Oh, Amsterdam! Just a few hours North by train from Brussels, but completely different from the city we had just visited. We were most disappointed that we didn’t get any responses for CouchSurfing in Amsterdam because we knew it would be expensive to stay in the city 1. Because it was the weekend, 2. It was Halloween weekend. Halloween is not a European holiday, so most of the people who celebrate it in big cities are tourists (American tourists) who want to feel like they’re back in the States. However, the kids in my classes did know about Halloween and mentioned that they did celebrate it, dressing up in costumes (classic costumes: monsters, witches, mummies, vampires. None of this weird cartoon fantasies kids today have in the States), so I guess it is at least semi-established in Europe. So, since we didn’t have a place to stay yet in Amsterdam, that was our first order of business when we arrived early Friday (October 29) afternoon in the city of canals. Grabbed a map (for 2.50!) at what has to be the least helpful tourist office I have ever visited. Waited for our number to be called for a long while only to have to buy a map and have to find our own way to hostels. No list, nothing!
So there we were, packs on our backs walking into Amsterdam, into the Red light district on a Friday afternoon, trying to find a place to stay. Most of the hostels were full or only had limited (and pricey) rooms left, but finally we found a little hostel right next to the Red light district. We were just relieved to have found a place to drop off our stuff, even if it was a rip off. Oh well, live and learn- next time book wayyy in advance for Halloween in Amsterdam!
Once we had gotten settled we began exploring and to our surprise in the main square, Dam Square, right in front of the main palace (which was under construction and all covered up) was a huge carnival! Ferris wheel, cotton candy, the works! Not sure if this was their idea of how to celebrate Halloween, but it was fun to look at and walk through. Compared to Brussels, Amsterdam felt very packed and full of people, mostly tourists. It is chaotic and overwhelming walking around because all forms of traffic are flying by: trams, mopeds, bikes, people. Oh the bikes! Supposedly there are more bikes than there are people in Amsterdam. They were everywhere, chained (or not chained) to everything, riding everywhere and always ringing their bells at you to warn you to move. And if you don’t move, they will hit you! We made our way to the Van Gogh museum, where we heard there would be a music night with some interactive stuff. The museum itself is beautiful and of course, the works of Van Gogh are impressive in themselves. Whatever the event that we were told about was disappointing, just a DJ playing quiet music in the main lobby by the bar. Womp-womp. I found a great VG quote that I wrote down in my little notebook: “…to paint what I am not yet able to, in order to learn how to do it.” To learn is to try, to try is to experiment, ya pretty much have to give it a whirl to see if it’s worth it and hey, maybe you’ll be good at it!
The next day we got up to join a “free” walking tour (tips greatly appreciated at the end) and were lead by a great tour guide, Jo, from New Zealand. She was full of bad jokes, but also some good tidbits of info. Did you know:
- The Red light district prostitutes are self-employed and rent out their windows for 8hr block periods for a certain amount of money and then try to make the difference plus profit from their customers.
- The oldest prostitute is currently 85 years old and has a 2-week waiting period for sessions.
- Houses in Amsterdam are tilted forward because back in the day merchants stored their goods in the upper level (to avoid wetness and rats) and to get the goods up to the top, they had hooks hanging from the roofs, but so they wouldn’t ruin the side of the house while hoisting up the stuff, they extended it. So, houses are tilted forward and have hooks on the top.
- Only 9% of the population that lives in Amsterdam smokes pot regularly. All those people you see in the coffee shops are most likely tourists.
That night we joined the same company that gave us our great walking tour for a Halloween themed bar crawl. Drinks at each bar and shots in between! We even received a t-shirt for our fun. It was nice to see a variety of clubs/bars and get to dance to good music.
The last full day we had in Amsterdam Michelle and I split up to go see different museums. Michelle went to the Anne Frank house, which she said was very nice, fairly small, and the rooms were bare, but still gave you the impression of what had happened in that place. I on the other hand, went to the Heineken Experience. After having a great time visiting the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis with Quincy last winter, I really wanted to see what other breweries were like, so why not Heineken! Although it was quite pricey to get in, the tour really was an experience. Videos, pictures, even a ride that simulated getting “brewed” into a beer. We had a tasting, where we learned how to look at the beer- first color, then foam and bubbles (which keep the beer fresh and the foam is actually the bitter part of the beer), followed by swishing it in your mouth and finally, swallowing (different from wine tasting, where you are supposed to spit it out). Yum! I didn’t think I liked Heineken that much, but after tasting it so fresh, I have become a fan. I also didn’t realize the commercialization that goes into beer production- Heineken and James Bond movies have a strong relationship and have been the exclusive beer in the past few films. We also got to watch a sequence of commercials that Heineken has used over the years to advertise its beer. Quite interesting to see how trends have changed! The tour ended with, of course, two complimentary beers at the bar.
Check out my awesome karaoke video made at the Heineken Experience by clicking here.
We finished Amsterdam-and our vacation- on a quieter note, because after having walked many kilometers every day, we were pretty exhausted. The day before we left they started taking down the carnival and the town finally seemed to empty a bit. But that still didn’t change my impression of Amsterdam as being quite a tourist city. Jacked prices (similar to Paris) were incredible and the crowds of people were overwhelming. But once you ventured out a bit and started exploring the canals you found the true beauty of the city. Although the days were cloudy, the leaves were a golden yellow with splashes of orange and red that contrasted so well with the tall houses bordering the canals, making everything picture perfect. I really enjoyed playing with my camera and trying to get pictures- hoping that they turn out!
Now back to the bump and grind of daily life in Gerardmer and teaching. More to come next week when I have to go to my doctor visits to finalize my visa and to be officially allowed to live in France for 7 months! Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment