The Beer Bro(mpton). Day 1 – Amsterdam
Arriving in Amsterdam early in the afternoon, I had some time to refresh my memories of the city. I unpacked my Brompton at the train station and cycled to the hostel to drop off my bag, then continued into the city. But in all honesty, I was lost. Despite it being my third visit, I couldn’t quite figure out what was where. Admittedly, my last visit was a long time ago—and the temptations of Amsterdam got the better of me.
I crisscrossed the city center, trying to revive any memory of places I had seen before, but to no avail—nothing came back. Thankfully, the weather was lovely, with plenty of sunshine, so wandering aimlessly was still a pleasant experience.
Along the way, I kicked off the “Beer Tour” with a visit to Brouwerij ’t IJ, followed by stops at two other breweries for good measure: Brouwerij De Prael and Bierfabriek. I also made a quick visit to Brompton Junction to pick up a replacement ratchet spanner for my toolkit.
As much as Amsterdam is known for being bike-friendly, I found cycling there a bit unsettling. It felt chaotic—too many pedestrians, cyclists darting from every direction, oncoming cars on narrow streets, and lots of cobblestone surfaces. In the end, I walked more than I cycled.
Today in numbers:
12 km — distance cycled
16 km — distance walked
1281 — bridges in Amsterdam spanning over 160 canals
12 000 to 15 000 — bicycles end up in Amsterdam’s canals every year