Amsterdam: Beware the bicycles

Above: A selection from the tasting menu at Amsterdam's MAX International Restaurant, which specializes in Indonesian cuisine.

So, the question persists: Why would an experienced traveler ever take a sea cruise? So many answers to that one, not the least of which is non-stop drinking and dining and the chance to just sit and let the world drift by.

But the one that fits at least two of the three cruises that my wife and I have taken over the past few years involves convenience. Our first was up the Alaska Inside Passage, which took us from Vancouver, British Columbia, to just short of Anchorage. Our second was around New Zealand, beginning and ending in Sydney, Australia. And the one we took most recently was through the Baltic Sea, beginning and ending in Amsterdam.

Yeah, we could have flown from Sydney to, say, Auckland and rented a car. But in all three cases, it just seemed easier to cruise our way around.

We left Spokane on June 30, and after connecting in Salt Lake, flew to Amsterdam. We'd arranged to meet my wife's sister and her husband a couple of days before our cruise set sail just to enjoy some of the city's qualities.

Which is the perfect opportunity to make a point about travel. To me, travel — like appreciation of the arts — is a personal thing. You either connect with a place, or you don't. And unless you stay in a village, a city or even a country long enough, you can't really say that you've given it a chance. I admit that I had to visit Florence, Italy, at least a half dozen times before I got over my aversion to its narrow, dark and often crowded streets. And now I love Florence.

So maybe someday I'll love Amsterdam, as others do. But not at the moment. For one thing, our stay was short, barely a day and a half. For another, it was marked by 97-degree temperatures. And while I commend the city's commitment to bicycling, after getting nearly run over the first three times I attempted to walk along the street, I began to lose my patience. Few cars, many bicycles, great. But make sure you have passable sidewalks, people.

We hit a number of the standard sites — the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam Museum, the Rijksmuseum — and, in the time we had, we also walked the canals, had great gin and tonics, a couple of tasty meals and — because why not? — we stopped in at one of Amsterdam's famous coffee houses. Only we didn't order coffee, if you know what I mean.

So, as I say, Amsterdam has lots going for it. And my experience there wasn't necessarily typical. So take everything I have to say about it with a grain of salt. Or, better, with a twist of herb.

Next up: A quick trek to Berlin.