(Sorry OP for continuing to hijack this thread)
Nautiker, we don't have any Thomas Gottschalk adds here AFAIK. Having seen his beautiful white smile on German tv a couple of times I think that is a good thing. Now if we could only get rid of those corny German adds ((always badly dubbed in Dutch) for cleaning tools (my stomach starts to feel itchy whenever I see those Cillit Bang commercials...).
Hi everyone,
Well, I'm glad a few people enjoyed my report. Thanks to all for replying.
Aribo, Nautiker: I don't mind the so-called "hijacking" at all. dr_who, thanks for the translation. It's even funny in English.
Cecile: Next time I go to Amsterdam, I will keep your suggestions in mind and explore more of the non-touristy parts. This time, since I my friends were going to show me around, I didn't do much research before I left. If I ever do that bike tour, your posts will surely be helpful.
Oh, and thanks for the info, everyone, on bike rights-of-way and the Holland issue . . . I certainly thought that "the Netherlands" and "Holland" were the same place.
Bedankt
Peace
Mike