Amsterdam on a sunny Sunday afternoon

Be prepared, this post is going to be bombed with photos and is somewhat like a walkthrough of what we did.

Blessed with such beautiful autumn weather, we went into Amsterdam last Sunday (our third day in the country). It's like a weekend trip into Sydney CBD from Blacktown (or equivalent distance), but faster.

We arrived at Amsterdam Centraal station, and it was packed! So first impression would be that this place is full of tourists (including us)! I have to say, it's a bit of a clusterfuck but still somehow organised. The sheer amount of traffic is quite overwhelming for someone who doesn't particularly like crowds, yes, that's me. I'll let the photos describe the craziness!

I mean, Ok, this doesn't look too bad, right?! Then you turn around, BAM!!

This is only a section of the view, since I haven't figured out how to do a panorama shot. The bus has conveniently covered the main street where people are packed like sardines!

Second impression; Everything is sooo PRETTY! So I got carried away taking lots of photos of the central canals.

That funky building in the centre background is the Hilton hotel...

I think the tallest buildings in this place are churches...

Quintessential Dutch canal houses! I rather not live in one of them; you'll never get your shit back if you drop it out of the window!

We didn't really have a plan of attack on this city, so we just wandered around like some lost puppies. The only aim Graham had was to find their local game store, so everything else on the way is a bonus. So we went along the main street and stopped to take more photos of the Royal Palace Amsterdam and Madame Tussauds. 

Maybe it only feels more crowded than it looks? :P

Ok, looking more crowded now! Graham just has to check out a back alley.

     

Miffy in traditional Delft blue Dutch dress and we tried some nice aged gouda.

And a boring picture of the Royal Palace. At least the bell in the clocktower still works.

We then turned off the main street onto some quieter streets heading west. I was glad that we went around the outer canals first, not only because it was much more peaceful and picturesque, we were not getting intoxicated by the horrible weed smell shrouding the central streets. I don't have a problem with weed, I just don't like the smell and it makes me sick (physically). In fact, Graham and I both got sick from our final leg of exploring and walking past too many 'Coffee Shops' and decided to just go home because of that!

Lol, trying to take a photo while crossing the road and the light is about to turn red... This place is pretty crazy alright!

This is the sort of photos you guys have been waiting for right? Pretty canals, bridges, boats, nice houses on the side? Good news for you, I got more! :P

     

We still can't get over the fact that the buildings are all tipping over! Not that they'll fall over, just rather disconcerting...

OMG, boat houses! They are sooooo awesome! XD 

Swans are everywhere, and swans don't give a fuck! Charging at the tourists like a boss! 

I hope you're sick of canal pictures by now. Anyway, there were some pretty quaint, expensive, designer, novelty and boutique stores and lay-back cafes hidden in the smaller streets. It was just really enjoyable to walk around and checking out some extra nice houses on our way.

The nice little houses and the ambience makes up for the few tourists taking photos of everything. :P

Too bad it's not open, but we would totally eat there - Quattro Gatti Italian restaurant!

Store front of Hermes, so much nicer than our stupid, snobby Sydney store! They actually sell things I would buy, just can't afford them!

The lost puppy has finally found a new home, will they adopt him though? 

     

I think I found a new hobby too! ^.^ Mosaic craft by PixelHobby

Haven't found an art supply store, but this is much more luxurious! Mc Lennan's Pure Silk

Two of the most adorable/pretty houses we've found so far.

        

I really like this part of Amsterdam, just delightful to stroll through! Sunflowers for my love! <3

Thanks for reading until the very end. I hope you all enjoyed the part of Amsterdam we have currently explored. The main thing is stay away from the 'Coffee Shops' if you're here to see the beauty of this city, or if you think you'll get sick from the weed smell like us... There are so much more to see and do here, the next post would be on our anniversary high tea experience! Stay tuned! 

p.s. We did visit the red light district - De Wallen, and it was not very eventful during the day. Don't think we'll go there again. Lol! We did watch fallen bicycles getting fished out of the canals though, and shit loads of swans! 

Netherlands First Impression - Almere

So we moved the the Netherlands for Graham's work. There's definitely a mixture of feelings regarding this change in our lives. There was a lot of stress leading up to the move because we were pretty rushed into this, but we got there at the end.

I got a new camera for this journey. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ110. The other contender was the LX-100, which has a better lens but much heavier, therefore, less travel friendly. I thought the x10 optical zoom would come in handy, and I was correct.

Our Mascot, Captain Squeaky, approves of the not-so-blinding flash

The cats came with, of course. They had a much tougher journey than we did, since they had to be fasting for the entire trip. I can assure you that they have definitely forgotten about this ordeal and are back to being lovingly needy as usual.

Anyway, we are currently staying in this cute little village called Muziekwijk in Almere, approx. 40 km northeast of Amsterdam. People refer to this place as the Milton Keynes of Netherlands, and I can see why but don't think it's that bad.

I find it quite similar to the outskirts of Sydney really; quiet and nothing happens around here. At least the local shops are less than 10 min walk away, which is better than most Sydney suburbs. The buses are frequent and they take you to the town centre in about 10 min as well. Almere Centrum has a town market and lots of retail stores and eateries, so again, much better than most Sydney suburbs. I so guess you can say that I like the place? Lol.

It's unusually sunny for a Dutch autumn, and we are out to explore the neighbourhood.

A nicer shot of the street, it's so European!

The local canal is like 2 blocks away, so 2 min? I mean, I have to post canal photos!

Spot the little blue boat down the river in the photo to the right. No filters or digital editing, the new camera is doing well pretty I think. :)

Testing out the macro function on this little guy in the local pet shop! It kept focusing on the bars rather than the hamster though. :( I'll need to figure out how to fix that.

Didn't get to take many photos of the town centre and the market, this swan in the lake should make up for everything though? (with slight contrast and colour level editing)

The sun is in the wrong spot for taking photos of anything! The water looks good though. As you can see, the Eurasian Coots have nested on this ledge/wave break in the artificial lake.

Hope you enjoy the photos. I'll have a comparison to Amsterdam in the next post. I took a lot more photos so have to cull it down a bit.

There are a few things that aren't great, which I can tolerate, but one thing I really can't stand is the smoking. People smoke everywhere and they just throw the cigarette butts EVERYWHERE! Definitely not great for an asthmatic... :(