Day 1: Amsterdam to Noordwijkerhuit, 34 miles

We hit the road at the crack of 2:30 due to some last minute chores that hung us up in town. Getting on the fully loaded bike after using the rental bike all week was scary. It felt weird and foriegn and wobbly. We all started feeling more comfortable on our reassembled bikes once we got out of town onto a sweet bike path towards Haarlam. After biking down highway 1 in CA, it was really nice to not be on the highway. We're following one of many numbered bike routes that criss cross the country, and are finding it well signed, and easy to follow through many parks and streets with dedicated bike lanes.
Around dinner time we emerged from a park, crossed a field on the paved bike path, and came upon the cutest Dutch countryside inn to have dinner at. Here we discovered another favorite beer: Konig Ludwig, and bitterballen: a "very Dutch" foor, according to our waitress. This fueled us for the remaining miles through the dunes to the campsite. The only pic I took with the blackberry this day was our victory beer at the restaurant at the campground.
It is kind of cool, everyone starts out speaking Dutch to us, and is surprised to find out we are from CA. We're off the beaten track.
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The houseboat

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Bicycle utopia

Amsterdam is a bicycle utopia. Bikes dominate the streets. There are bike lanes on almost all of the streets used by cars. Some narrow streets are closed to cars and are only for bikes and pedestrians. Bikes seem to have the right of way over cars, and it is really cool to have cars yeild to you at intersections. No one seems to stop at minor intersections, which sounds a little crazy, but seems to work. You just slow down enough to duck behind the cross traffic or speed up a little to pass in front.

There are so many bikes parked on racks everywhere that it is hard to pick out where the bike rental places are.

Up to three people can fit on your average bike. It is really common to see someone peddaling with a date or a friend sitting on the back rack. The back person hops off at intersections (when a signal requires one to stop) and when the light turns, runs along behind while the bike gets some speed up and then hops on. Although it looks easy, we practiced in the park, and found it to be a bit wobbly and scary.

We've seen up to three kids on their parents bike. Two on little seats on the back rack and one on a seat in front. Adorable. No minivan needed.
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me and the rental bike

It is nice to have a beater three-speed to ride around town without having to worry too much about it getting stolen.
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My bike arrived!

My bike finally arrived three days after I did. We were beginning to formulate a backup plan where I rent a scooter and Amber (who is planning on flying back when we leave Amsterdam) rides along on the back. But that wasn't going to burn any extra calories, and we've been eating a LOT of cheese and stroopwaffle, and trying a fair quantity of the local whittebeers. So, I was happy when the airline delivered the bike.
I was surpeised to see how many pieces it was in when I got it out of the box. But I seemed to get it assembled ok. We'll see. Today is the day we pack up the houseboat and ride out of town.
Today is also the first day the sky has been overcast and smelling of rain. Drat.
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One bag found

The airline contacted me via the blackberry last night to let me know that they found one bag, and would deliver it later that evening. Whoohoo! The bike is still lost somewhere between here and SF, but I now have more than just the clothes om my back. Which is awesome. We celebrated over dinner at a great local restaurant. The Dutch aren't known for their cooking, but the food (and the beer and wine) were delicious.
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In front of the Rijksmuseum

We got up early Wednesday and went to the Van Gough museum. The nearby Rijksmuseum, is housed in an amazing brick building, but most of it is closed due to rennovations.
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Sunset over the canal

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Arrived safely... Without luggage

I got in to Amsterdam safely last night. The weather is beautiful, the 10 pm sunset was gorgeous. Unfortunately my luggage did not make all of the connecting flights. As of a few minutes ago they're still trying to figure out what happened to it.
The houseboat is great, and Marc had made a delicious dinner that was ready just as I arrived.
The city is FULL of bikes - fun. I'm renting one until mine appears.
Since the blackberry charger is lost with the luggage I'm going to minimize posts until it shows up. Off to shop for something to wear now. Cheers.
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