Amsterdam is a city that embraces change. In recent years, the city itself has been the object undergoing the most change. A city-wide metro project has left the city's main arteries under construction for years longer than projected, and of course the project has cost much more than was originally budgeted for it; however, the city now has a super-efficient and lightning-quick underground mode of transportation.

Biking in Amsterdam is popular. So popular that the Netherlands actually has more bikes inside the country than people. If this sounds strange to you, just think about the moment that you have a flat tire on your bike and can't get to work. What do you do? You hop on your spare bike of course! Not everyone has a spare bike, but to give you an idea, I live in a household of two, and we have three bikes---one for each of us and one spare one. It's kind of like the car situation in a lot of American households I know!

Many of you will not have heard of Evert van Benthem. It’s likely that most of his neighbours in Canada, where he now lives, are unaware of the unique record he holds – one that is unlikely ever to be matched, let alone beaten, for he is the only man ever to have achieved twice a feat most Dutch men and women would give their best skates for.

Around this time in Amsterdam I start looking for things to do indoors once the weather goes from blue sky to gray sky, and this autumn has brought the Amsterdam Climbing Wall (Klimmuur) to my attention. If you too are in need of using up some energy, but it's raining buckets outside...or even if you've just spent one too many afternoons in the Vondelpark to want to go back, the climbing wall is not yet a very well known place; that being said, it IS a very well-frequented place!

While it would be an exaggeration to say that the Dutch do not have a national cuisine, it is absolutely true that the Dutch have nowhere near the cooking skills of their Belgian neighbors. That being said, Dutch pea soup is an absolute delight and pancakes can be a true delight (a tip though: only order a pancake with bacon IN it if you have an iron stomach...if not, try the natural one with butter and powdered sugar).