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More random thoughts about Amsterdam
One thing that I loved about Amsterdam was that it's a very walkable city - provided you're willing and able to walk, of course. Everything's so compact, so close together, that it isn't hard to get from one place to another.
Not that Brussels isn't walkable too, but I found that it was more difficult to navigate. Amsterdam is laid out in a very simple and logical way, whereas Brussels seems more... twisty? In terms of the way its streets are laid out. Though of course, in Amsterdam I still had to go around checking the map on my itouch to make sure that I knew which tiny street I was on, but at least in terms of the way things were oriented, I could figure it out usually. Brussels... not so much.
But, oh man. The bikes. Bicycles EVERYWHERE. Every-fucking-where. At least, in Amsterdam. It completely boggled my mind. I mean, I knew to expect bicycles, but seeing so MANY bicycles... Part of it is just because of the amount, but it's also because at home, I hardly ever see people riding bicycles. The city isn't built to accommodate bike traffic; there aren't any bike lanes, and riding bikes with the main traffic isn't safe. So, pretty much the only people who ride them are children or people who do offroad/trail stuff. Amsterdam is... quite different. Didn't see many in Brussels though, come to think of it, though it might have had to do with the part of the city that we were in.
Anyway. I've decided that I rather like traveling on trains. That's how we got from Amsterdam to Brussels and back, was by train. It isn't something I've been able to experience much - last time was when I was in Sweden and Finland - but it's nice. I wish I could experience it more often, but it isn't exactly practical here; maybe if I lived in the parts of Canada that are more populous and closer together... alas, no.
Not that Brussels isn't walkable too, but I found that it was more difficult to navigate. Amsterdam is laid out in a very simple and logical way, whereas Brussels seems more... twisty? In terms of the way its streets are laid out. Though of course, in Amsterdam I still had to go around checking the map on my itouch to make sure that I knew which tiny street I was on, but at least in terms of the way things were oriented, I could figure it out usually. Brussels... not so much.
But, oh man. The bikes. Bicycles EVERYWHERE. Every-fucking-where. At least, in Amsterdam. It completely boggled my mind. I mean, I knew to expect bicycles, but seeing so MANY bicycles... Part of it is just because of the amount, but it's also because at home, I hardly ever see people riding bicycles. The city isn't built to accommodate bike traffic; there aren't any bike lanes, and riding bikes with the main traffic isn't safe. So, pretty much the only people who ride them are children or people who do offroad/trail stuff. Amsterdam is... quite different. Didn't see many in Brussels though, come to think of it, though it might have had to do with the part of the city that we were in.
Anyway. I've decided that I rather like traveling on trains. That's how we got from Amsterdam to Brussels and back, was by train. It isn't something I've been able to experience much - last time was when I was in Sweden and Finland - but it's nice. I wish I could experience it more often, but it isn't exactly practical here; maybe if I lived in the parts of Canada that are more populous and closer together... alas, no.