Arriving back in Amsterdam after a vacation in the States, I always find it difficult to adapt. I so dearly miss the abundance of space, the impressive nature, the silence. I miss the gentler pace of vacation time. Amsterdam, so picturesque for most of the year, suddenly feels claustrophobic. The city seems crowded and cramped and suffocatingly tight. It is packed with cars, with bikes, boats, pedestrians, and most of them seem to feel the need to overrun you in their hurried and everlasting pursuit of more space. When the sun comes out, the crowd seems to grow exponentially, rapidly covering every available inch of the city like a fast growing fungus on damp walls. The crowds spread out over parks, they take over…