amsterdam by bike

last week we stood in the netherlands aproxx 30 min northwards of amsterdam. last sunday my buddy Jochen discharged my wish of a biketour across amsterdam. there is no better way to discover a town as with an "almost" native and on a bike. by pure chance :-) he ownes 9 bikes and so everybody could find one of his personal taste.

first he showed us his neighborhood, great new architecture, clear forms, various materials close to well-tried houseboat living. its a cool mix.

the "kompaszaal" is a great place to have a chilling sunday. if you spend some coins you get some music from an original Wurlitzer musicbox.



























formerly it was part of the old port and survived by the activity of squatters. today you can find in the old real estates some galleries and fashion stores.
next we hit the centre of the town and got a great view from top of the city libary (yellow arrow).

it was sunday but it was open and it was full house. students, families, tourists. inside the building great architecture again. without a guide you cant find such places.

the bikes parked in the basement. the garage is flooded with operatic music to keep youth hooligans outside :-)

the "Tuschinski Theater" is an old cinema. if you like "art nouveau" you are right here!
























some of the streets smells like a big headshop and the guys who came out of the coffee-shops had a big grin on their faces ;-) (notice for foreign readers: marihuana is a legal drug in the netherlands)
and so we spend almost 5.5 hours on the bike to became a teeny-weeny part of the city.
at the end of that cruising my ass hurts a little. but it was fantastic.
hope you enjoy that little trip.

STAY TUNED