Blue suede shoes

Well, not exactly suede, but they are definitely blue.

Glamour shot of my new running shoes

I've been using the fact that I've had no running shoes as an excuse to not do any exercise for the last 2 months, but recently I finally got around to buying some. I'll be trying really hard over the next few weeks to establish some sort of routine, going for a run after work a few times a week.  We live only about 1km from the Vondelpark which is about 3km around, so a jog from home and a lap of the park is a nice 5km.

The darkness is not a problem- it's still light up to 8:30pm at the moment, and is only going to get later over the next few weeks.  The weather is a bit hit and miss though.  I went out tonight and it was really cold, and started raining when I was out.  It sounds horrible, but to be honest I think I would prefer that to a stinking hot, humid Queensland summer day when it feels like you are running with a wet blanket over your head.

To keep me motivated with a defined goal when I go for a run, I signed up for the Zuidas Run.  I elected for the shorter distance of 4 miles (~6.5km) rather than the longer 10 miles, as I haven't been keeping up my running over the last few months.  There is a few running events over the year, hopefully I'll be able to take part in a bunch of these.

Commuting

Today I rode my bike to work for the first time.  I've practiced riding on the weekends and at night, but this is the first time in peak hour, and it's quite a different experience.  The bike paths chock full, but I feel safe enough amongst the pack as long as I stay straight and consistent.
I also got my personal OV-chipkaart today, a bright pink tram card with my face printed on it.  Now I feel more like a local when I swipe it on the tram, rather than using the blue anonymous ones that the tourists use.  WHat's even better is that work pays for any travel I do using the card within zones 1 & 2, so I can go anywhere between Zuid and Centraal for free- score!

Bikes!

We're getting more and more Dutch each day- this weekend we bought bikes! And being second hand, we don't stick out like the tourists who ride the brand new bright red or yellow rental bikes around town.  We bought them from a little bike shop around the corner from our house called Ciclo Rijwielhandel.  Given the massive market for bicycles in Amsterdam, one would think that prices might be low but they are in fact the opposite- we bought second hand ones on the cheaper end of the scale and paid 150 euro each (including sturdy new locks). You do get what you pay for with Dutch bikes though- they are ridiculously well made compared to the bikes I have owned in Australia.

My bike is like my first car- it's around 30 years old but was previously owned by an old lady who had it in the shed for years so it hasn't seen much use.  It's in very good nick, no rust or anything like that.

Our first ride in Amsterdam was a baptism of fire- we went to pay for the bikes and he only accepted cash, of which we didn't have enough, so he said we could ride to the ATM to get cash out.  So with no time to practice in a quiet area, it was straight out onto the main street to find a bank.  It was quite nerve racking, but probably a good thing that we didn't have time to be nervous about it before we started.
We went for a ride to the park to practice, and also to my work to figure out which way to go.  It's a quick and fun way to get around, and very easy given the complete lack of hills.  Hopefully over the coming months we'll get better and more confident on our new bikes.

Our bikes! Sam's on the left, mine on the right

Parking lot at the fron of our house

Serious bike lock

Spring has sprung!

As mentioned in a previous post, the beginning of spring has been a real privilege to see.  It is pretty amazing to see sights like Dam Square, the parks and the canals with sun and blue sky, as opposed to the stark whiteness of the snow which covered them just a few weeks ago.

One of the coolest things which we've seen is the abundance of wildflowers.  They seem to be growing in just about every spare patch of grass.  Can't wait to get out to the tulip fields- if these photos are anything to go by, it will be amazing!

A different colour

Sometimes, after days and days on end of constantly grey, overcast weather, one begins to forget that the sky could be any other colour.  The dullness is so uniform that it does not appear to be cloudy, it is as though the sky is actually just grey.  But when the sun does come out, it rewards us for our patience. The pure deep blue of the sky on a clear morning is unlike any other colour I have ever seen before.  In a way, I think it is even more spectacular than any blue sky I have experienced back home- and being from Australia, Queensland, Brisbane, this is not something I say lightly.  Maybe I will eventually become complacent with my weekday morning walk to the tram stop, looking through the bicycles and bare branches into a beautiful blue sky- but then again, maybe not.

On the way to the morning commute 

View from our front window- no photoshop required

Vondelpark

This last week has marks the beginning of spring (which does not start on the 1st of the month as one would expect, but rather on the 20-something of March each year.  It is been an unbelievable start to the season- it's been 5 or 6 consecutive days of sunshine now, getting up to almost 20 degrees during the day.
Along with seemed like the entire population of Amsterdam, we spent some time on the weekend at the Vondelpark, soaking up the sun.  It was such a great way to spend the afternoon- picnic lunch and home-made cookies enjoyed out in the fresh air on a sunny blue day.

We have some friends at church (who have been amazingly friendly and welcoming to us) that invited us around to their place for a competition dinner party.  The 6 couples are invited to bring a food and drink combination to impress the other attendees, and amongst good wine and good conversation, we score each others' culinary creations and the couple with the highest scoring dish is declared the winner.

My amazing wife (who due to temporary unemployment has time on her hands) made this incredible chocolate brownie with raspberry coolie and cream- complete with chocolate, raspberries and fresh mint leaves sourced from the local markets.  It proved to be everyone's favourite on the night- how could it not be?