We only spent two full days in Amsterdam, but they were busy ones. We did a canal cruise, visited the Van Gogh museum (which currently has a wonderful exhibition on called “Van Gogh at Work”, looking at the way his style developed over the course of his career), wandered along the canals, and even managed to fit in a day trip to the Waterland region just north of the city. And we took eager advantage of Amsterdam’s cosmopolitan culinary offerings, eating delicious Thai and Indonesian meals (quite a treat after weeks in the Czech Republic and Germany).
Amsterdam was as beautiful as ever and, as usual, I spent a lot of time taking photos of my two favourite things about the city: the buildings and the flowers:
The highlight of this visit though was our day in the countryside just outside of Amsterdam (which we reached using the excellent public buses), visiting Edam and the forming-fishing-now-tourist village of Marken. It was lovely to escape the rush of the city for these very quiet towns. Edam was particularly lovely and was only 30 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal. If I were someone working in Amsterdam, I could see the allure of living there rather than right in the city.
Edam
Edam
Edam
Marken
As much as I enjoy Amsterdam and what it has to offer, it is terribly busy this time of year and I was quite relieved to leave the crowds behind and fly to England. In the Peak District, my odds of getting knocked down by an aggressive bicyclist – or worse, bicycle-wielding tourist – were dramatically reduced!
The Captive Reader 
Sounds glorious!
It was!
I have been to Amsterdam twice and absolutely loved it. If I get back there I would very much enjoy visiting the smaller places in the country. Enjoyed your photos.
Amsterdam is fun and full of so many wonderful people and places but I love getting out of the city, whether it is to explore the country or a smaller town.