I'm back

The wedding

went great, but I feel like I've told or heard all of the stories a thousand

times since it occurred. Instead I think I'll share some thoughts on Amsterdam

and Koblenz, the two cities we spent time in on our honeymoon.

Amsterdam is

a great city, albeit a little intimidating at first. One of the first

sights you see in the city is an enormous banner warning you about pickpockets.

The warning is written in a number of different languages and will only

increase your paranoia if you are a paranoid person, which I kind of am.

I started to believe that everybody was out to lift my wallet or mug Sabine

and me and take our fabulous new digital camera.

I continually

scanned the perimeter, looking at everybody approaching us from every

direction and they all seemed to look like the henchmen of Bond villains.

I kept varying my walking pace and direction in an attempt to foil their

plans. It must have worked because we didn't get robbed. Perhaps they

thought I was a mental patient who was probably broke anyway or that I

was a pickpocket myself, trying very hard to look like a paranoid tourist.

If you are

careful and aware of your surroundings, there is no danger in being robbed

in Amsterdam. The real danger is bicycles. Amsterdam is a walking city

and people are expected to walk on the sidewalks. The problem is that

the city is filled with outdoor cafes which take up much of the space

on the sidewalk. People are then forced to walk around the cafes by stepping

on the bike paths. This is a mistake. There are bicycles everywhere and

many of them must have faulty brakes because very few of the bikes I saw

slowed down when a human entered their path.

They may not

have a choice. If bicycles swerve to miss a pedestrian, they may get hit

the majority of cars are called Smart Cars and look like mini hatchbacks.

Trams on the other hand could hurt a bit. Both the cars and trams share

the same road and both can be found swerving to avoid each other as they

speed through the city. We survived the terrors of transportation, but

just barely.

Other than

the pickpockets and the out-of-control bicycles, Amsterdam is a world

class city. People from every nationality have made their homes there

and, though Dutch is the native tongue, English is spoken almost everywhere.

In fact most signs have an English translation underneath the Dutch words.

One of the

things I liked best was that there was cuisine from all over the world

available throughout the city. While we were there we ate Greek, Indian,

German and Argentinian cuisine. The meals were inexpensive and the portions

were enormous.

Amsterdam is

also very beautiful. There are cobblestone bridges over canals and buildings

on every side that have been around for hundreds of years. It is a city

that inspired many artists including Rembrandt and Van Gogh. I was familiar

with many of Van Gogh's paintings, but being close to the originals was

an entirely new experience.

Next week,

I'll tell you all about Koblenz, which is a city on the Rhein and Mosel

rivers in Germany.

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