The 'Welcome to Netherlands' sign flashed past and we soon made a service stop. We were recommended to try one of the sausage rolls at this particular place, but they were nothing like the ones from Greggs, back in Leeds. Nothing could beat Greggs.
Before making our way to Amsterdam, we first headed to a little town called Edam; the home of Edam's cheese! The weather was just lovely as we mounted our old-school bikes (mine like shuddered and felt like it was going to fall to pieces underneath me) and started the organised bicycle tour of the town.
We raced in a big pack along the roads and right beside the famous canal. We were guided to have a closer look at the point of a movable dam in the canal - where larger boats were able to pass through. Genius.
We passed old men sunbathing on their boats, families kayaking and all sorts as we made our way to the windmill. It was one huge windmill, and by the looks of it there was a family that lived inside. The pretty windmill stood there grandly and we snuck a few cheeky photos infront of it with our bikes..
The canals were incredibly filthy however, and despite the heat there was no chance of swimming. Pity. Ups for NZ actually being able to swim in their waters.....
....We headed to a cheese factory where a woman dressed in traditional dress explained how they make their renowned cheese.
After this demonstration, we headed through to the clog factory where hundreds of clogs clung to the roof in all shapes and sizes and colours to choose from. There was a demonstration of how to make the typical dutch clog right infront of us. It took barely any time at all, but it was obvious that much skill was required.
After purchasing some souvenirs and nibbling on delicious cheese samples, we made our way to the anticipated city of Amsterdam. And wow were there a STUPID amount of bikes. Bikes littered the streets and Garai even pointed out a bicycle parking block full to the brim with bikes also.
When we arrived at our - rather average looking - hotel, we unpacked our luggage and freshened up to go out and encounter the renowned Red Light District. After a rather dirty greasy meal courtesy of the hotel, we were off.
The Red light district was like nothing I have ever seen before. There were women standing in their allocated rooms along the main street, ushering bypassers in. The streets were exceptionally dirty and contained countless inappropriate shops to buy souvenirs as I am sure you can imagine... and what really was one of the most 'casual' social aspects of the city was the number of cafes... And not just any kind of cafe. Oh no.
You could just stroll right in, look at a menu and order -let's call it "rebellion" (for the sake of parents reading this...)- just as regularly as a cappuccino or a latte. Bizarre. It felt like a crime, but no not in Amsterdam.
What is to say/allowed to be said... The night took an interesting turn and I think it is safe to say we had our fun and dabbled at new things here and there... and somehow ended up in our beds in one piece later that night....
And as you can see, some enjoyed themselves more than others:
....When in Amsterdam.
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