Sex, bikes and a McDisgusting - a day in transit (posting from the road)

A 40 min early arrival into Amsterdam meant one thing to me...time to explore...

Some of you who read this have been mockers of my navigation skills in the past. I maintain that I earned my girl guide badge in orienteering and I possess an excellent intrinsic compass. This extended layover in Amsterdam gave Tricia and I a chance to zip into downtown Amsterdam for a quick tour of this unique canalled city. It has been 4 years since I have left Schipol airport on a layover but I navigated our way through the bridges and alleys of Amsterdam like a pro...our destination...the statue dedicated to sex workers.

I have always thought of it as an odd statue...sex workers in North America are generally viewed as 'part of the problem'. It would be the equivilant of placing a statue in the heart of Compton and dedicating it to all of the crack dealers; "may your gang colours run deep and your sales boom". But here where high end hotels are next to sex shops and it's possible to get high and caffinated at the same cafe, sex workers are celebrated in a small, somewhat dignified statue...in front of a church.

The other element of Amsterdam that I love is the bikes. Not that I want to hop on the devices and join them...I hate cycling. (I want to like it but I can't - it's too uncomfortable - but every few years I venture to REI - think maybe this is the year, wander around and wonder...). Everywhere you look in Amsterdam, there are bicycles...lining the canals, crowding the streets...they even have their own parking garage! But the most amazing thing about the bikes is the contraptions themselves. Several friends of mine are cyclists - and they have the titanium frames, padded seats and dual suspension - but their Dutch counterparts, who conduct EVERY aspect of their lives on a bike, have old steel frames with no suspension and regular seats - the kind of cycle that we have only seen in our grandparents garages. Hmmm...maybe that guy at REI was feeding me a line when he told me that I would need to have disk brakes to survive...

Time at the end of our whirlwind tour meant that we would have time to sample some Dutch McDonalds. A little background for those none regular readers, I try to visit McDonalds in all countries to see and sample the difference menus. This has lead to an interesting insight into local customs and cuisine and often a delicious snack. That all changed with the McKrocet. It was easily the WORST think I have ever sampled from the fast food giant. It can best be described as mashed potato with bits of beef, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. This patty is now served on a bun with a dijonase topping. It was truly horrid. The ddessert doughnut was a nice surprise however, even with the peculiar aftertaste...

Well my day started in one of the hippiest, granola crunching cities in the world (Portland, Oregon), took a brief detour through a city full of liberal progressions (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and ended with a decidedly dismal communist feel. As our 737 descended into St. Petersburg I envisioned seeing a skyline dotted with glittering gold onion domes and grand palaces...the approach is full of nothing but an endless view of communist style apartment blocks. There are five million people who live in St. Petersburg and I have flown into larger aiprorts in rural Canada! And talk about setting a tone...airports are the "gateways' to the country/area. Ambergris Caye in Belize had a huge reef aquarium, Great Falls Montana has a large number of taxidermied animals...and St. Petersburg has a drab paint scheme with a definate decor of communism. So we'll see...but I am here, safe and sound and out to tackle Russia - will write more soon!