RtW Day 2: Amsterdam

Check out my view:

I'm staying at the Fantasia Hotel, a cow-themed (you read that right) converted house on the south end of the city. My room is tiny, but it has everything I need: a bed, a shower, a toilet and a really nice view. My window looks down onto a series of backyards and courtyards and all I hear is birds, running water and the occasional car going by in the distance. Also, there is the sound of an older man on a cellphone below and what appears to be a kitchen since I'm getting the sound of clamouring dishes as well.

But why, you might ask am I fiddling with the internet and not out enjoying the city? The short answer, is that I'm freakin' tired. I took the train in from Frankfurt this morning (awesome, I'll talk about it later) and then tried to find my way through Amsterdam... I found the hotel after nearly 3 hours of walking with my giganimous pack on my back.

Three things I've learned from this experience:

1. Travel books (and their little maps) are no substitute for a good mapbook. Blow the extra cash and know where you're going before you get lost in a foreign city with 150lbs on your back.
2. Locals are not always the best source of information. The 10yearold kid I met early in my walk was more helpful than the old woman who didn't understand where I was trying to go. Ask lots of people just to be sure.
3. Amsterdam locals don't seem to know how to navigate their own city (at least through the eyes of a non-local). Every set of directions I received was akin to: "go down x, turn left on y, then ask someone". I do not know why this is the case.

Amsterdam is a city of alleys and laneways. In the downtown core, bikes far outweigh cars by at least 7:1. It's amazing. The stop lights have separate lights for cyclists, pedestrians, streetcars, and cars, and everything feels very small town... despite the fact that you know that there's roughly 1million people living here. It's very quiet, there's lots of patios, and as I walked from street to street, I found myself strolling through schoolyards and riverbanks without running into any barriers. I could spend a lot more time here than just a few days... I might still. My hotel can only keep me for 3 days but I'll look around to see if there's anywhere else I might be able to stay.

I'm going to get some food in a bit, but I wanted to post now as it's unlikely I'll be posting any time later tonight. I wanna fiddle with Bluetooth to get my headset working so I can call some of you before I leave here.