European Adventure 2005 Day 4

the tour my friend gave me enabled me to have a great day of exploration in Amsterdam Centrum. i took the 10 minute tram ride into the center of town and spent 9 hours walking and discovering and getting lost. getting lost was not much of a problem or concern for me because i was always able to find my way by using the canals and Amsterdam palace, known as The Dam, and the steeple of on old church rising high into the air to find my way... a cultural compass system as shown to me by my Dutch friend.
in just the couple of days that i have been here, i have come to understand why people fall in love with this city. Amsterdam surely does have a unique and warmly compelling charm. i am in total awe of the architecture... what incredibly beautiful and intriquite brickwork. i took scores of photos of the architecture and the the old narrow houses and buildings which lean precariously into each other.... i'm totally amazed at all the intriquitely warm brickwork. i've always thought of bricks as cold and hard, but here, an infinite number of bricks seem to magically transform into a cozy, albeit ironically and precariously fragile, solid habitat for all that society has to offer ... not only boggles my mind, but blows my mind.
and the friendliness of the local & multicultural inhabitants is impressive. and, what antiquity & history permeates the air here!
i'm not one who feels so comfortable in cities, but this country girl has discovered that a city can, indeed, be a warm and embracing place.
people are unimaginably friendly... both the Dutch and all the multitude of nationalities living here.
food good, beer better, ambiance best :)
Amsterdam is definitely the nicest, easiest city this countrygirl has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

oh, yeah! almost forgot to mention....
also, as any good american tourist will do, i sat and had a bier and a smoke ;) in the Red Light District. lol, i found it very interesting to sit at an open air cafe beside the de Oude Kerk at 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon and witness prostitutes enticing passersby from behind glass doors. soooo different from the Puritanical society from which i come!