travel
The most un-tourist like weekend in Amsterdam
Ok, it was a little touristy, I got a photo of bicycles after all. From the start I am biased because of my general dislike of big and busy cities. I live in the countryside for a reason - I prefer this pace of life. I should begin to tell the story from the start.
This trip to Amsterdam was part of a longer adventure the Musical Phantom and I tackled last June. I say tackled because we planned it without really knowing what it would entail. We travelled from the west of Ireland to the east of Poland on a motorbike. Amsterdam was our second stop along the journey.
Exhausted and sore from the long and strenuous journey, we arrived late on a Saturday night. In reality we only spent 2 whole days there. Two very hot and lethargic days. On Sunday we waddled around the city not knowing where we were at any point. Trying to avoid the busiest areas we looked at canals, bicycles and leaning buildings.
Unsatisfied with our tourist experience of the city, we decided to go on a canal tour on Monday afternoon. We got lucky and shared the boat with another couple and the tour guide. We saw more canals and more leaning buildings. We were also unprepared for the scorching sun. The following morning we woke up with lobster faces and raccoon eyes. Not that it made a difference when we had to wear helmets for most of the day.
One of the most memorable parts from our visit was the walk through The Royal Concertgebouw. In the passageway we were greeted by a quartet consisting of 2 violins, an accordion and a gigantic lute. They played beautiful classical pieces. I've never heard the accordion in an ensemble like that before. I could have stayed there all day, sheltered from sun, enjoying great acoustics.
Other posts that are part of this trip: Bruges.
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