Goodbye, Amsterdam!

My trusty steed.  Sold to a young guy from Montreal.

Its almost time to go home.  We fly to Indiana on Saturday.

Things I will miss about Amsterdam

The freedom of not having a car and getting around by bike or by good public transport.

Running in the Vondelpark.

The tolerance of Amsterdammers for wide variations in thought and behavior-- as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else.

Pretty women riding bikes.  (Note to Patty: This is a spectator sport only.)

Beautiful old houses on the canals.

Boats everywhere.

The textured feeling of walking and riding my bike over cobbles and bricks.

Cool breezy sunny days.

Fathers and mothers riding their little children on the bike, talking with them, singing to them, holding their hand.

Wine and conversations with my friend Louis.

Weekend bike rides in the green countryside.

Things I will not miss about Amsterdam

Four cold, rainy days in a row in late June.

Bromfietsen! (motor scooters)

Noisy drunken boys hollering at 2 AM on the street or in the apartment below.

The acceptance of mostly segregated “white” and “black” schools.

The high cost of everything when your income is in deflated US dollars.

Summer in Vondelpark

It's June, and Patty and I are aware that our time in Europe is running short. She arrives soon to spend the last few weeks with me in Amsterdam.  I think it will be a packed month, doing things we want to do in NL before we leave, spending time with our friends here, finishing work projects we need to get done.  But I find myself already getting reflective about my time here.  One important place for me, as you know if you read my first blogs, is the Vondelpark, Amsterdam's "Central Park."  I live just a few blocks away, so it's easy to run, walk, or bike there.  It has been a great place for me to think, exercise, feel peaceful, and get healthy. 

Also a place to observe the natives at play!  I took a walk through the park today, snapping photos so I could remember how it is.  My early blogs were in February and March.  Now it's really summer!  The park is beautiful, and many Amsterdamers migrate there when they have an hour, or an afternoon.  See more photos, take a walk with me from my house to the Vondelpark and back!