After rigging my newfound bike with some custom accesories - I wired broken broomhandles to the luggage rack to act as a spine for my backpack - I left Amsterdam behind me. Now the bike path system in Holland is impressive, I must say, except for one thing: the signs. There are signs along the way telling you which way you are going, what town you're coming up on, but when you hit a T-junsction, with two choices of direction, the signs are notably absent. Whenever you need a sign, it's missing. And when you actually pass through a town, the bikepath will either disappear completely or branch off in several directions. So, through guesswork, and with my faithful compass, I made my way east to a town called Apeldoorn. It's a cute place and I think I'll stay for a while. Í met two Irish stoners who took me in, so I'm now living in an Irish pub in the town center - bad news for my poor liver. My dutch still consists of only a couple necessary words, but I've met a girl who is determined to improve it. As for the rest, I'm about a day's ride from Germany, so I'll be hitting that border sometime soon. Ciao!