Francois_Dumas Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 Today Nina and I rode to Amsterdam, basically for a quick visit to our daughter Vivian's place (we'd forgotten to return her key to her the day before). And we also wanted to get on the bike again, now that the weather was still good! So nothing fancy, just a simple ride to Amsterdam over the old 'main road' instead of the highway. Perhaps you'll enjoy some of Nina's pictures, showing you the roads we ride..... Approaching the Amsterdam city limits...... idyllic compared to most other major European cities... More cows than people in this area.... People run red lights here too...... two of them even ! Ahead is the road straight into the city center (via the IJtunnel). We will go left onto the Ring Road (A10) towards the Zeeburger Tunnel. Amsterdam's ring road 'east'..... lots of 'sound protection' along it, obscuring the views on the city outskirts. Here we are ready to submerge... the Zeeburger Tunnel will take us underneath Amsterdam's port and the connection to the IJsselmeer (you can see the water in the background, on the left!) After the tunnel we exit right towards the area where Vivian lives now. This is as much of a 'city skyline' as you'll see... it's all we have ! Waiting for the red light.. behind a nice Jag. Bit messy here, too many lamp posts and tramway stuff.... We cross one of the old bridges (main traffic now uses the tunnel). House boats can be found EVERYWHERE in and around town.... Close to the 'Indian Neighborhood' where Vivian lives (all street names and squares have names related to Indonesia and other parts of Asia that were Dutch colonies at some time). One of the much hated parking meters...... The RT in front of Vivian and Menno's ground floor apartment. On our way to the cheap petrol station.. looking back we can see the Bayliner Dealer !! Our 'skyline' once again.... We continue south on the ring road, passing underneath the trains parking area... Some double decker commuter trains up there. Traffic is slight more dense here, but still VERY light on this sunny Sunday afternoon! After filling the tank we pass the Ajax Soccer Stadion (one of the most famous in Europe..... important if you are into soccer, that is. I am not). I made an appointment with a Landrover dealer to test drive a Defender in a week or so. We thought we'd head out to the business district to see where the dealer is.... Just like any business district really... boring ! Heading home.. just leaving the city here, first few miles still on a dual carriage road....... not for long ... Back into the Noord-Holland province landscape.. green pastures, dikes and cows.... Near our home town. We decided to take the old dike for the last few miles, and got 'stuck' behind a few fellow riders. Watch the guy on roller blades !!! We are 'biker-friendly' in this country.... 'biker' meaning the people on bicycles mostly !!! Hoorn, my birth place, comes into view...... THIS is the road where I learned to race my little 50 cc motorbike ! (Of course there was ample police back then, no 'radar' and lots less traffic !) A skyline I much prefer over that Amsterdam one .... ;-) ..... minus this monstrosity, of course. This is the town's new theater, now known as 'Cherobyl' by us locals. Not only does it look like Chernobyl, it also collapsed all by itself one night, while still under construction!!!! Hope the weather stays like this for a while longer.. although we were getting chilly a bit already in our summer mesh jackets !!! Link to comment
W. Mazelin Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Francois: Great photos, as always! Enjoy your trip to the States. Carrie (nicewife) & I will be crossing the Pond next summer; we can't wait! Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 Be sure to get in touch when you plan on being in the neighborhood !!! Link to comment
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