Set off from Paris to Amsterdam this morning on the Thalys Express (The Thalys/TGV are among the fastest in the world, travelling at easily over 250 kmph).
Within no time, we were in Brussels, the Belgian capital (home to Poirot, Tintin and the ‘Manneken Pis’). Then, the train took us onwards to Antwerp (the place with the diamond connection) and then Rotterdam (one of the busiest ports in the world) before finally reaching Amsterdam.
In Amsterdam, we walked to the quaint Haarlem district where our apartment was located. We were surprised by the number of bicycles on the streets and in the parking lots. Learnt later that about 100,000 bicycles are stolen in Amsterdam every year – just imagine how many there must actually be then!
Amsterdam is, of course, the most ‘liberated’ city in the world, with legalized drug usage, prostitution and euthanasia. Most of the tourists are here for a ‘high’ (literally!) and I did see lot of young Brits around, whatever that meant.
Today, we just walked around the streets of Haarlem soaking in the local atmosphere. As the evening sets in Amsterdam, the street cafes get busy. Beer flows (after all, this is Heineken country!) and you can spot the odd tourist rolling up as you walk past the café windows. Although I didn’t try it myself (I don’t smoke), I was told the stuff is quite potent. I can just imagine a few of my friends for whom this place would be heaven. Ha!
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