If I told you that Amsterdam is a little bit like America, would you believe me?
Because it is, in a way. Except for everyone riding bikes, and the prostitutes, and the legalized pot, and the Dutch language, and the …
Actually, Amsterdam isn’t anything like America. Although sometimes it felt like it, because wherever we went, the streets were paved with Americans. And everyone we met who wasn’t American spoke English. (Unlike when I told my parents everyone speaks English in France.)
Yet, surprisingly, Amsterdam was the only city outside of France where I didn’t feel overly “touristy.” Perhaps that’s because the side of the tourism industry we encountered catered specifically to Americans and Anglophones. Or because most of our tour guides were American. Whatever it was – Amsterdam is a city where Americans can feel right at home … barring the prostitutes, and the pot-slash-coffeehouses, and …
From the moment we stepped foot in the city, Michelle, Molly and I were charmed by the omnipresent view of archaic bicycles flowing en masse through the streets, along the sidewalks, zooming by us with a chirruping trill! trill!. When we discovered that there was a tour – in English! – where you see the sights of Amsterdam while riding bikes like a native …well, we couldn’t say no.
One beautiful morning, we headed to the Rijksmuseum to meet up with Mike’s Bike Tour. If you’re looking for a day trip to enjoy the sights of Amsterdam while experiencing a taste of Holland, this is it. This quirky, pedal-it-yourself bike tour prides itself on being the most entertaining and informative tour of the city, ever.
It’s a cheap treat: currently 22 Euro per adult – and they’ll knock off 5 Euro if you bring your own bike – which includes accident insurance. Which made me feel safe, especially during the first five minutes of our tour, where we proceeded to pedal unsteadily through the busiest intersection of Amsterdam. Mike’s Bike Tour also provides rain gear when the weather is temperamental, and no reservations are necessary – just show up and be ready to ride. (However, if you have a large group, a heads-up phone call is always appreciated.)
The famous Picasso statute. It looks like a fish, and is widely considered to not be one of Picasso’s best works. |
Our tour guide was an American named Egg, and after we dutifully followed him through the pulse-racing maze o’ cars, we pedaled into Vondelpark. While this park has historical significance for being a famous hippie hangout in the ‘60s, its other claim to fame is the Picasso statue that stands in the center of the park … one of only two Picasso statues in existence.
After a photo opportunity, we were off again, skimming down the winding roads and reveling in the early spring day. It seemed only a few minutes before we emerged from the dusty city into the Netherlands proper … where we were greeted by none other than that immortal symbol of Holland, that whirligig giant, that Don Quixote foible … a windmill.
 The blades of the windmill go ‘round and round, ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round … |
Windmills, alongside grinding wheat and spinning around and such, had a very interesting historical purpose: they were used to send signals to other towns. Egg informed us that, during the German occupation in World War II, the windmills had been used for just that purpose.
Leaving the windmill behind us, we biked along a canal until we reached a charming cheese farm and wooden clog factory. Inside, we were treated to the sight of wheels upon wheels of traditional Dutch cheese … ranging from six months in age to ten years.
As we suspiciously eyed the aged cheese, a charming young Dutch woman gave us a quick lesson about the significance of wooden clogs. As it turns out, these wooden “shoes” are not just for decoration; they are very much a part of everyday life in Holland. Many citizens wear wooden clogs, and they wear them all the time. The different colors of the clogs correspond to their purpose: yellow shoes for working, red shoes for dancing, and blue shoes for church.
Despite its age, the cheese was actually quite tasty. |
We processed from the cheese house into the carving studio, where we were introduced to a very energetic Dutch man with a shameless, devil-may-care grin. “Come here!” he cried. “I show you how we make wooden clogs!” And he proceeded to do so, gyrating his hips in time to the movement of the machine (which caused nervous, embarrassed titters to break out among the ladies of the group at the sight.)
You work that clog machine, crazy Dutch man! |
From there, we pedaled back into Amsterdam proper, stopping on the canals for photo shoots and an explanation as to why there are so many houseboats floating around the city (Amsterdam is such a small city that people took to building permanent houseboats to deal with the growing population). We took a quick spin through the red-light district (as it was the middle of the day, the lovely ladies of Amsterdam were, sadly, not there) and had a brief overview of the Vices of Amsterdam before we completed the tour at a charming Irish pub.
Mike’s Bike Tour and its sister organization, Fat Tire Bike Tour, run casual, fun bike extravaganzas in several different cities, including Munich, Paris, Berlin, and Barcelona. If you’re ever in these cities and are looking for a unique way to see the sights, these tours come highly recommended.
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