NDSM harbor with docked Botel
Last night I got to go to a part of town I usually don’t visit very often, as it is across ‘Het IJ‘, a type of bay (click the link to read up on it) which seperates the metropolitan area from the North, aka Amsterdam-Noord. There are no connecting bridges because this broad waterway functions as an important route for freight ships and, more consequential: many high rise cruise ships pass by to dock at the Passenger Terminal behind Central Station.
I was going to visit friends, under the guise of a game of scrabble and beer, which mix well on their own (although not helping me win). Which leads me back to the point of this post…uhm, yeah, my butt and sailing.
Other people on bikes waiting
I’ll start with the latter. The trip across the IJ (leaving out ‘Het’, it’s pronounced as “Aye”) is serviced by a ferry (free of charge), just for pedestrians and people on bicycles (I don’t say ‘cyclists’ on purpose). It only takes about 3 minutes, but it’s fun to hop on board, holding on to your parked bike as the captain makes a sharp and full throttle turnaround leaving the Houthaven harbor, after that it’s a short trip to NDSM (see map), but relaxing and fun. That temporary alternative perspective you get of the city (like Silodam, a modern apartment building at and over the waterfront), the wide view, certainly after the city lights have come on, is in itself a Moment of Zen.
Exiting the ferry at NDSM harbor.
Entering that part of Amsterdam-Noord, where the city repurposed the old industrial harbor and its buildings for leisure, culture/arts/music and work (which had long been neglected and frowned up…”It’s not really part of Amsterdam”), certainly has a great appeal.
Ferry Routes Map
New and approved
Rewinding 3 minutes: I was waiting for both the ferry and my buddy Bicyclemark to show up, giving me time to relish the fact that I have a new saddle. Pretty weird, since the bike is new and I had purchased a new Brooks saddle at Workcycles a few weeks later. Despite the fact that I always put a plastic bag over it, parking my good boy outside for the night, it apparently suffered too much from the rain, quickly leaving it totally worn out and unfixable. Henry was nice enough to replace it immediately.
And as I was standing there I reckoned it was a nice scene to capture for eternity. And of course, I couldn’t resist including the growing flock of fellow ferry commuters behind me.
Hope this saddle will last a bit longer. So far, very promising, so good.
