Damrak, Amsterdam

Damrak, Amsterdam
Damrak, in the center of Amsterdam, on a cloudy day in July. © Copyright: Anton Hein. All rights reserved.

Tourist brochures are always optimistic. The hotels are top notch, the beach is right out front, the huge warm-water swimming pool is not overcrowded and has lots of empty sunbeds available at the edge of the water. The local restaurants are superb and yet affordable. Oh, and juddging by the photos the weather is always great.

Amsterdammers have learned to live with an unpredicatable climate. Mind you, with some rare exceptions that story about Holland having four seasons a day just isn’t true. But on some days, you’re more than ready to believe it is.

The photo above, of Damrak in the center of Amsterdam, was taken in July, 2016. It never did rain that day, but it certainly looked liked it wanted to.