Amsterdam in 22 hours

Amsterdam and Madrid are two very different cities. Amsterdam is quiet, and generally organized around the canals throughout the city. It´s quite pretty, and with bikes outnumbering cars, does not feel rushed. The Van Gogh museum was nice, and a beautiful building. The city is full of architectural contrast, just a block from the Van Gogh museum is the Reichstag museum, this glorious old building.

The Dutch take their botany very seriously, and the floating tulip market was fascinating. If I lived in Amsterdam, there would definitely be fresh flowers in my home at all times. Unfortunately, the cheese market doesn´t open until mid-April, though that provides just another reason to return. Next time I go to Amsterdam, it´ll be for more than 22 hours, only eight of which I spent in the city.

Now I´ve got a couple days in Madrid before heading for the Portugese coast. In my brief time here thus far, Madrid is a faster, louder city. Traffic is horrible, and it seems like there´s little order to the driving. Navigating would also be difficult, with the street signs on buildings. The signs are beautiful, as seen here. Forutnately, my Spanish is decent enough to conduct commercial transactions with ease. Portugal may be a different story.