ING House

Although we had a longer cycling trip planned for today, we decided to stay closer to home after checking the weather forecast which predicted a 90% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Our revised route took us past Olympic Stadium through the Amsterdam Forest towards Aalsmeer.

ING House, the headquarters of the multinational Dutch bank, is located between Olympic Stadium and the Forest. The modern 2002 office structure designed by architects Meyer and Van Schooten, sits on table supported by 16 steel legs. It reminds me of a cruise ship, although it is nicknamed the shoe or the dustbuster (Dutch: de kruimeldief). The landmark building is along the side of the highway leading us to the exit nearest our apartment. This photo was taken on the way to the Forest.

On our way home, we stopped for a delicious lunch at De Bosbaan, a restaurant near the entrance to the Forest that overlooks the rowing canal where teams practice and compete. As we relaxed in the sunshine finishing the last crumbs of our meal, we heard a thunderclap. So, we quickly hopped on our omafiets and raced home as the skies darkened rapidly and lightning struck in the distance. The first drops came down just as we were locking up our bikes at home. Perfect timing!

After the rain subsided, we hopped back on the bikes and cycled to Decathlon for one last shopping trip. The sales were great and I came home with some new cycling and running clothes. We took the long way to the store cycling along the Amstel for several kilometres, then past farms with grazing animals before turning back into the city to arrive at the store. We had a great day!