I’m not sure if we’re going to have any more swimmable hot days in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, it seems like the warmest days of summer have passed. In case there is another hot day, I’ll let you know about a nice beach biking distance from the city center!
I discovered the Blijburg Beach last week when biking through my new neighborhood in the oost. The beach is really nice, not nearly as crowded as Zaandvoort, and super close to Amsterdam.
You can get there really quickly by hopping on Tram 26 from central station in the direction of ijburg or you can ride your bike. From central station go behind the station and head east for about 30-40 minutes on the same road, the road will start as De Ruyterkade, then turn into Piet Hienkade, and then eventually into ijburglaan. You will start to see beachy areas and there are plenty of bike signs that lead you straight to the beach!
NDSM provides a really cool (mini) escape from the hustle of Amsterdam. It’s only a 5 minute (free!!!) ferry ride from Tasmanstraat or Central Central and is perfect for a little lounge in the sun. It’s basically a haven for artists, creative types and and people choosing to live below the borders of society.
According to the NDSM website:A former shipyard on the northern banks of the IJ and larger than 10 football fields, the NDSM wharf is now a center for underground culture in Amsterdam. This huge area contains the NDSM hall, a hangar-like structure 20,000 sq. meters in area and 20 meters in height, and two historic ship slipways (Hellingen) housing workshops and artists’ studios.
If you wander around the surrounding area, you’ll notice that bohemians and anarchists alike have taken to alternative living quarters from broken down buses, to abandoned buildings and manholes. Make sure to check out Noorderlicht, which is a really cozy cafe with delicious snacks housed in an old greenhouse.
She’s not on a bike but is surrounded by them. This is my best friend Paige who visited Amsterdam a while back. I love this photograph of her. You can’t see any buildings or landscapes but you can easily figure out she’s in Amsterdam.
I’ve always been very scared of hitchhiking in America. I’ve been told that it is really dangerous and something horrible would probably happen to me if I went in a stranger’s car. I’m not really sure if that is the case in America but in Europe, hitchhiking led to one of most friendly encounters I’ve had with people. A couple of weeks ago I joined a hitchiking contest where 40 international students hitchhiked from Amsterdam to the Ardennes in Belgium for a weekend getaway in the countryside. I didn’t know what to expect but I did not expect that all 40 of us would make it across borders into a tiny village town all by hitchhiking within 12 hours. So based on what I have learned hitchhiking in 14 cars back and forth to Belgium, here are few tips when hitchhiking Europe.
1. Go with another person if you are a female but try not to be more than two total, there’s just not enough room in most cars.
2. Carry cardboard and markers to write your destination.
3. The best places to start and be dropped off are gas stations. It is a lot easier to walk up to someone and ask if they are heading in the same direction and join rather than hold a sign on the side of the highway.
4. Make sure you are being dropped off somewhere safe with lots of people. It can be a nightmare trying to find another ride if you are dropped off in the middle of nowhere so be clear about where you want to go before you get into a drivers car. We made that mistake in one car and it got us off track about 2 hours.
5. Leave early and don’t plan to be somewhere by a certain time. Hitchhiking is all about luck, it might take 3 hours or 9 hours to get to a certain destination based on who picks you up so don’t expect to be somewhere within a certain time frame.
Yeah thats about it. Hitchhiking in Europe is really really easy and fun! Here are some pictures from my trip.
Pumping gas with a trucker on the way to Maastricht.
Got stuck at a rest stop until..
We rescued by drunken Belgian footballers!
Our final destination, the beautiful Ardennes, Belgium
Reminder that Broken Social Scene is playing at the Melkweg with Timber Timbre on May 18, 2010. They just released their new album Forgivness Rock Record and its sounds preeetttyyy nice. Tickets are only 12 euros! Doors open at 19.30, show starts at 20.30
Wooo hooo! A 3 week long Graphic Design Festival in Breda, Netherlands is happening now until May 30. The program includes illustrations, paper cut designs, connecting people, decoding data, and lots more. Information on location, fees, and timetables can be found here.
A pretty cool two-day music festival in The Hague called Walk the Line is happening this weekend on Friday May 14 and Saturday May 15. Over 40 acts including AVI Buffalo, Bonobo, War Paint, Sleigh Bells will be performing in the city center in various squares, cafes, and clubs. I also love the festival’s web design. Tickets are 25 euros for a day pass and 40 euros for the whole event.
