Bicycles in Amsterdam

August 2, 2017

With bicycling being the most popular mode of transportation in Amsterdam I was convinced it would be a perfect way to explore the city. There are many places to rent bikes around the city but a few of us rented them for 15 euros for the day from our hostel.

We followed the canal around to the west side of the city stopping atop many bridges along the way to snap the perfect canal photo. We parked our bicycles next to the NEMO Science Museum and trekked up the steps to the open rooftop which spans amazing views of city.

Back on the bikes we rushed to our next lecture which was in the center of the city. After soaking up the interesting content it was time to fill up our stomachs as well. We biked to a recommended and popular pancake shop, Pancake Bakery, for lunch. We each ordered a full Dutch pancake- savory or sweet- and devoured them in minutes. Right down the street was the Anne Frank museum and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get tickets to go in the house.

We continued our ride to the Rijks Museum riding literally through the museum (visited a different day and loved it- lots of Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer & many more) and out into Vondelpark. We head west again cycling our way to the red light district. This was the most crowded area of the city- besides the museum park. The small cobblestone streets were so dense that we parked the bikes and explored on foot. We stopped in shop after shop and entertained ourselves with the various opportunities in the area.

There were more neighborhoods we wanted to explore but the weather started to turn south so we decided to save the rest for another day.

Written By

Kelsey Lawler

Hi, I'm Kelsey, and I'm going into my fourth year as a finance major and international affairs minor. I'm wrapping up my co-op in London as I write and quickly switching gears to sharing my perspective with you as I begin the Economic and Cultural Dynamics of Muslim Immigration Dialogue this summer. The program seems just as complex and interesting as the title. I hope to walk away with a deeper understanding of the history of Morocco, how it has shaped the country it is today, and how it plays in a larger global economy.