Pink – word a week challenge

I’ve not done this before, to participate in one of the weekly challenges in the blogosphere. But then ‘a word in your ear’ had this a word a week challenge – pink. Sometime there has to be a first time, and I thought I had something I recently shot.

 

If it ain’t pink I don’t know what is. But then, I’m a bit colour blind. It’s not a great shot exactly; it was a rainy day and there was this one window that was dry. What I was really after was the wonderful in-car phone. The car was found parked along a canal in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: bikes everywhere

Bikes rule in Amsterdam, they’re everywhere and the riders come fast and furious. For the unaware visitor, it’s a bit hairy. Many of the riders seem to have left their brains at home before taking off. Come to think of it, this applies to many motorists too. Anyway, it’s sort of OK to be wary when crossing bike paths but the riders go everywhere and expect the way to be cleared when they come.

Better watch out, I’m not going to slow down or stop

To be fair, the bike is a convenient form of transport in many European cities. The inner cities were built long before the motor car was even thought of and the congestion (and pollution!) would be utterly hopeless if people would rely on their cars for transport.

Amsterdam: Canals, Culture – and weed

It’s difficult not to be taken in by Amsterdam, its canals, the architecture, the cultural treasures and so on. It’s a city made for walking – and bicycling. And partying, in a big way. Kids from all over congregate in the main party areas (i.e. most of the central city) and sit in coffee shops. Kids, in coffee shops having a good time?? Well, yes. 

It’s not your ordinary coffee shop though. Sure they may sell coffee I suppose, but the main draw card is the marijuana smokes they sell – legally no less. There are hundreds of these coffee shops. What in most countries would count as a serious drug scene is completely open here. Fancy cannabis smokes? Chocolate? Lolly pops? Booze? No problems.

If this is the result of legalization of marijuana, I’m dead against it. I can’t see that it solves any problems. Will addiction disappear? Will drug related crime disappear? Well, tobacco and booze is legal i Europe and does that prevent addiction? Or criminals to smuggle cheap / counterfeit tobacco and booze into the EU?

Pot plant anyone?

Apart from the party and drug scene, there certainly are plenty of canals (about 100km worth) that are ever so nice to slowly walk past or choose to see the world walking past from a canal-side cafe, the cultural treasures are great and it is a pleasant city.