINDMILLS
by travelgourmet
The clean air, the clean streets, and the clean countryside makes one want to stay in the city and surroundings of Amsterdam. You realize that you are in Holland as you leave the city and head out of town to the fields and witness the green grass and the quaint but practical windmills. This is the beauty of Holland, the charm of the countryside, and the strength of the nation. The windmill represents all of these. The wind and the water, both controlled by the windmill. Watching the windmills sails spin in the wind is totally relaxing and a true reminder that this is Holland.
Amsterdam Tip
by SilverVelvet
Vondelpark is a huge patch of city green for the leisurely visitor in search of a tranquil escape. It's a great spot that serves a heaping slice of local life while people ride their bikes, skate around on rollerblades, perfect their skateboarding tricks, read a book or, in the case of the photo, feed the ducks. Sometimes I'll bring extra bread to a large park such as this one. The kids love to throw it to the ducks and sometimes it's the beginning of a good conversation with the parents.
Get Stoned
by Paul2001
Okay I do not advocate drug use. In fact I have not been a regular user of marijuana in quite some years. But when in Rome....
Anyway visiting a smoking coffeeshop is something that you should give a try if you are open minded towards such activities. Besides pot, beer, coffee or tea are also served. My only trip to a smoking coffee was to a place just one block Northeast the Leidseplien. It had an Indian motif(always a draw for me) but I cannot remember. I got so high I think that it might have been just a dream. All I can remember was that it was across the street from a really good Mexican restaurant. I cannot remember the name of that place either. Thank God my hotel was nearby or I would have never have found my way back.
The tropenmuseum is located in...
by eladr
The tropenmuseum is located in one of the finest buildings in Amsterdam. As you will see when you are inside the museum, it consists of an impressive hal with a glass dome at a height 22 meters. This light-hall is surrounded by galleries arranged in three layers. Here, about ten exhibitions offer a many-sided picture of human life in the tropics and subtropics.
Opening hours
Monday through Friday 10.00 - 17.00 pm
Saturday, Sunday,Public Holiday's 12.00 - 17.00pm
closed : 1 January, 30 April, 5 May, 25 December
Why I still wear a bicycle helmet...
by Nemorino
...even though the Dutch don't.
For one thing, I don't cycle only in the Netherlands, but mainly in other countries where the infrastructure isn't as good and cyclists aren't as numerous.
My decision to wear a helmet was influenced by what happened to two of my colleagues in Frankfurt am Main.
One was a middle-aged man who fell off his bike for unknown reasons while riding slowly through a parking lot. He was not wearing a helmet, came down head first on the asphalt and was in and out of hospitals for months. I don't think he ever completely recovered.
The other was a young colleague named Annerose who was cycling home late at night after teaching an English class. She was riding past a row of parked cars when suddenly a car door opened and sent her sprawling over four lanes of a city street. She got some bruises, but we all assumed (rightfully or not) that her helmet had saved her from serious injury. I went out and bought one the next day.
(Hi Annerose. If you ever happen to read this, please join VirtualTourist and leave me a message.)
Later, my helmet once saved me from a head injury while I was riding through a narrow tunnel and had to swerve suddenly, hitting my head or rather my helmet on the tunnel wall. The helmet absorbed the shock and I was not injured in any way.
On the other hand, I realize that a helmet can prevent only head injuries, but not other kinds. In over sixty years of cycling I have only been knocked off my bike once by a car (good record, huh?), and when that happened I landed on my hand, not my head, so I had a strained wrist for a couple weeks. Nothing serious, fortunately, but you should have seen what my bike looked like!
Additional photos: More people cycling in Amsterdam without helmets.
Update 2008: While I still consider a helmet to be a sensible precaution, especially for children and for us elderly folks, I would no longer refrain from cycling just because I didn't happen to have a helmet with me.
And I have come to agree with the Dutch (see previous tip) that mandatory helmet laws are totally unproductive, because the damage caused by not cycling far outweighs any slight increase in safety that a helmet might bring.
Here are two very interesting links on bicycle safety:
http://bicyclesafe.com/
http://www.cyclehelmets.org/index.html
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André Hazes statue - Amsterdam
paso doble
Museum Plein
The cake!
