 edwis' Amsterdam Travelogues | | | | Title [Click to view] | Travel Year | Pictures | | AMSTERDAM | January, 2006 | |
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| Page Views: 297 Last Visit to Amsterdam: January, 2006 | AMSTERDAM by edwis - last update: Jun 27, 2007 |
The initial view and experience of Amsterdam you encounter when you arrive at the Central Station is a scene of a dumpy, trashy, full of plastic and McDonalds, street drinking, red-light district, sex shops, loud music, the Kit Kat Klub, and tattoo shops etc. (I bet some of you like it already). We were told we could walk to our hotel pulling our bags from the train station, but I really thought Joan was going to ‘lose it’ during this initial viewing of Amsterdam.
The train system is wonderful for when arriving at the airport you can just walk down to another hall and hop a frequent and timely shuttle train without ever having to leave the indoors. You are able to purchase a ticket out of a vending machine kiosk. Major city travel systems in Europe are so much more convenient than any American city. Why this country never completely developed and finished a friendly train network is just beyond me.
But once you get the first 10 blocks of the sleazy Amsterdam, and just beyond the Royal Palace square complex, you find a most beautiful Amsterdam. This Amsterdam is one of pretty neighborhoods, canal after canal of side by side homes, shops, crossover bridges, boutiques, flower markets, Heineken pubs, and bikes everywhere. About another 10 bocks further along is the beautiful museum district with some wonderful parks, the largest being the Vondelpark which is much like a NYC central park complete with lakes and waterways. Lore has it that a wealthy family donated the park area to the city with only one condition - that they could never pass a law requiring dogs to be leased.
Our Hotel (the Esterea), was the only 4-star one we stayed in on this trip and it was also the cheapest cost! Room prices started at $200 per night for a canal view, and I was poking around on ‘Priceline’ one day, and came up with a rate of $99 a night. We did it and it worked wonderfully so this will be a strategy for future bookings. Joan says that the hotel is probably the nicest place we have ever stayed at. Every afternoon they served hot chocolate in one of the sitting rooms, several rooms were on the main floor common area, one with a giant chandelier, and internet service, lounging couches, and a 15 foot long aquarium build into the wall. We always had an evening wine before going out in the cocktail area. Some nights we read in the parlor listening to the classical music. Not bad for these country Piasanos…
Two blocks down from the hotel along our canal (the Singel gracht), was the last floating flower market area in Amsterdam. Here on tied up barges, you can get tulips, tulip bulbs, and wooden shoes. While it was winter, the flower action was still thriving. Language was not much of an issue in Amsterdam, with signs usually in both English and Dutch. At the airport one sign read: “Einde Rolpad” but right below it, reads “Walkway Ends”. It was helpful to pickup on some of the common suffixes: gracht is “canal”, plein means a “square”, and straat is a “street”. |
Our only real trip disaster was Joan’s foot. She thought she would put a hand warmer packet in her hiking boots while in the Cinque Terre, and this later developed into a big blister while in Amsterdam. We took care of it with a little hotel room surgery one evening, and then she was good as new.
Bicycles
Wandering the neighborhood canals is so nice with pretty bridges, all flat walking, discovering new places around every turn. We heard about how people use bicycles in Holland, but we found that bicycles are so much more prevalent that we even suspected. We read that Holland is a land of 16 million people and 13 million bicycles. Everyone uses one to get around – youngsters, pipe-smoking grandfathers, young women in high heels and a skirt, cell phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other, all of them pedaling as though the dikes had ruptured. The average Dutch bike is built to carry a person from point A to point B. No need for all that fancy stuff built on. They were just simple bikes usually with a large padded seat, chain guards, fenders, headlights and taillights, most had a bell.
The bikers just roll along and everyone must move, for they don’t stop. Biking isn’t a means for exercise, but rather a means of simple transportation. Most of the streets have a definite portioned off bike lane, which some American tourist originally thought was a walking path. But they found out very quickly to get the heck out of the way for the bikers. They don’t stop and don’t expect them to divert away. Walkers and cars are the ones to move over. It was fun to see families going on their errands using a bicycle for their normal transportation mode. They just accept that and do it. The children did not appear to be whining about having to use a bicycle and will then grow up to be more of Amsterdam’s bicycle culture.
Amsterdam is a great blue jean city, very casual, sport coats with jeans, bulky sweaters with jeans, leather jackets with jeans, we felt real good here. This probably has to do with using bicycles as a travel mode. This trip was in late December and we were still impressed with all the bicycles out and about. Imagine in warmer weather, we thought. |
Museum Square Walking Amsterdam took us to the world famous 19th century Museumplein, which is arguably the cultural hub of the city. It is home to the three major museums in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art and the Van Gogh Museum which makes this an art lover’s paradise par excellence. The Rijksmuseum which is home to the largest Rembrandt collection in the world is a giant impressive several blocks long building. On another day, we came back to the same area to visit the Van Gogh (say goahk?) museum, which has the largest Van Gogh collection in the world! Both were busy places but very enjoyable. I had a Heineken in both places to recuperate from such exhausting culture events. The museum square also caters to children with its skateboard park and a wading pool, which in the winter doubles up as an ice rink. Between the museums is a pretty park setting in which on our winter trip had a large and popular skating rink. We remarked that many of the European cities in winter seem to have a skating rink in the center of town. Both museums had lines to enter, but within 20 minutes we were inside the doors. Using the audio headphones really enhanced the self guided tour. Some places you can take a photo of an art piece, while at others you were quickly yelled at.
Going along one canal we came upon an old black decrepit looking barge tugging along with its’ cargo of a few hundred old bikes, looking like they were on the way to the scrap heap somewhere. We assumed that they were dredged up from the canal’s bottom. Then there are the canals that have a series of house-boats anchored along them. It looks like only certain canals are permitted to house these, while others can have transitory boats tied up along them. We heard of a house-boat museum but could find it and ran out of time to look. To be sure, every canal had some kind of boat traffic. One of the little subtle things about the canals is how the buildings on each side reflect their images into the water, so each view is like an artistic picture. We saw that on every walk, but it took weeks after being back home that we realized how prevalent that feature was in all our photos we took. We also came to realize that Amsterdam is known as Europe’s most planned city. |
The canal houses are fun, with them being all connected but each with a different architecture design. This produces some real funky scenery. We found several where over the years, every now and then; one of them is leaning the wrong way and gives an interesting touch to the overall scene. We brought back some little 6 inch souvenir porcelain houses, which you mix and match. Each one is different and is fashioned after an Amsterdam typical house. One is a firehouse, one a red-light district house, etc. |
We strolled through a fancy Department store (Birjenkorf) and somehow found very fancy lacy women’s bras for only 169e. Such a deal! Then we heard that you ‘shop at Birjenkorf but buy at Herma’, a much cheaper little sister store. We never did find a Herma. We feared that the weather in Amsterdam was going to the coldest and worst of our December trip – just the opposite, it was great there. Still winter, but it was very reasonable for us to get around.
European beer drinkers always have their beer served in a glass with the logo of the beer they are drinking. Amstel is served in a special designed Amstel glass, etc. I already had some ‘Stella Artois’ glassware from Belgium, but on this trip I added some Peroni glasses from Italy, and an ‘Amstel Bier’ glass from beloved Amsterdam. I figure I can get a Heineken glass later, which I did.
Magna Plaza
This grand 19th-century building, once the main post office, has many upscale fashion, gift and jewelry stores. We walked through this big historic shopping complex which is not actually a department store, but a mall, located amid the extravagant 19th-century neo-Gothic architecture. The Plaza's four elegant, column-lined floors are filled with around 50 specialist stores of all kinds. Up on the fourth floor we enjoyed taking an ‘Aquamassager’ – we climbed into a long tube like an iron lung, and then the water pressure moves up and down pounding your body. Before we started I asked the lady clerk if credit cards were ok, and she said Yes, of course. When we were done, the woman’s credit card machine or the telephone line was not working properly after several tries. I had to leave Joan there as a security deposit and/or hostage, while I ran the streets of Amsterdam in the dark looking for an ATM banc mat machine. I came back and found them now appearing to be the best of friends, just chatting away. |
Window Shopping (red) I suggested to Joan one evening that we go and just do a little window shopping for a change. She thought that it was one heck of a coincidence that our window shopping just happened to end up at the Red-Light district of Amsterdam. There are several blocks of shops with a real red neon tube light in the window, then usually a girl on a sitting on a chair looking pretty bored, or sometimes a lady gyrating for you wearing negligee through the window. We didn’t make any transactions that night, but it was a very interesting and disappointing stroll, although it seemed to appeal to several males who were always hanging about the windows. I attempted to take a photo of one pretty dancer through the window but she quickly gave me a sign to ‘forget it’! Afterwards we heard that the local ‘museum of sex’ was by far the best and interesting value of the red-light district, but we missed going in. It was about Forty bucks for a bored dancer act or the entrance fee to the sex museum, take your pick.
Other walks taught us that the red-neon light window display is also in several other neighborhoods as well. We also by pure chance came upon the famous Albert Cuyp Market Street. This is blocks long of fresh fish markets, street vendors selling flowers, clothes, bikes, complete with street musicians. What a fun afternoon place to experience. Joan bought some traditional Amsterdam winter hats there. These are like stocking caps, but with long side panels that come down over your ears / cheeks and then tie under your chin. Those hats are gooney looking to be sure, but effective and in popular usage. We also strolled by the famous Café Luxembourg, where model wannabees sit Parisian style (shoulder to shoulder) in the front windows while being served by waiters in starched aprons, Geezch. |
Smoke Cafes On the advice of a waitress we met earlier, we go and try one of Amsterdam’s legal “Smoke-Cafés” in a neighborhood that is nicer and closer to our hotel. You can tell these coffee houses from the sign on the door, which states one must be at least 18 years old to enter. I go up to the bartender / clerk, Bob Marley’s brother I’m sure, and he explains the menu items to us. We can get two cappuccinos and a ‘pure-weed’ prerolled joint for 10.40e. There were several other selections being about a dozen in all, but he recommended this one for us first timers. ‘Ja Mon’ we say. So we go sit on one of the couches and Jefferson Airplane music is playing and the place does have a haze of smoke lingering everywhere. I notice that 2 young guys next to us are wearing FSU (Florida State) shirts! We find out they live in Pembroke Pines, Florida which is about 30 minutes from our home. After about a two minute chat, we must have scared them off for they left quickly thereafter. I figured that they thought we were going to call their parents or something. As we look around, there are young people sitting at internet computers doing work, sitting in couples (girl and girl), and other assorted folks there. Of course, again, we were the oldest people in the place.
Anyway, now we find that you have to have your own lighter to work this smoke café project out. I go up and barter with Bob Marley who gives me his personal lighter to use. Otherwise they are 3e each. Back at the couches, Joan was working it harder than I was and seemed to be feeling pretty good. The next morning as she woke up her only comment was that it will be another 25 years before that ever happens again. Both of us forgot to take our nightly meds that night. The next morning I was shaking out my morning dosage of blood pressure meds into my hands while standing over the toilet and ‘ker-plunk’, several of them go into the water. Good thing I brought extras. |
Food Issues Arriving in Amsterdam after our flight from Pisa, we were hungry and ready for some good pub burgers after spending 10 days in Italy. We order ‘Ludenburgers’ and bottle of French wine at the closest neighborhood brasserie to our hotel. Outside the place was a green Christmas Wreath decorated with hanging gold spoons and forks and knives. Very clever we thought for some restaurant Christmas decor.
The burgers came on sliced focaccia bread topped with tomatoes, cukes, and wild greens. Then came the French Fries served with mayo. Just perfect! While it seemed that all the restaurant service staff in Italy was males, Amsterdam seemed to only have 30ish-year females on duty.
Even our daily ordinary meals were special. We never had an ordinary or negative food choice. Every meal choice seemed to have some local touch or variation that made it unique and very enjoyable. Of course all our meals included a wine of some sort – glasses, carafe, or bottle. Why is it that wine is so common and easy to consume there without ever getting a headache? Joan says it is because we are on vacation. I think it’s something more scientific. Of course every meal included bottled water “with gas”. Overall, the meals in Amsterdam were probably the best of the whole trip! Go figure!
We frequently had a nice warm soup lunch with bread and wine in Amsterdam. The tomato, pea, and mushroom soups were great. The Grolsch beer cafes seemed to work real well for us. One was called “DeBekeerde Suster” - Nice atmosphere, good soup and cheap. Once they had a daily special of spare ribs and French fries. That was my favorite.
Now after this trip, Joan even promised that she would start making some crusty rustic bread when we got back at home.
One of our best meal experiences in Amsterdam was at a woman owned place called “Novembers”. She reminded us so much of “C” and we seemed to connect right away with her. This owner/operator does it all, hosts, bartends, and a waitress; direct the kitchen operation, designs meals / menu, and makes the super homemade chicken pate which we had. She came around and was so happy that Joan liked it. At the Café Novembers, we had:
An appetizer of carpaccio of beef served with pesto, rucola and Parmesan galettes. We also tried the chicken pate served with flat breads and pearl onions. For the main course, Joan had a filet of ‘pike-perch’ with a pea puree, potato waffles, and roasted mushrooms. I had the roasted filets of pheasant served with sauerkraut stewed in white wine and goose drippings, served atop mashed potatoes and gravy with prunes. Her nice wine selection was all good quality French wines. Oh, how we liked Amsterdam. |
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| edwis' Amsterdam Travelogues | | | | Title [Click to view] | Travel Year | Pictures | | AMSTERDAM | January, 2006 | |
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 Comments for edwis about Amsterdam | | | | |
KiKitC Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:48 UTC
Hahaha...I'd visit the smoke cafe with you...but please don't tell my parents! | johngayton Sat Sep 1, 2007 04:50 UTC
Must try out cafe November's next time - that's my sort of food. Good stuff here Ed :) HIC! John. | Obak81 Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:29 UTC
Really detailed descriptions with a personal touch :-) | Nemorino Mon Jul 9, 2007 17:49 UTC
I like your vivid descriptions of your adventures in Amsterdam. Glad you enjoyed it! My last visit there was in May 2006, when I rented a bicycle and had a great time cycling all around. |
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