Keizergracht

As I type I don't actually know if I have my blip image yet. Amsterdam is so cool and trendy. People of all ages glide gracefully past on their bicycles on busy streets in office suits, even party dresses and the girls are pretty smart too.

As holidaying parents M and I look on with envy at those on grown up holidays sitting in sidewalk type bars sipping Dutch beer from elegant glasses with not a care in the world.

We were at Artis Zoo today and it was`roasting hot again. It is a well laid out zoo with lovely shady mature tree lined paths linking the different sections. I felt slightly uneasy at the size of compounds occupied by big cats and comparison with counterparts at Kincraig were inevitable.

It was a lovely family day.

I haven't mentioned the "digs" here in detail. We have a self catering apartment near the city centre. Given the premium on square feet here it is quite spacious. However, not mentioned on the web site blurb we have a small 3.5m square brick court yard with a view straight up to the blue sky. Given the heat today, and our liking for such cooking, we had a barbecue
tonight. Who would have thought you could have a city centre barbecue in Amsterdam.
Perhaps you can tell but we`had a couple of Amstel Beers with our chicken and burgers.

Its may be a day of culture tomorrow with rest in the afternoon for a beer with the trendy people.

I just nipped out to get this blip and I managed to not fall in the canal.