Not exactly a sunny afternoon

Not been the best at updating this the last few weeks. Been working hard, gasp, i got my 30% expat tax thing, and suddenly i realised, perhaps this job should be taken seriously.

On non work related things, i've had a few visitors and a few more to come. Visitors are interesting, they help you see your life in a different way. According to my current visitors i know the city well and seem to have a lot of friends. I don't know exactly how true either of those statements are in their entirety but i can see a certain truth in both. I still like living here and i think that will continue.

I do worry about the winter being a little depressing but yesterday we realised that my core friends all live very close so i'm not so worried. Really looking forward to pride and Catriona's visit.

The Wheels on my Bike go round and round!!

UPDATED:

I now take a new route to work, Pink Line!
Through the dreaded Dam Square ... gasp! Actually its a dam (geddit) site easier to navigate in the morning than Stadhourskade!
So now I get to cycle through Dam Square and the Old Town (redlight) every morning, then along the Amstel, passin Carre and Maigre Brug before joining with the old route (see below) from Weesperzide :)

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So, this is my way to and from work!
Green is to work and Purple is way back home!

Its really cool.... I cycle along Nassaukade - pretty straightforward, lots of traffic tho and a fair few traffic lights and then across the Amstel and down Weesperzide (along the Amstel - really pretty)

Once I get to the end of the Weesperzide, I cycle through the Amstelplein (where the tallest building is Delta Lloyd and Phillips are)

This is where I get to the scary parts are, lots of traffic and roundabouts and people walking out in front of you. Then Spaklerweg and then the worst part.... crossing a dual carriageway that has no crossing lights, however the traffic does have lots of view of the crossing bikes (or bike - I HATE doing this crossing alone).
Once thats over , then the bockety cobblestones of H.J.E Wenchebachweg and to the office (7.2km and 25-30mins)

The way back I follow the same route (no crossing this time... just a roundabout and then on along the Amstel to the Stadhourdskade bridge and under, to a complicated little turn, just a few trams, oncoming traffic and bikes to navigate.... then across the bridge at Saraphatistraat and aloong Weteringschans, through Leidsplein (scary junction) and along Marnixstraat, I can continue along Marnixstraat but I usually turn up Elandsgracht and through the streets to Rosengracht and across to Bloemstraat! Home! (8.5km, 30mins)

Not bad exercise all the same!

Sun is shinin

Prob not for long but the weather here is killer.
Cycled to work this morn in 18degrees at 8am. It was 28 by home time.
I wish i could get off the bike and take photos on the way home its really lovely cycle, well the bits where i don't feel like the end of my life is nigh are.
But anyone who's ever even seen Amsterdam commuter cycle traffic knows you only stop if you are in ownership of a severe death wish.
Anyway seven weeks of cycling 13kms per day should (in theory) be good for me. The fear alone might have weight loss results!