Carlos Poza
Large forest half an hour from downtown
One of the things I most recommend when visiting Amsterdam is to explore the outskirts, specifically Amsterdamse Bos, by bike. After having a beer at one of the most famous mills in the city, we grabbed our bikes and headed out without a set destination. We saw many of the Olympic venues and ended up at this beautiful forest. For a medium-large city like Amsterdam, having such a lush, expansive forest is almost unthinkable. Actually I've never seen anything like it. It even has a lake where you can canoe for up to 10km! There are plenty of green meadows where you can lay out and not see another soul.
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