Saying good-bye to Amsterdam

We had a really great time in Amsterdam and would definitely revisit one day.  Unfortunately for all of you, we are not going to post pictures of some of the fun things we were doing...  We'll leave that to your imagination.  There are some other interesting things worth pointing out about the city.  When we first arrived we noticed that almost every building has a large hook hanging from the top.  People attach a pulley to the hook to make it easier to lift heavy objects to the upper floors.  

Many of the older buildings in Amsterdam appear to be tipping toward the canals.  Some do this because of crummy foundations, but others were built intentionally this way so goods hang away from the buildings when being lifted up with the pulley.

All of the canals are lined with boats and houseboats.  These are some of the most modern...

In our neighborhood and in other areas around Amsterdam we noticed these strange signs that said "DNA Spray".  Finally, towards the end of our visit, I asked a store owner what those signs were all about.  She told me that most stores/bars can press a panic button if there is a robbery or a brawl, which then sprays a chemical over everyone on the sidewalk.  The police can detect the spray in your body even a week later to help prove you were involved if video surveillance isn't enough. 

There are definitely more bikes than cars riding around Amsterdam.  Nobody seems to wear a helmet, not even children.  There are designated bike paths everywhere so maybe this helps reduce the risk of accidents.  In the mornings and afternoons we would see parents carting their kids around to school in bikes like this...

Amsterdam and Granada both have public trash and recycling receptacles every couple of blocks that go deep underground.  Instead of trash trucks stopping at each house, people bring their trash and recycling there so the trucks make fewer stops and don't hold up traffic.  

On our flight to Amsterdam from Málaga there were a group of guys dressed in matching t-shirts for a bachelor party, with the bachelor dressed as a female flight attendant.  When we were checking out the Red Light District we saw lots of these groups of guys as well as families with small children gawking at prostitutes behind glass doors in little booths lit up in red.  We saw some guys huddled together, staring nervously at this sex worker and she opened the door to call them a bunch of pussies. Amazing!