three days in the city of bikes

It is Europe's epicenter of cool, Amsterdam is. Canals, bikes – not just any bikes but the divine old school Dutch bicycles – houseboats decorated with potplants and colourful windmills, terrace houses lining the canals that are slightly askew leaning this way and that. Wafts of sweet smoke drifting from the coffee shops. Mere shards of glass that separate you from the rows of women sitting under red lights in skimpy underwear. And what is this? A vintage store you are after? Well look no further my friend. It is a vintage lover's heaven. Hours we spend trawling through the hoards of clothes and shoes and bags and belts. If only an inch of room remained in my suitcase.

"It always rains in Amsterdam" we are told by a random local. And rain it does. We hide from the rain in the pubs and clubs of Leidseplein. The next day we hide from the rain in bed nursing severe, yet completely worthwhile, hangovers.

A chocolate craving leads to the all important question… "Is this normal cake?" asked oh-so-innocently while pointing at the tray of cake and cookies on the counter that sit amidst hash lollipops... "It's space cake" is the patient, albeit painfully obvious, reply. But of course it is space cake, it is being asked for in a coffee shop in Amsterdam. And when you begin to worry about the bunk above collapsing and wonder, if it does, will it lead to a broken nose, or worse?, you can be certain it is not 'normal cake' at all…

In Amsterdam they have vintage covers, like a shower cap, for the bike seats. When it comes down to it this really says it all. Amsterdam is cool.