The GREEN thing...

I'm always curious about what other countries do to be environmental.   My younger son is looking specifically at trash handling in different cities and countries because that is the FLL theme for this fall.   I look at alternate transportation.

Amsterdam, like Berlin, has EXCELLENT public transport.  There are buses, trams, and a metro (which doesn't run near us so we haven't taken it.).  Plus there are the ubiquitous bicycles.   Parking appears to be expensive - but some folks get around that - by buying these tiny tiny 2 seater cars like this:

Yes - they park them on the sidewalk... next to the bikes.

We've had to learn to watch where we're walking - there are limited sidewalks, and it's easy to accidentally be walking in the bike lane... and bikes will run you over... or at least give you a dirty look.

Bike parking is also interesting.   At the library they have underground parking, same with an office building near our apartment... a ramp going underground, next to the office building with signs indicating it's parking for folks at that building.   Near the train station is an office complex that has a multi story bike parking garage.  I tried to grab a photo from the bus  - so it's blurry... but you get the idea.

And there are electric cars.  I saw (and noticed I didn't "hear") a UPS truck with no tailpipe... and there are Tesla taxis... Plus periodic electric car charging stations

On the trash front - I was disappointed to see little recycling here in Amsterdam.   But it turns out it's done... if you know the secret rules...  This morning, outside the street trash shoot to underground trash - a collector truck came for wood recycling.  Since the apartment downstairs from our rental is getting renovated, we saw the workers yesterday moving out all the extra pallets etc that had been stacked blocking the hall... This morning a truck and crane came and scooped up all the wood.

But the rules and schedule are not obvious to tourists... I hadn't seen any recycling cans around town... Until today.  While standing in line for the Anne Frank House (a 3 hour line, in the rain!!!) I spotted recycling.   It was hard to miss since the truck emptied the plastic bin then came THROUGH the line to get to another bin.  (I had to move or be run over.)

Now - a complaint about our rental - and the solution.   This apartment is the first that there was NO means to make coffee.  Anyone who knows me knows this is an issue.  The apartments in Italy all had Moka pots.   The apartment in Prague had an American style drip pot.  The apartment in Berlin had a french press pot.   I'm adaptable.   This apartment had a pod type maker with no pods, and when I tried to purchase some - the size was not available.   We made our first coffee with a jury rig of a coffee filter in a colander, over a cereamic pot.   Fortunately, there is a coffee supply store a block from our house.  We bought the smallest, but CUTEST, moka pot ever.

It will be a pain to schlep it for the rest of the trip - but we will never face the prospect of no means to make coffee again.  (And I think Piero has a bit of room in his suitcase, LOL)

Finally  - the standard tourist pictures at the I AMSTERDAM sculpture at Museumplein.  Note the monkeys in gray hoodies - those are mine.