DutchAmsterdam.com, Nov. 17, 2012 -- The other day I noticed -- not the first time -- how quiet Amsterdam is in the morning.
For a world-class metropolis, albeit it one is pocket format, this city sure seems to wake up rather slowly.
After a visit to my hairdresser, at 10:00 am, I decided to talk a leisurely walk through the center of town.
This video shows the result. Note that it was filmed between about 10:40 am and about 12:00 noon -- not exactly early in the morning.
Alright, at 6° Celcius (42.8° Fahrenheit) it was somewhat chilly. Not the type of weather Amsterdam's official Tourist Board tends to film in.
Still, I thought it was exceedingly quiet in the streets and along the canals.
I've included the names of the streets and canals so you can easily visit these spots yourself.
Along the way I drank a wonderful cortado at the Coffee Company in the Leidsestraat. As always, good coffee at a reasonable price -- a far cry from that of Starbucks (a company whose locations I'd like to tar and feather out of the city).
Not all November days are dreary. This photo was taken on a sunny day in November 2011.[/caption]At the end of my walk I at a sandwich at Prins Heerlijk, across from Central Station.
It always surprises me how few Amsterdammers know about this place. Then again, it's nearly always busy, so perhaps that's a good thing.
Incidentally, not all days in November are drab and dreary, but the weather does often remind you that winter is on it's way.