Bakeries, Parks, and Statues? Yes please!

Another rough day of sleep, as expected. Four hours of laying in bed waiting for sleep to return…

First order of business: A bakery, of course.

This one had a massive gluten-free selection, and I was curious to see how they did.

Pretty good! I devoured the croissant and saved the chocolate croissant for later.

One bakery was good, but two bakeries would be better. I picked another one randomly on the map.

Along the way, I found a little sign talking about river systems and weasels. Two of my favorite things!

Since this bakery sold something like a pastry with a hotdog baked into it, and because I’m an American, I had to buy it. It tasted … better than you’d expect something with a hotdog in it to taste.

I stopped at another café, in a more urban area. For the first time I actually deployed my bike lock in Amsterdam. I wasn’t really worried, but I knew I’d feel really stupid if I didn’t use the lock and the bike vanished.

I figured I was in a tourist area because everyone else in line at the café ordered in English. I asked for a mocha even though it wasn’t on the menu, and to my surprise they produced one. I gave it a 5.5 out of 10 and sipped it slowly, then chomped a dainty little salad of mixed greens. I felt coherent enough to do a little programming on the laptop.

Conversations in various languages ebbed and flowed around me, and even though I could understand most of them and even participate in one if I wanted, I felt a sense of isolation. It was like being inside a little person-sized aquarium. What was happening? I figured it was partly the anonymous crowding that would happen in any big city, partly the lack of a shared purpose, but mostly my status as a traveler. I wasn’t here to live my regular life, or even to do business like I imagined most of the sharply-dressed people in this coffee shop were. I wasn’t even having a normal tourist experience, because my bicycle and my electronic world played such a big role.

It was weird, but it wasn’t such a bad feeling that it ruined the moment. I passed a couple of pleasant hours writing code, then got back on the bike for more Seeing Of Beauty.

It was late enough in the day that my Mom was awake, so I texted her: “Tell me more about the stuff you saw in Amsterdam!”

She replied, “That was over 55 years ago, and I wasn’t there long.  I saw poppy fields.  I have a vague recollection of the Hague, and went to a Van Gogh museum.  There were a lot of tall narrow buildings. We stayed in rooms on the third floor of a building that was accessed by narrow winding stairs, and they served a huge breakfast. I remember going to a deli and asking for a ‘broodje’ – a sandwich.  That’s about it.”

I poked my maps and found the Van Gogh museum. I only had four days left in the area, but perhaps I could see that.

I continued north, choosing streets and lanes randomly. Many blooming flowers and small parks.

I came across Amstelpark, a park that seemed kid-oriented, with little playground areas and a toy train that went in a meandering circle. There were signs posted saying “no bike riding”, and even though plenty of people disregarded that, I felt like I should be a polite guest of the country so I walked the bike.

It’s weird, adjusting to an environment where cars are not really a concern, but other cyclists are a constant hazard! If I hadn’t already been plunged into the insanity of bicycling Paris a few years ago, I think I would have real trouble with this…

Ducks! Geese! Flowers! Adorable little bridges! And best of all: An actual hedge maze!

The day was moving on, and I intended to get to the canal area of Amsterdam. On I went. The buildings got taller and more squished together, and the cycling got more intense.

Before I knew it, I was looking at a statue of Rembrandt.

I didn’t have enough time for a full-on museum, but there was something nearby that was on my list: A little museum dedicated to cats!

KattenKabinet! It’s as charming and eccentric as you’d expect. I only had an hour before they closed, but I saw as much as I could.

The literal “cat cabinet”, and the living cats hanging around, were my favorite parts. There was a lot of detail I missed, though…

After that I did more random wiggling around the city.

I found another little memorial on my checklist: The Homomonument.

Since I was on the west side, I decided to head west a bit more and check out Rembrandt Park. That was pleasant, so I lingered there for a little while.

I picked a cyclist who was heading south – a tall gentleman with a nifty flatcap and one well-worn saddle bag on his bike – and followed him for over a mile, making my way back towards the house. Much easier than constantly checking a map.

Saw some fun art on the way!

The last interesting thing I saw before the house was another instance of bicycle-forward culture: Three young women were cycling together, and to make conversation easier they linked arms, making a formation. I never see this back home. It must happen every now and then, but I have never seen it.

That was it for the day. Jetlag was still making things feel a bit unreal, but I got some good riding in.