Amsterdam

Liam and I on one of the bridges over the canals in Amsterdam.

I was able to make it up to Amsterdam for the weekend where I met up with my buddy Liam who is over here racing the european season as well. The apartment he is staying in is in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam which is one of the oldest and most prestigious neighborhoods in the city. Amsterdam is a beautiful city with canals that divide the buildings and the streets and allow boats to be a prime form of transportation. When I arrived, we headed out to a cafe to grab some lunch and some cappacinos and expresso -both were quite good but I have to admit I am ready for a big cup of joe back in the states. On our way to the cafe, we passed Anne Frank's house which was only about a quarter mile from where Liam is staying.

From there we spent part of the afternoon exploring the city and then came back and made some dinner at Liams apartment - pasta, broccoli, and chicken. That evening we went out again walking for a bit. Of course we ventured into the world famous Red Light District to check out the sites. It was one of the most interesting and bizarre places I have ever been. After the stroll through we headed back to the apartment and crashed early!

The next day we got up and made some breakfast and went out for some coffee at a more "american" style shop. While they still do not have a standard cup of coffee (as all of their coffee drinks use expresso beans) we each were satisfied with our latte and cappacinio. The afternoon was spent watching Tiger perform less than impressively in the British Open and saw a South African take one of golfs biggest prizes.

Later on, we went to Central Station and hopped on a tram that took us to the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam where the 1928 games were held. The Netherlands National Championships were being held at the stadium so we made our way to the adjacent practice track to do our workout. After the warmup, I completed 4x200 and a 300 all at around my goal 1500m pace. I felt great in my workout and I am ready to race in Dublin and Belfast!

My next post will be from Ireland as it is my last day in the Netherlands.. I have really enjoyed my time here and look forward to coming back next year!