Nederland

A river running through Amsterdam's red-light district.

A crowded Amsterdam street at night.

A panorama of streets in Amsterdam at night.

I went to Amsterdam with Will, AJ and Matt this weekend. It was good fun, except that the traffic makes no sense there. What looks like a sidewalk could very well be an extension of the road, or a bike path, and pedestrians never have the right of way. And bikes were everywhere, which makes sense given the approximate €13 price of gasoline in the area. A very lively city, especially at night.

Then we went to Zaanse Schans, which was out in the country, and walked by some of Holland's oldest windmills by the River Zaan.

A family rides their bicycles on a path in Zaanse Schans behind the windmills.
This windmill, called De Kat was used as a dye mill. According to the Zaans Molenmuseum, this is probably the last wind-powered dye mill in the world.
Windmills line the Zaan River.