A walk around Flevopark

There had been quite a bit of rain and gloomy clouds but we decided to take a walk around the nearby Flevopark.

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The park borders the main canal from Amsterdam to the Rhine. It is supposedly the busiest canal in Europe.

One of the barges that passed us as we walked beside the canal. This one had to be close to 100 yards long.

A Police boat. The barges move along quite quickly but this was faster.

A house boat being pulled and pushed along.

Part of the University of Amsterdam.

We are always amused by the cars parked on the barge living quarters.

The cycle path beside the canal which is on the top of a dyke beside the big canal. Walkers need to be careful.

There were a few small cottages in this quiet backwater.

There are just so many waterways in the area, some large and others small like this one. Just to the right outside the photo is the large canal.

It has been a pleasure to see all the flowers here in Amsterdam. 

Yes, there is a bicycle in there somewhere. Marianne had walked by it a couple of weeks before and more of it was visible then. By the end of summer it will have completely disappeared.

There were quite a few cyclists and walkers using this path. We have been very impressed by how so many of the Dutch get around on bikes. We were watching a TV program on congestion in London and couldn't help but think that they needed to replace cars with bicycles to alleviate the problem. And of course, raise the level of fitness dramatically.

Black for pedestrians, red for bicycles.

By now we were in the park proper instead of circling the edges.

This rhododendron still had some flowers but Marianne reckoned it looked better two weeks beforehand. I did not go on the walk because I was resting my feet after the Coast to Coast walk.

The beer garden which we went to shortly after we first arrived. It was crowded back then because it was a lovely hot afternoon. The crowd was definitely absent on this cloudy cool afternoon.

Entrance to the old Jewish Cemetery. I could not see any graves.

One of the parakeets that seem so out of place in Amsterdam. Our exchange family returned home this morning and they said that they originated in the foothills of the Himalayas and somehow came to Europe.

We have been gazing at this print on the wall in the lounge room and wondered what it was. It turns out it is a print of a photograph by Jan Saudek. We really liked the sense of joy on the girls' faces.

So our time has come to an end here in Amsterdam and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We have really been impressed by the relaxed and friendly attitude of the Dutch.

So back to England tomorrow to finish the walk.