Baby went to Amsterdam

My first visit to Amsterdam and my list was ready....

#1 Canals (actually canals was not on my original list as I didn't know there were canals in Amsterdam, but there are, heaps, which was great. The buildings lining the waterway are all slightly crooked as they slowing sink.

#2 Visit the red light district at night: No photos of this one but it definitely didn't disappoint. Narrow windy cobbled streets lined with window prostitutes of every variety. The tiny rooms behind the window where the lady was on display had just enough room for a bed and probably not much ventilation as we saw many of them trying to air out the room by fanning the door or spraying cans of air freshener....noice

#3 Dykes: For this we ventured north of the city and decided the best way was on bike. This sounded like a great idea until we realised Dutch bikes are a little different to the ones at home. I'm sure there great for your posture but they can be difficult to balance on and manouever due to the wide turning circle. Fortunately Holland is extremely flat so no major issues

The dykes are great though, with bike paths running along the top so you get a fantastic view of the large expanses of water on either side

Amsterdam 9 kms to the left, Marken 3 kms to the right (and below)

#4 Giant Clogs: They were there, it had to be done, say no more

#5 Windmills: After searching high and low for windmills we finally found one on our ride back to Amsterdam. The guy even let us inside and gave us a run down on how it all worked. Its the only working windmill in Amsterdam and its used to break up and grind rock and chalk into fine dust

Windmill from the outside (above) and inside (below). The large wheels are made of stone and their rotation driven by the windmill is what crushes the rock

Overall, Amsterdam gets 2 thumbs up, its a great walking city and very bike friendly with the coutryside only a short bike ride. Plus there's lots to see and do during the day and into the night, what more could you want?

Enough fun, back to work tomorrow and more travel. Next stops....Turin, Italy and Dusseldorf, Germany before heading over to the US