Edam aka 2 out of 3 ain't bad

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My arrival in the city confirmed something for me that I really should have known all along. The Dutch are manic when it comes to their bicycles. Sure, I had seen the parking garage at the Amsterdam train station that holds 2,500 bikes. I had read the statistic that there were over 600,000 in Amsterdam alone, but nothing had prepared me for this....thing. I initially thought that our bus was pulling in next to a beer garden, but as I was getting off said bus, it struck me as a bit odd that the picnic table and all its inhabitants were now cruising down the street. Turns out they had somehow managed to combine two of the most popular Dutch pastimes, biking and drinking. It was a bar-bike, or a bike-bar. I don't know what you would call it, but it is pictured above.

We were actually visiting Edam in pursuit of yet another Dutch pastime. Cheese. I realize that a foodstuff does not a pastime make, but any lesser term would underestimate their passion for the kaas. Edam is only one of the three "cheese towns" that we visited in the Netherlands. Like the others, Edam has a museum devoted to cheese, an ancient weigh station (where else would weigh your cheese?) and a plethora of cheese-centric restaurants. Not knowing what else to do, we found an outdoor cafe, ordered some cheese, some beer and, yes, enjoyed two out of those three pastimes.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2007 at 4:55 PM

    Oh my god! A bike-bar?! Have the Dutch been reading my mind? That is too awesome. And yay for you blogging again! I can't believe all you saw and everywhere you went _ AND that you're going to Venice in just a few days!! Have a fantabulous time there and float down a canal for me! Also, come to NYC soon!!!
    Love,
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  2. RamblingRolandSeptember 22, 2007 at 7:46 AM

    Cool shot of the bike bar. Truly unimaginable, until now. Also liked the blog about Marken and Volendam, and your picture on the bench next to the bronze statue. Don't know which city that was in, but am guessing Volendam.

    ReplyDelete

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