Sixteen Days in Ireland: Amsterdam Picture Post #2: Exploring the city, the Flower Market, and the Jordaan

Peeking out the window of our B&B near Utrechtsestraat; bicyclists bustle past as part of the morning commute, clattering over cobblestones.

A flower shop along one of the canals near our B&B

We wandered along the tree-lined canals and quickly learned that anywhere and everywhere is bike parking in Amsterdam!

I could dedicate an entire post to bikes in Amsterdam. Case in point: bikes parked in an alleyway.

We meandered through the Flower Market; as the name implies, it's famous for the many flowers and bulbs which are sold here and can be shipped anywhere in the world.

Bulbs at the Flower Market

Cute little clog magnets adorned a wall in a tourist shop

It seemed like every booth we came across had bins upon bins of tulip bulbs

Shops and cafes lined the street along the Flower Market - you could sit down, put your feet up, and dig into some Dutch pancakes, or even just wander around with them toasty warm on a plate in your hand.

A rickshaw cyclist near the Flower Market waits for his next ride

More bike parking along the canal

Our wandering took us into the quiet streets of the Jordaan, where this painter teetered precariously on a ladder that bowed and swayed under his weight.

If there was any doubt that bike transportation factors heavily into the Dutch way of life, look no further than the fascinatingly-modified cycles that are commonplace here. We saw entire families on a single bike, commuting to school and work. Other cyclists like this one had wooden wheelbarrow-like containers on the front of their bikes. We even saw people with their dogs in them!

Cheese (or kaas) also featured heavily into our trip - we passed a huge number of shops just like this, pungent with that distinctive tang, piled high from floor to ceiling with yellow wheels of all sizes

Continuing through the Jordaan, many interesting cars were parked along the side of the canal

A sleepy side street in the Jordaan. Even though it's a relatively short walk from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city, life felt slower and more placid here.

This fellow perched on one of the cars along the canal and eyed us curiously as we walked past

Bikes and cars in the Jordaan

One of the many permanently-moored canal houseboats. Many had gardens on their decks (and definitely didn't look at all like they'd be seaworthy again, if they ever had been before.)

More bikes! ("I'm so surprised!" Said no one, ever.)

Not only do you find bikes everywhere, but you find people doing everything while on their bikes. Smoking, talking on their phones, hauling groceries, moving boxes, and sometimes even a combination of more than a few of these!

We couldn't leave the Jordaan without paying a visit to Small World Sandwiches, a tiny catering shop with freshly made paninis, juices, and pastries. It came highly recommended to us by our B&B hosts (and when a Frenchman tells you that a place has the best sandwiches in the world, well, you run - you don't walk - to get there and eat one for yourself.)

A delicious juice was had...

...as well as a delicious sopressata sandwich (and yes, it was one of the best sandwiches ever.)

And we even got to sit down and people-watch, like when this gentleman with a tiny dog wandered past.

Continuing on, we found a busier shopping street with sweet shops, boutiques, bakeries...

...and more cheese, of course

...more bikes (a given)

....Bikes with babies behind windshields

And even with plastic bins! (Looks like I also forgot to mention that "listening to music" is another one of the activities we saw people doing while on their bikes.)

As we made our way back around to the Amsterdam Centraal area, touristy shops became more common, as did the stores which were clearly targeted toward a more stoned demographic.