Amsterdam

Amsterdam Day 1

The train ride to Amsterdam was a bit strange for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my colleague was flying to Frankfurt while I was riding the rails to Amsterdam. Secondly, although I had been going “First Class” on business, I bought the cheapest coach train ticket I could get on the Internet. There was also the fact that the train conductor never checked my ticket, only those around me. Maybe I have a trustable face?

On arriving in Amsterdam, the Central station completely overwhelmed me. There was very little English, which made the experience of exiting the station all the more frustrating. The frustration continued when the cab from the station to my hotel cost me EUR 32. I was disappointed in the location of my hotel, since it’s basically in the middle of nowhere.

However, this is also when things started to turn around. The girl at the front desk of the hotel told me where the metro station was located (about 500 meters from the hotel). I did my last bit of “work”, and then walked over to the metro station and bought a 48 hour pass (with some difficulty). The EUR 10.50 for the 2-day pass saved me a small fortune on cabs.

I took the subway back to Central station where I got some supper, and then went for a little walk. I found a touristy street (think Sparks Street, but with a lot more pot), and bought my souvenirs. At point, I took the subway back to my hotel since I was exhausted (as I have been for the past week).

At the hotel, I watched this crazy channel that seems to only play cop and lawyer shows in English. I ate some dark Belgium chocolate, planned out my destinations for the next day, and passed out at 10:30pm.



Amsterdam Day 2

While checking in, the girl at the front desk mentioned that breakfast was served from 6-10am on the weekend. This was a surprise since I didn’t remember the hotel having a continental breakfast. On the other hand, I thought they had free Internet access, which I guess technically they do, through 2 public computers. So I got up around 9ish, showered, then stumbled downstairs to check out this breakfast. Turns out the breakfast buffet was in-line with that of the Waldorf Hilton in England. I had multiple chocolate croissants, some crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, yogurt, fruit, milk, orange juice…and some of the worst peanut butter I’ve ever sample.

With my stomach full, it was time to discover Amsterdam. I took the metro to Waterlooplein (about 2 kilometers from downturn). There was a flea market there, city hall, a beautiful church, but try as I might, I couldn’t find Rembrant’s house. No worries, I walked downtown along one of the many canals. The walk took me through Chinatown and the Vietneese part of the city. I picked up a more detailed map of the city from the Amsterdam tourism office, and then proceeded to find Anne Frank’s house. This was definitely somewhere I wanted to visit, but, seeing the line-up around the block, and knowing I didn’t want to rush at my main stop of the day, I decided to take some pictures of the famous house, and the gorgeous church beside it, and move on.

It took a while, but I finally arrived at the reason I wanted to come to Amsterdam in the first place – The Van Gogh Museum. I know what you’re thinking, I’m not the most artsy guy you know. In fact, I’m probably the least artist person you’ll ever meet. However, it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the genius that was sir Vincent. For EUR 12.50, I got to see over 250 paintings, some sketches, letters, and learn more about one of my favorite artists. There was a hidden gem of a painting I really loved (beside the amazing sunflowers, potato eaters, and self-portrait). It was a still life of lilies, daisies, and poppies. I’ll have to look it up at home and order a print. The colors just pop…it’s an amazing piece.

By the time I exited the museum, I was exhausted and my feet were starting to get sore. I had thought about taking a tour of the Heineken beer factory, but seeing the line-up, and knowing I would have been rushing to enjoy it in only an hour and a half…I decided to skip it. Instead, I bought a quick snack at a grocery store, and found a metro station from which I could get back downtown.

Why you may ask? Well, first I wanted to eat supper. After a chicken donair (yum), that mission was quickly accomplished. The real reason I came back downtown was to find the infamous “red light district”. This isn’t on any maps, but having experienced the “marijuana district” the night before, I thought the red light district would complete my Amsterdam experience. If there’s one thing I’ve figured out on this trip, it’s that when in doubt, follow the tourists! This strategy led me to the red light district in about 15 minutes (for serious!)

A couple of words. First off, it was pretty crazy, but it’s over-hyped. Picture a bunch of old (40ish), fake, and gender-questionable “women” in windows, and you basically have an idea of what you’d see. The more amusing part for me was watching men try to negotiate with them. It’s eye-opening to see the type of guy that goes into a whorehouse. Hearing them try to strike a deal on heavily-used-“ladies” was a crack-up.

Anyway, after walking through the red-light district, I made my way back to the train station, picked up an “Innocent” smoothie (yes G, they are addictive), and made my way back to the hotel.

Needing to pack my suitcase before passing out, I’ll need to sign off now. I expect to post this entry when I get to Paris tomorrow.