Sunny Amsterdam

This city is incredible when the sun shines. Everyone ditches whatever they're doing to be outside, and Vondelpark (which lies just around the corner from me) becomes a hive of activity. Without a doubt, Vondelpark is one of the city’s most popular meeting places and probably one of those most beautiful parks I've ever visited in the world. It's the kind of place where cyclists speed, smokers openly toke, picnickers BBQ, dogs chase ducks, parrots breed overhead, lovers fumble and gay men lurk near the rosebushes, waiting for sunset. In the 1970s, the park became famous worldwide as a Hippy Haven and open-air dormitory for alternative living, which later backfired due to drug arrests, but you can totally see why it became a hangout. Yesterday, as I cycled through, I saw hundreds of people, tourists, children, etc. wandering through, picnicking, singing, drinking, doing yoga, jogging, and generally celebrating life in the most public way. It is a truly magnificent meeting point.