Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hello, I'm new here.
A friend of mine directed me to this site, so I thought I would share some photos of my trip from this past weekend.
This was my first time to Amsterdam. Well actually it was my first time in Europe.
The red-eye from Washington Dulles was uneventful and I even caught about 4 hours of sleep before we landed at Schiphol Airport which about 15 miles North of Amsterdam.
The first thing that I thought of when I got into the terminal was "so this is where the panties bomber took off from". It was a very nice, clean and relatively quiet airport. I had heard stories that I would see many machine gun-toting security guards, but there was not a single one to be seen.
After getting my luggage and my bearings, I bought a train ticket to Amsterdam in the main terminal and made my way down an escalator to the train station. Trains seem to run very efficiently. If the sign said the train would leave at 7:05, then by god that train left at 7:05 on the button.
I got into the city at a little after 8am. I wanted to hit the ground running, so I dropped my luggage off at the hotel went out to shoot for a bit.
My hotel was in the red light district. It's obviously a very famous (infamous) part of the city, but during the day the area looks like just about every other part of Amsterdam.
The city is really centered around it's Central Rail Station and it makes for a good landmark to make your way around the confusing maze that makes up Amsterdam.
Sint Nickolasskirk Cathedral is in the same area as Central Station.
In the city, the main form of transportation is by bicycle. They are everywhere.
I found an amazing mix of people there from all across Europe. Many people I spoke with came seeking employment.
A main street on a Sunday- people come from all over Europe on weekends to shop and have fun.
The architecture is really fantastic. Every new block you see offers new angles and perspectives.
The city does have graffiti, but the taggers seem to keep their "art" to somewhat tasteful locations that can be easily painted over (most of the time).
I really love cars, so it was interesting for me to see some of the cars that I have read about in Europe. Mercedes seems to have a large segment of the market there. Everything from cabs to medium vans to large transporters were all Mercedes. A restaurant owner told me that a person earning their driving license in a manually shifted car is allowed to drive either a manual or automatic equipped car, but the opposite is not true.
Alfa Romeo "MiTo"
"Canta"
Volkswagen "Caddy"
Peugeot "Something or other"
A friend of mine directed me to this site, so I thought I would share some photos of my trip from this past weekend.
This was my first time to Amsterdam. Well actually it was my first time in Europe.
The red-eye from Washington Dulles was uneventful and I even caught about 4 hours of sleep before we landed at Schiphol Airport which about 15 miles North of Amsterdam.
The first thing that I thought of when I got into the terminal was "so this is where the panties bomber took off from". It was a very nice, clean and relatively quiet airport. I had heard stories that I would see many machine gun-toting security guards, but there was not a single one to be seen.
After getting my luggage and my bearings, I bought a train ticket to Amsterdam in the main terminal and made my way down an escalator to the train station. Trains seem to run very efficiently. If the sign said the train would leave at 7:05, then by god that train left at 7:05 on the button.
I got into the city at a little after 8am. I wanted to hit the ground running, so I dropped my luggage off at the hotel went out to shoot for a bit.
My hotel was in the red light district. It's obviously a very famous (infamous) part of the city, but during the day the area looks like just about every other part of Amsterdam.
The city is really centered around it's Central Rail Station and it makes for a good landmark to make your way around the confusing maze that makes up Amsterdam.
Sint Nickolasskirk Cathedral is in the same area as Central Station.
In the city, the main form of transportation is by bicycle. They are everywhere.
I found an amazing mix of people there from all across Europe. Many people I spoke with came seeking employment.
A main street on a Sunday- people come from all over Europe on weekends to shop and have fun.
The architecture is really fantastic. Every new block you see offers new angles and perspectives.
The city does have graffiti, but the taggers seem to keep their "art" to somewhat tasteful locations that can be easily painted over (most of the time).
I really love cars, so it was interesting for me to see some of the cars that I have read about in Europe. Mercedes seems to have a large segment of the market there. Everything from cabs to medium vans to large transporters were all Mercedes. A restaurant owner told me that a person earning their driving license in a manually shifted car is allowed to drive either a manual or automatic equipped car, but the opposite is not true.
Alfa Romeo "MiTo"
"Canta"
Volkswagen "Caddy"
Peugeot "Something or other"
0
Comments
Looks like a good time. Did you travel light, or were you using the new 7D?
My site 365 Project
These were all shot with the 7D and 24-105 F4 friend.
Reminds me that I should make a photos-and-map thread about different Amsterdam areas.
There is so much more to see then Centre and Jordaan area.
Thanks. I'm sure there are many other great areas to see. I'd love to see some info on other places for when I return to the city.
Jim
The canta is not a car, it's a 4-wheeled moped. Designed for the elderly, now popular amongst teens as well. The minimal driving age is 18 but a moped is legal from 16y.
Here are some tips for your next visit to Amsterdam
www.warris.nl/blog
http://danielplumer.com/
Facebook Fan Page
Thanks for the tips- I can't wait to go back.