A Week in Amsterdam
Day 1: 27.06.2017
After the morning coming to Amsterdam, the weather seemed rather nice – you could wear shorts, and it felt warm. From the Schiphol airport, there is a direct metro going. The ticket costs EUR 4.90 + the nonrefundable EUR 1 for the card. This additional cost is ridiculous because it is one use card and isn’t even meant to be refilled. At least metros are going every 5 minutes or so. There are also indirect metro trains with two or more switches. That doesn’t change the ticket price because the ticket is valid for 1 hour.
The host met us at the Central train station.
Near to the place is a big castle that has a restaurant with real and fake candles. There is also the oldest original Amsterdam city map. Millions of bikes all around so the pedestrians have to be careful. It looks like they are the last one who crosses the street and always give way not only to the cars but also bikes even though they are on the pedestrian crossing.
A free city tour is a great way how to get to know more about Amsterdam. The meeting place is at the Dam square. There you can see a big white monument where Amsterdam people gather during their important events. The guide tells the story about where does the word “Amsterdam” come. It turns out that the city was a dam before and people started to live around it. That’s why also the city is sinking in many places, so that is an additional problem apart from being below the sea level. Another part of the cityscape that one can notice is that many buildings are not straight due to that. The buildings also tend to be tall but not wide. The reason is that it is cheaper that way. So you can see even buildings with just one window on top another up to 4 floors or more.
Amsterdam has many canals that turn one into another so it is hard to differentiate which is which and it is rather easy to get lost if you don’t have a good GPS. At the same time, the water is rather dark in any the day, and you can see plastic just floating there. I cannot say that it is a very romantic view but additional bikes and flowers make them look way better. You can also see various boats going or just standing at each side of the canals. Some people are even living in them. Even more interesting is to see some beautiful boats which have an additional terrace. This and some other elements make the boat look more like a house on the water. You can also see many loop lines that open time to time to allow bigger ships to go in or out of the particular canal.
The streets are vibrant with different shops and other building. One interesting place is a place which has the best cheese, chocolate, and weed near at the very start of the street. They are often visited not only by tourists but also locals. Some might call these the taste of Amsterdam, but it is not only about that.
As one of the most famous museums in Amsterdam is Anne Frank’s museum where the line can be as long as 4 hours and perhaps even more. Booking of tickets is open two months in advance but is sold out very quickly. The only way for others to get to visit the museum is to come after 3:30 p.m. when they can get in. The line starts forming already before 2:00 p.m. But it is worth it, especially as the ticket cost less than EUR 10. Despite all the wind and rain, I was also lucky to get in. The only shame is that there isn’t much of furniture left (even the famous table, where Anne Frank was writing her diary is gone!). Apart from that, everything is neatly kept, and an audio guide helps to avoid reading numerous texts. People were like ants there, and additional furniture would make everything even more packet. The same issue is with taking pictures which are not allowed to keep the crowd moving. Overall all the interviews and people comments are a great addition to the story Anne Frank wanted to tell about herself and other Jews.
Day 2: 28.06.2017
The Alternative tour of Amsterdam is something worth trying to see the city from the other perspective. The Northern part is especially interesting due to various underground cultures. Some years ago squatters occupied buildings on one street and claimed to be living there. They also made much graffiti so that the whole area looked very colorful and you cannot say that it wasn’t beautiful. Now the rule is that if you are not caught in 24 hours, you are the legal user of the place, but the ones who want to rent the places, need to have the place empty. So this is a situation that makes problems.
The tour includes also tasting the locally popular herring with pickles and onions. Latvians would add potatoes and some sauce or sour cream to it. They also have fresh fish sandwiches.
It is rather easy and free to walk around different parts of the city. Of course, you have to beware of pickpockets, but otherwise, there aren’t many restrictions. You can even go into a private living place and look at their garden as long as you respect their privacy, e.g., don’t take pictures of the residents. You can also spot a lot of flats and building’s rooftops with different plants. Mainly they are green and hanging down so that they not only are nicely visible but also hide the people living there. On different streets, you can also see “smart shops” and “coffee shops.” They are meant to buy and/or use weed and mushrooms there. It is legal to have 5 grams of weed/mushrooms on you. People are also selling them to anyone who wants. Some people choose to eat a space cake. It is not suggested to eat all of it as you will feel very high and see different effects that will intervene with the reality. Nobody says the ways how mushrooms get to the coffee shops because everything before these legal selling places is illegal. There have been cases when in winter you can see that some people don’t have any snow in the room while others have a lot. Most likely it has to do with illegal growing because it needs a lot of heat from the light. Good isolation is crucial to avoid problems that cost a lot.
A great thing you can see is that even around 11:00 p.m. it is still bright in the city. All parts of Amsterdam are lively. Especially active becomes the Red District. The world knows about this unique place thank special girls, who are standing or sitting near big windows and selling themselves. In these places, it is legal to get their intimate services starting from EUR 50 up. The Netherlands has legalized this “process” if it happens in an appropriate place and girls have signed with the government the necessary papers. Legally they are called “entertainers.” This way they pay taxes and have standards that are regulated.
The bikes are also rather special in the city. Not only there are a lot of them; they are much bigger as Dutch people are taller. Most of the bikes are city bikes, but very practical and go very fast easily. They are nothing like the ordinary European bikes. You feel higher up in them and thus also more comfortable. Bike stealing business seems to be thriving because some people seem to be doing it even during the day or simply watch a forehead which bikes are worth stealing. They don’t care much if others see them as long as there is no police. Also, police have bikes and use them quite often. They don’t even lock them. I guess nobody would dare to steal a police bike. There are also places in the city where you can simply sit and know that someone will approach you so that you can buy a stolen bike. Another interesting fact is that even hobos speak English quite well. They understand you and vice versa.
Day 3: 29.06.2017
This day started with a visit of the popular bench was the science from The Fault in Our Stars. The interesting part is that the original bench was stolen shortly after the movie was shown in the cinema. Still, there are many people around the bench even on a rather rainy day and to get a good picture is rather hard. The bench itself is not the highest quality, and some color is going away. There is a quote:
You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers. I do. I do, Augustus. I do.
And many people keep putting love chains on the bench. The view of the canal perhaps isn’t as romantic as in the movie, but it’s still a nice place to be. You can see the bridge with many bikes on it and people passing. There aren’t many cars going so the whole scenery isn’t that noisy. There are quite some ferries and different boats intended for tourists. I’m sure that guides in most of them notify about this particular bench. You can also see ducks and some plastic floating around.
The place near the National Library and NEMO science museum is also interesting to get some nice views. They have special bike lines even across the bridge. They are so wide that two bikes can ride side by side. In many places throughout the city bike lines are like that. From the library, you can get a free view to the science museum and the whole river side. Near to the NEMO science center is also another museum with a big ship in front of it. NEMO itself is nice because there is an open free terrace upstairs and some other interesting, engaging things. There are some fountains powered by sun, wind or man’s power as well as some other interesting installations. You can also use binoculars to watch the whole cityscape from there in details.
If you don’t like crowds, the best place is near the canal, where are cars that divide between the rest of the street. You can eat the big Dutch fries or simply enjoy the time there. These fries are worth checking out because they taste way different – rich in taste. They are not that healthy, so moderation is necessary.
Day 4: 30.06.2017
The weather just kept getting worse. You couldn’t wear any shorts or sandals anymore. It was time to go to the NEMO again as there was a bike storing place with security. Shortly after it started pouring, so the only thing to do was something that was under the roof. It was interesting to see ducks swimming in the water and not caring about the rain, but people were like scared dogs pushed inside the buildings.
GlowGolf Amsterdam is a nice solution for rainy days. Additionally, you can even play it 3D. Of course, the quality is not that good, but still, it is interesting at least to look around. The design is a mix of everything: a time machine, Alice in Wonderland elements like clocks, Loch Ness monster, dinosaurs, a train, cactuses, TNT, Chinese dragon, space elements, etc. The overall impression is like you would be high but still able to enjoy shooting the ball in the hole with fewer tries.
And when we finished playing, there was no rain. Another interesting exhibition (for free) is an ability to see how much exactly Amsterdam is under water and how it looked when it had huge floods that killed thousands of people. The canals in Amsterdam are more than 100 km in length altogether. That means that water is an issue that needs further attention and modern solutions.
Day 5: 01.07.2017
A place where always are many tourists is near Rijksmuseum. In front of it is a big “I love Amsterdam” sign. People like not only take pictures but also climb on the letters. So it means that it is impossible to have a good picture without people any time of the day. There is also a big water place that looks like a huge pool. In spring there are also new flowers that make the whole scene look even better. The garden itself has some strange postmodern status, but for kids, there is a nice fountain that changes directions. Even we as an adult enjoyed playing with it and trying to escape not to get wet. In the building itself, there are live performances. This time it was four people playing violins and a cello. And also interesting is that bike lanes go through the building, so you don’t have to stop if you don’t want. There I spot another interesting solution – bikes that have a place for kids in front. They even have a roof and a very nice, large basket-like construction. Most likely these bikes also have some additional electric power.
Another interesting thing that is typical for Amsterdam is flower markets. They look colorfully stunning at any time of the year. You can buy tulip bulbs with the finest quality as well as weed seeds and numerous other things. There are even wooden flowers as souvenirs that you won’t wither.
Near to it we also spot a help Palestine action. People were handing leaflets with slogans not to buy Israel products. These products are rooted in injustice, and Palestinian rights are oppressed. Some people stopped, but I don’t think that an average European can do much about it.
Then we stopped at Café Eijlders. There were no people outside, so it seemed like a perfect place to just read a book and drink coffee. But there were a bunch of Brits in the next bar. They were drinking obviously already for some time. So they were loud and clearly in a very happy mind. They approached us and started talking about joining them. Most of the things weren’t even possible to understand. Then one guy switched to ask the people who are passing. To one lady, who was walking with a dog, he asked: “Do you like dogs?” When she said yes, he still kept asking the same question. She looked terrified and hurried away. On the opposite side of the road, there was an Uber Eats bike. That was something new to see. The guy seemed to be working for that bar, but after two deliveries he just joined the British people. Now they all were hanging out there. They were also singing and switching the music box.
We moved a way to Vondelpark. It seemed that it should be more silent there. God, how wrong we were. There were some outside concert and hundreds of people all around. The tulip island was without any tulips and closed so the view wasn’t that interesting. Otherwise, everything was very neatly cut. Near the water fountain, there were also ducks and other animals that were enjoying the day as well.
We went to see Rembrandt sculpture with Night Watch sculptures. Also, there were numerous of people taking pictures. And all benches were taken, so it was no place to sit and enjoy. So it is when there are too many people.
Day 6: 02.07.2017
The end of the week was for finally sailing thru the canals. The weather was much better again. Finally, after at least four days the sky was blue, not darker or brighter gray. So everything looked much brighter. The skipper was Dutch but spoke English, of course. The boat itself was electric, so for the company, it is really easy to make pure profit. Additionally, snacks and drinks were included in the price which was donation so you could pay “for what you like.” Other people were Dutch, and they were enjoying it. While on the boat, you could see many houses and boats that look like houses because people are living there. I don’t know if that is cheaper, but there were many like that. Some of them even had a tease with many flowers, so it didn’t seem like they lacked something. And also – no noisy neighbors, only quite significant traffic around at any time of the day. I wouldn’t say that boats make a lot of noise so I’m pretty sure that they got used to them. You could see also ancient boats with some water in them. It is clear that after some time they need to be taken care of and repainted so that they would look decent. We passed by a toilet for men which is only like a metal crate, and you have to do things on the street, and anyone can enter whenever they want. It is the only free toilet in Amsterdam and only for men.
In the canal, you could see even a metal boat. Some boat was decorated with colorful light bulbs. I don’t know if they were in the working condition but still looked awesome. It reminded a bit of some clown place to me. Ironically the boat’s name was “PUNK.” The only thing missing was going through the loop line.
Next thing was some performances in the Dam Square. Some man was blowing bubbles, and that attracted kids. You could see the diversity already there – kids were from a various ethnic background. Same as on the streets – nobody cared how you look or where are you from. The only thing that matters is the money so that you can afford to live and spending money in Amsterdam. Even much Dutch were dressed rather casual. They didn’t seem to care much about looking neat. Another opposite was men who were wearing a suit even on a bicycle or just walking around the town. They seem to love the dark blue color. Cannot say that it looks bad.
And then it was time to leave the center with bikes and move further away. With bikes, it is really easy to drive as the terrain is rather flat. Further away you could finally also see modern business buildings that made up a whole district. As basically nobody uses a car in the center, I can imagine how long it takes to get to the job. Outside also we saw the first windmill. It wasn’t the last one.
Het Amsterdamse Bos was the large park on the way. It was so long that it looked like taking a territory of a town. And of course – a lot of water around. The sun was still shining even though it was already around 7 p.m. We stayed on the grass and enjoyed the last strong sunbeams. It was also one of the cleanest places to swim but still too cold to do it. People and ducks were also there. The grass was perfectly trimmed and very green. The place was also near Schiphol airport so you could see many planes ascending and descending. And still, it wasn’t a sunset. I think that the sunset was past 9 p.m. daily, but it was bright still until 11:00 p.m. which is unique considering that Netherlands is further than many central European countries with far less daytime.
Day 7: 03.07.2017
The day for biking. The last day was also the warmest. First time I was able to wear a dress for the whole week. But the weather could change any minute because that’s how it was all week. Something similar to London.
The first thing to spot near the bike road was gray bunnies. They were just sitting there. When they noticed us, they ran away. Most of the way outside the center is very green despite the industrialization. You could also see how working class places differed from the richest. Rich people were living in big houses, and some of them even had yachts parked in front of their house. They were living near the canal, so the canals looked like replacing streets. Even some kids were riding in a small boat. These boys didn’t look older than 8, but still, parents trusted them to go alone. That is additional step up for the easy feeling of the city.
Diversity was all around. I also spot “Halal Fried Chicken” place. I don’t know why places, where they kill animals inhumanly, is legal, but in Amsterdam, many things that are illegal in other countries are legal there.
In the landscape, it is possible to see also many windmills. It was very windy all the week and also this day the wind just was there on and off. So people get quite good renewable energy. Some say that these windmills don't fit the nature, but I think they look quite good same as there already are different chimneys and other things that one can spot from quite far away.
Apart from biking, there was also need to take a ferry. Again a free one. It’s quite nice that pedestrians and the ones with bike don’t have to pay anything. It was around 1:00 p.m., but you could also see that the weather is getting worse as the skies are not that blue anymore. The sun was still shining, but it was not that warm anymore.
The first big station was Zaanse Schans – a windmill village. The weather was windy there. Without a scarf or some other protection, it was a guaranteed to get a strong cold. Otherwise, already from far away, you could see five big windmills. Some were pointing other direction, so they weren’t seen from the bridge. Apart from that, there was again a lot of water and different animals – ducks, crows, cows, etc. The ones who maintain the place give them food, so they get used to that. Otherwise, they are free to go. There are fields without fences and animals are scattered throughout them.
The village is full of wooden buildings. Most of them have unique museums or souvenirs shops for visitors that are mainly tourists. Some painters were drawing the scenery and also selling their works at the place. There are also ferries going. I can only imagine how strong the wind is there. It didn't seem that many other people were going to any ferry. It was enough to walk around and get into some windmills.
The windmills were huge, and all of them were working. We choose to visit windmill called “De Kat.” It looked like burned from outside. I guess the name of the windmill and this dark black effect made me interested. They had a brochure in Latvian and Slovenian! They have 56 languages available. The first thing that you could see is how a variety of dyes is made with two stone wheels and some additional wooden construction. Tropical hardwoods are powered in the dyewood cutter tubs to make dyes for wool and other fibers. The whole system looked so complicated that I wouldn’t even try to explain it. But it is clear that wind power generated enough force to get a fine flour that later gets sold. They also make pigments. There are also many old pictures and other things, so the place is like a little art gallery. The best view is upstairs. The stairs are so steep that going back you have to turn against the stairs and climb down. Upstairs on the platform, you can nicely see windmills and overlook much easier as there aren’t 20 people in front of you trying to get the best picture. Interesting that the outside of the mill is covered with some small, dry straws. From the sun they have become gray. I’m pretty sure that they are a fire hazard. There is also a big wheel that workers use to move the wings 360o around to achieve faster movement.
Apart from that, the whole landscape is very nice to watch and look. There are many sheep around and other animals. They don’t mind to be touched. There are warning that you shouldn’t give them bread as it kills them. Apart from that you can go, take pictures, touch.
On the way to the Eye Museum, we also saw some horses and cows in the fields. An interesting sign was bike route to Maastricht – 350 km. The only thing that I don’t like is that also motor rollers are using the line. You can see that all of them are going more than 25 km/h. So it should be illegal but doesn’t seem that someone is controlling them. We didn’t go to Adam look out because it is a rip-off. You need to pay more if you want to try Europe’s biggest swings. And also the weather wasn’t that good anymore.
Just one hour before giving back the rented bikes, we went to see big graffiti of Anne Frank. Interesting that it is very colorful. It says “Let me be myself.” The place itself is full of different graffiti, but this one stands out.
The sky was already very gray when we got on the ferry. It was again free and very fast going straight to the Central Station. It goes every two minutes that means that once people get off and on, it already leaves.
The last view of the center was the same central square. Interestingly enough, there was a half-naked man and a man in a Grim Reaper costume. That’s an interesting way to get money and draw attention. We also used a train. It is way different than old ones because it goes very fast and neatly. Of course, you can also see that Amsterdam’s streets are very flat and almost flawless (apart from trash and that kind of things). Sorting is a bit of a hustle because most of the places don’t separate bio waste. Even at the airport, there are only three bins. Perhaps they think that it smells a lot, but that is not true, especially if it gets emptied more. I was surprised that Slovenia is way ahead in this regard although the Netherlands are using Uber, electric trams and other nature-friendly things. I also thought that the city looks a bit more romantic.
Perhaps it was the weather…
Comments