Across the River IJ to the IKantine

I took the free ferry again across the IJ to the Amsterdam North NDSM area.

10 seconds walk and you find this place, the IJ-kantine.

It was so posh and fancy looking inside, I approached the waiter with a kind of "excuse me, sorry for making the place look messy in my woolly hat and giant puffy brown coat, like some kind of lost farmer, but would you mind if I just had tea and didn't pay €100 for a sandwich"

 He was very nice; once I sat down and had a look around I realised that most of the people in there were only drinking and not eating; it seems to be a very popular place for people to have business meetings. On this side of the harbour there are a lot of offices and business places. And it's a really lovely setting.

And, more importantly it wasn't expensive. It was only €2.00 for tea, with a free chocolate mini egg

I was able to stay there for about an hour and a half, writing bits and checking the internet on my Itouch (free WIFI and no log in nonsense to worry about) I didn't seem to offend anyone while I was there. PLUS it's one of the few places I've been to where you don't get charged 50 cents to use the loo.

This is the map at the gangway to the boat, showing all of the various routes. Nothing takes more than 10 minutes though, so if you get on the wrong one (like I did) you can turn around and correct yourself quickly.

 This is by far the most bizarre thing I have seen in Amsterdam (I'm used to the vibrators in windows and smoke now)

At the 'back' of the restaurant, just a little further in land there is a small village....apartments made out of converted shipping containers. All brightly painted, and stacked 3 high. They are obviously small, but perfectly functional. Like a really artistic and high class shanty town.

I fear to think how cold they are in the winter.





This is the view from the side stairs out onto the Botel, the floating hotel which is available from €69.00 per night; I know a couple of people who have stayed there and they said it was fine. Certainly somewhere novel to stay