I amsterdam

The story · 3 days

The title of this trip (I'am sterdam) is the slogan seen these days along the streets of this stunning Dutch city. Marathon days.... This was one of the few times I found myself with an organised little trip without having to do anything.. I only had to put up the money. To book flight, hostel and the rest, some of my work colleagues took care of it. So on Saturday morning we set off, 13 of us….. destination: AMSTERDAM!!! For me it was a return to this city after a good 8 years!!

Day 114 Oct 2006

With the cheap "Transavia" flight we landed at the gigantic Schiphol airport which is located south of the city from where we took a train to reach the central station. The Amsterdam Centraal is the starting point for visiting both Amsterdam and the rest of Holland. From here both local and international trains depart and in the square in front of the station there are trams and buses that allow you to reach every corner of the city. Having taken a tram we headed to the hostel booked on the Internet. We stayed at the INTERNATIONAL BUDGET HOSTEL. In my opinion acceptable but a bit expensive!! Here the strange but nice group split up…the marathon runners went to the stadium to pick up the bib number for the race while 6 of us set off towards the center.

Once we arrived in piazza Damm a visit to the nearby transgression area couldn't be missed… What a city!!! The police give fines to cyclists and the pushers deal in broad daylight... We did a little tour in a couple of coffee shops where we also "consumed" and then took a long look at the RED LIGHT DISTRICT. Well I don't think there's any need to describe this area… In the evening we all met up for a dinner and then while the runners went home I and the 5 companions of the afternoon stayed out having fun until 2.00 at night… On this day I think we walked more than 15 km!!!

Day 215 Oct 2006

We woke up around 8.30 and after an abundant breakfast and a walk through the city we rented 6 bicycles. Like in Copenhagen, in my opinion, the best means to get around the city… We went to the "marathon area" where we stayed all day. What a satisfaction it must be to participate in and finish a race like that…..the people who applaud you along the street, the entry into the stadium packed with people….. they must be wonderful sensations!! I was among the audience and I got shivers!!!! At the end of the day anyway we too were tired. Our 30-40 km by bike

Day 316 Oct 2006

Obliged to wake up early to leave the hostel rooms, we devoted the day to visiting the city and its flower market. Around 4:30 PM we set off for Schiphol, from where at 7:20 PM we took the flight to Bergamo.