Bikes, Bridges and Beautiful Brick Buildings

Amsterdam is one of the most picturesque cities I have ever visited. It's where a point-and-shoot camera meets a point-it-anywhere cityscape to record delightful visual images. The whole country of Holland is also almost completely flat, making it an ideal place for bicycling. That would explain the almost 1 million bikes being parked or pedaled in this city.

Here's a barge for secure bike parking, moored in the water behind Centraal Station...

and another bike lot nearby. 

There seem to be enough bikes for everyone, so I don't understand why anyone would need to ride double:

There are even cargo bikes...

that have almost as much capacity as some autos. 

Over the many canals are a variety of bridges, all of them pretty. 

(Of course, most bridges are things of beauty - it's hard to find an ugly one.)

There's an old tower that is situated near a small bridge on the old city walls - the Montelsbaantoren. 

Some of the old buildings need bracing with iron bars to hold the original brick walls up straight. 

(This reinforcing bar is in the wall of the Westerkerk, the grand old Calvinist Church...

near the Anne Frank house.)

Even though most of the buildings are made of brick, and in similar styles, there is a remarkable variety on every street. Quite a few buildings work wonders with wisteria!

Even their shutters are striking. Check out these apartments:

Amsterdam - a beautiful burg to bike through!