Great Getting the Canal Day Pass

It’s a great way to get about. €21 for an 8 stop canal metro. I booked with Gray Line. There are many choices and companies offering short and long trips. Glide round and get out to break your journey. Drift underneath the bridges all heaving with tourists and locals. Hop out like I did in the museum quarter.

This area is packed with so many young people and their joy is infectious. Word of warning though to those who love a big bag with them. Best left in your Hotel if you want access to the Van Gogh Museum. I had my case with me as I was heading to catch a train. Next visit I’m gonna get inside and feast on Van Gogh. The cycle path that runs through the Rijksmuseum is a seriously great thing. Musicians play to the bikers and many pedestrians. String quartets and world music. Could have stayed in this petrol-free space all day.

The bike flat has been such a success that others are being planned. It holds about 3000 bicycles. The best time to see it is on a Friday evening as all the drunk workers struggle to locate their bikes.

Seeing underneath the many bridges you glimpse another side to the city’s construction. The Dutch built endless islands to set up shop in. And those shops were crowned with gloriously varied gables. Houses weren’t numbered, they just had different tops to describe them by.

The Foot & Cycle Tunnel

This shared foot & bike tunnel beneath the Centraal Station is just beautiful. The ceramic tiles nod to Deflt in their white and blue design. They change slowly as you pass through the tunnel. From blue heavy blocks at the start to depictions os rough seas and barrels adrift in the waves. But light also plays a hug part in the colours and effects inside. The sun broke out at the far end and the tunnel glittered golden. Then back to blue or white.

And the design is funky too. the curved corners are very modern but I wondered if in large crowds some people might stray towards them and fall over. Why do I always look for health and safety issues? Must stop that. Soon! Tomorrow.

No silly Boaty McBoatface nelly-named vessels here. A ship needs a moniker that holds weight. Presenting Pedro Doncker. Now that’s a boat whose story deserves to be told.