Groningen

Kelsey and I had become so comfortable in Germany that it was hard to leave for the Netherlands, a place whose characteristics were unfamiliar to us. This has been a common theme throughout our trip: we never want to leave the places that we are, fearing that the next destination will be a step down.
Another trend that has manifested is our love of smaller towns as opposed to bigger cities and popular tourist destinations. So we decided that while in the Netherlands, we would avoid Amsterdam, the biggest transportation hub in Europe and also a top-ten tourist destination of the world. I had much trouble finding last-minute vacancy in Dutch hostels, but I lucked out in a town called Groningen, or what Kelsey calls Walking-Through-Real-Life-Blog-Heaven.
The town, street-for-street, is lined with shops and open, high-ceilinged flats. Most shops are independently run and highly specialized. Eighty percent of pedestrians are riding bicycles, there are virtually no cars, and the policemen are on horseback. And perhaps the most important thing: the people were impeccably dressed.
Many photos were taken, but our image cache needs further categorization. To start, the bicycles:

















These bikes are not exceptions; they are exemplary of the bikes in Groningen. These comprise only one constellation in a sky-scape of stars.
Like Ulm, Groningen has a canal running through the city. Groningen is a bit different because the canal is much larger, and is more of a gigantic moat, enclosing all of old-town. Kelsey and I, by luck, crossed the canal at an interesting point. On both sides of the bridge, the canal was filled with old, unmovable ships and boats, all inhabited by citizens of Groningen. Some boats were single units and others served as home for multiple renters.
Pictures of boats:























An interesting lifestyle, I assume.
Here are some of the remaining pictures, mainly photos of shops and other notables and things that caught Kelsey's eye: