Amsterdam to Dunkirk
Amsterdam From the bucolic Dutch countryside, we threw ourselves into Amsterdam city life headfirst. (Wearing masks, of course, and our first time wearing masks on a daily basis in over a year.) Our base for the week was Amsterdam Marina which is located across the river from the city center, but only a 10 minute free ferry ride to the central train station. The marina is located in a rapidly developing part of town that is turning the post-industrial landscape into a rugged, urban decay/street art, hipster neighborhood. Cafes, ice cream stands, and bakeries are scattered in and around massive old industrial buildings, one of which houses a graffiti museum. We didn’t go, partly because they were charging almost 20 euro admission to see something which is, inherently, free and visible on any underpass, bridge, or side of a building. The museum influenced the neighborhood, or vice versa, as street art (graffiti) adorned nearly every surface. Our impetus to stop over in Amsterdam was to