Amsterdam is Amazing

We left most of our belongings at the Hotel in Prague and headed out for the Amsterdam with only a backpack. I convinced Irene and Christine to couch surf with me. For those that don’t know, couch surfing is a website that gives you access to people all over the world willing to host travelers for free. Not only do you save money on sleeping arrangements but you often have access to their kitchen so you can cook meals at home occasionally, and you get to meet a local and his/her friends.

We arrived in Amsterdam and were immediately greeted with friendly people that spoke fluent English. Everyone we

spoke to at the airport and train station seemed experts at putting stressed out travelers at ease. They make some initial funny

remark that makes you giggle, and then quickly provide useful information. It left quite a good impression on the rest of our

trip.

Our first night we stayed with a guy named Thomas. He is French so you pronounce it Toe-ma. Thomas had a great flat rightnext to a metro stop-- of course that didn’t stop us from taking the wrong train and then wandering around lost while of course holding everything on our backs. When finally made it, we found Thomas and his friends/coworkers chatting over drinks, but he stopped to greet us and bring our heavy bags upstairs to our bed. Thomas graciously made us a bowl of pasta to share, which was greatly appreciated after being on a train through dinner. We sat down with his coworkers to eat and drink. His coworkers were mostly French, but one was from Spain, and they all spoke pretty good english. Christine is fluent in Spanish and Irene can get by so their conversation often took a Spanish turn, and everyone else spoke French so I was sometimes left trying to understand one or the other. I know slightly more French than Spanish, but still not enough to follow, especially taking in to consideration their accents. This was somehow comforting knowing they didn’t feel any pressure to act any differently with us around, but I was happy when they switched back to english.

After hours of talking the girls got anxious to go out and explore Amsterdam. Of course at this point it was 2 am and there is not much to explore, but we found a good falafel place to feed our late night craving. The walk there revealed the first amazing thing about Amsterdam: canals. We came upon a canal every 100 meters or so, and the lights and around each reflected on the water providing a beautiful view almost everywhere in Amsterdam.

The nextmorning we set off for breakfast, and to the Van Gogh museum. I was pretty excited because Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists. We took our time getting there, taking in the brilliance of the place on our way. The most noticeable things besides the canals are the scale and the pace. The streets are significantly wider than streets in the US, but only to make room for the separate bike roads, and extensive pedestrian paths. There was also space for bikes and cars to park, separately of course. The buildings, even in central Amsterdam were a maximum of 5 stories, with the exception of a handful of towers and important buildings. The pace is slow. Instead of raging cars, everyone casually rides their bike, people walk slowly and make eye contact with you as you pass, even the trams move slowly. The overall feel is relaxed and carefree, and I think this is partially a result of a the scale and proportioning. When there is enough room for people to walk and ride their bikes without having to push through traffic or crowds, you feel a sense of relief. We made it to the Van Gogh museum and I was brought to tears from some of his work. I can only hope I soaked up some of his technique by studying it for so long.

After trotting around the grounds of the museum we headed back toward Thomas’ house, stopping at a grocery store so we could cook him, and ourselves dinner. We made him pasta with eggplant, roasted red pepper, onions, and olives. Of course we also had wine, and chocolates for desert. Irene invited her friend who is currently living in Alkmaar, a place where many people in Amsterdam go for a quiet weekend at the beach. She convinced us to come to her place after Amsterdam. After dinner we went out to the center of town for some drinks, walking first through the red light district and past the cafes. At the bar I had the beer of the moment: Zatale, which is an Amsterdam beer with a lot of flavor and a bit of a bite, so it got my approval. After we met up with Thomas’ coworkers at a bar with a live cover band. There was a back room where we were all able to gather with ease and chat. In addition to Thomas’ immediate friends there were 2 more girls that just got in from Sweden. They were studying here and were interesting to talk to. Again 2am rolled around and we finally started to make our way home.

The next morning we headed out to a breakfast joint recommended by Thomas. My impression is that the food in the Netherlands is pretty typical food that you can get just about anywhere, and Thomas agreed, saying they do not hold eating specialty foods as highly as they do in France and many other countries in Europe. However, they are known for their Gouda cheese, and use it like Americans use cheddar, which is a specialty for me. So I had an omelet for breakfast, with gouda melted throughout.

After breakfast we split up to take in the day in solitude, something we could all appreciate after spending every minute together. I checked out a few shops in the immediate proximity and found a very cool vintage shop with leather shoes, funky hats, lace gloves and much much more. I started making my way to Dam square in the center of town, but took a left toward the 9 little streets, which is an area where there are lots of interesting shops. On the way I discovered a peaceful Indian store that was perfectly scented with incense and played meditative music, next I went in to a designer clothing store which used long lime green hangers that stretched to the ceiling. I am not sure if they served any practical purpose, but they certainly made for an excellent spatial composition. Within this same store was an fashion and art exhibit that was strange to say the least. One item looked like a greyhound neck piece, like a dog shaped pillow that you where around your neck. I can’t say I was really into it, but I appreciated the integration of wacky art in a retail store. I also found a hand made jewelry store that also sold real pressed insects, I bought a framed butterfly set, but had to pick it out quickly so as not to get freaked out by the framed tarantulas. I actually snatched a few of the butterfly sets, distanced myself by a few paces, and chose the one I liked, and leaned over with my head facing the other way to hang the others back up. That is how creeped out by spiders I am.

Next I found a wacky gifts store, which seemed to be aimed specifically at tourists, exhibiting shot glasses with the Amsterdam symbol: XXX, various drugs that are illegal or at least taboo in most countries, and other touristy nick-nacks. After those experiences I was pleased to discover a store with large beautiful artwork hanging in the wall, soft music, and large handmade instruments––mostly didgerdoos. One of my favorite places of the night was a handmade cosmetic store. I walked in and was immediately hit with a fresh citrus scent. As I got closer to each bar of soap I discovered much more subtle and interesting scents including a variety of herbs such as lavender and rosemary, as well as some wackier ones such as seaweed, which was somehow tastefully done because I bought some. Beyond the soaps were facial creams lying on a bed of ice, apparently all made from food products without preservatives. They used anything from lettuce to chocolate, and they all smelled divine. My last stop was in another wacky gift store, but this one was much less tacky, and more more of a practical, although sometimes just goofy gadget store. I really appreciate these stores because they seem to highlight all of the ways you can turn life into a run on joke. At this point it was 6 o’clock, shops were closing, and I am not sure I officially made it over to the 9 little streets district––something to look forward to if I ever go back. The sun had recently set and the lighting was perfect for some canal shots. I walked around soaking up the beauty until my stomach started grumbling. I stopped in an Thai restaurant for a small bowl of coconut mushroom soup (one of my personal favorites). At that point it was time to meet the girls back at home. That night I started a drawing diary while watching Alice and Wonderland, taking it easy to prepare for our trip the next morning to Alkmaar.