4

What's it like, living in Amsterdam? Aside from the numerous descriptions from the past 10+ months, I can add another: Few places, aside from NYC perhaps, have you regularly feeling the razor-thin veneer between civility and hostility.

One second, you are charmed by the canals at night and happily send some wayward tourists in the right direction; literally three seconds later, a maniacal cabbie is barrelling around a corner giving you the finger and snarling like a deranged chimp because you waded near the intersection too early.

Wednesday, a bus driver scolds you like a 4-year-old in front of a bus full of passengers for stepping in using the wrong doors. Thursday, on the same route, a different driver is so pleasant and helpful (and badass in traffic) that you want to adopt her as your new favourite aunt.

Daily interactions like this (and there are dozens of examples on both sides of the ledger), with both the working and general public, often leave you conflicted. One second, you are tempted to whistle away on your bike and dance on the streets. The next, you kinda feel like driving someone's nose through the back of their head. So far I've managed to only indulge in the former.

Day 4 of the leaving-Netherlands-countdown saw some of the above as I made my way back to the main city, after a stopover in another great town about 30 minutes away called Amersfoort. There was terrible lighting for photo-taking (flat and grey) so there are just a few shots - je m'excuse.

Street name: Behind the Holy Ghost

Amersfoort has a ton of funky, modern cafes mixed with old-fashioned ones

Many of the canals have random chunks of modern art, especially interesting at night

Police station in Amersfoort