One of the 165 Canals in Amsterdam

Did you know that there are approximately 1.2 million bikes for the 880k residents in the city of Amsterdam?  Out of those 1.2 million, about 10k bikes are taken out of the canals each year.  Speaking of canals, there are 165 canals throughout the city.  Those are only two of the many fun facts I learned on my trip to this vibrant city.

The city of Amsterdam is rich with history and culture that I was not aware of at all.  They say you can learn so much more by living and experiencing a city than any book could ever teach you.  That was the case here as I took a free walking tour of the city on my first full day.   After the tour finished I signed up for a few of the paid excursions they offered, a bike tour around the city, the Heineken experience and Van Gogh Museum (skip the line pass).

Since I was only in the city for 3 full days, I had to pick and choose the things I wanted to see.  For cities like Amsterdam that have so many options, it can be a little daunting.  Luckily I think I got the most out of my experience and by the end of my stay I was ready for the next country and city.  It’s hard to pinpoint the highlight of my stay but if I had to I would have to choose just one it would probably be the Anne Frank museum.  Although the wait was an hour and a half, it was one of the most fascinating museums I’ve been to.  I’ll be the first one to admit that museums, art exhibits, etc. aren’t really my thing but this particular museum opened my eyes to the opportunities I was skipping out on by not giving them a try.

The one thing that stuck out to me about Amsterdam was their lax culture on alcohol, drugs, prostitution, etc.  A few of the tour guys pointed out that Amsterdam’s unofficial slogan/motto was “go ahead and do it as long as it does not disturb your neighbor.”   The legal drinking age is 18 (was 16 up till a few years ago) and many families allow their kids to start drinking at an even younger age.  One guide said that it’s not uncommon for 10-12 year olds to have his own beer, low alcohol content of course and in moderation at a restaurant.  It just got me thinking, if that ever happened in the States you would be not only frowned upon but probably fined or thrown in jail.  They also pointed out that the incarceration rate in the country is so low that they have empty jail cells and lease it out to neighboring countries.  In America, we have the opposite problem where there’s not enough room.  If you ask me, I think we could definitely learn a few things from the Dutch.

Popular I amsterdam sign next to Van Gogh museum.  Pretty empty from the rain.

After my stay in Amsterdam, I took a 3-hour bus ride to Brussels Belgium.  My itinerary was 2 full days in Brussels to see what the city had to offer.  I have to say, 2 days was more than enough.  The tour guide in Amsterdam made fun of Brussels that you didn’t need more than 1-2 days to see everything.  After experiencing it first hand, I would have to agree with him.  The first day I visited a smaller city about an hour train ride from Brussels called Brugge.  It was a really small, quaint twon with a lot of old architecture.  My last day I did another free walking tour to see Brussels before heading to my next city, Prague.

Most popular photo spot in Brugge, Belgium

Here is my travel video for Amsterdam to Brussels & Brugge (most of the content is from Amsterdam).

QOTP: “We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”  -Anne Frank