This morning, I woke up at 7AM and spent the first few hours of the day walking around and using my laptop.  Amsterdam is a very quiet city during the morning, with many stores and coffee shops not opening until 11AM or noon.  It might have been like that because it was a Saturday morning, but it was much more quiet than I was expecting.

At 10:30AM, I rented a bike from the hostel.  Based on last night’s conversation with the receptionist at the hostel, I planned on bicycling to Voldendam and back to Amsterdam (about 25-30 miles roundtrip).  Instead, I ended up asking people along the way for further recommendations, and ended up also visiting Edam and Zaanse Schans.

Shortly after leaving the Amsterdam City Center, I rode the bike onto a ferry which transported me to the other side of the bay.  The ferry ride was about 5-10 minutes and was free. It seems like many people ride this ferry on a regular basis as part of their commute.

 

After arriving across the bay, the city had much more of a suburbia/rural feel relative to City Center.  There were barely any tourists and I immediately felt like I was living like a local.  The bike route passed through residential areas, commercial area, parks, ferry crossings and canal-front recreational paths.  It’s amazing to think about how easily I was able to navigate the confusing streets with the Google Maps App.  It was easy/convenient, and not once did I feel lost or unsure about my whereabouts.

 

 

During one of the rural stretches, the route crossed a river with a ferry crossing.  The ferry crossing was just 50 feet and costed just .25 euros, but it was interesting experience especially because I made it onto the ferry as the last passenger.  Also, the ferry operator suggested I ride to Zaanse Schans on the way back which I ended up doing.

 

 

Another stretch of the bike route passed along a bunch of houseboats. The houseboats seemed higher-end and like a beautiful atmosphere.  On the other side of the houseboats, there were rural homes with views overlooking farms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voldendam is a tourist town which promotes itself as the center of Amsterdam’s cheese industry.  It is also a harbor-front city, so much in the town revolves around seafood and the ocean.  It was a nice stop, and the Fish and Chips I had in this town, was probably one of the best I’ve had before.  Delicious.  Also, there was a farmers market today which caused the city to be even more busy/active.

 

 

 

 

After speaking to the tourism office in Voldendam, the receptionist suggested that I also visit Edam, a nearby tourist town with a lot of character.  Edam was about 2KM away, and was definitely quaint, quiet, and more authentic than Voldendam.  Although tourism is a huge part of these cities, there is also an authentic, small-town, less-touristy side which I really appreciate.  For example, in Edam I ordered a strawberry “Sweety” snack from a local bakery outside of the touristy area.  It was a nice detour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zaanse Schans has about 7-8 original windmills, some of which date back a few hundred years.  Windmills are a large part of the Netherlands image, and it’s not hard to see why.  They add a lot to the environment and scenery, by providing a calming, sustainable, and practical visually attractive structure.  I parked the bike and walked through Zaanse Schans for about 30-45 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After arriving back in City Center, I was really tired.  I had just cycled close to 40 miles and had a great day.  I showered, and then left the hostel to go to a coffee shop.  Right outside the hostel, I ran into Juan (and his headphones) and we decided to go to a coffee shop together.   We smoked and were later joined by Lexi and Luis.  We spent a few hours together, but our time was broken up by a false alarm of a terrorist attack (a few loud booms and a bunch of people running away from the sound).  After walking around some more and visiting the museum of prostitution (tourist trap), I returned back to the hostel and slept.