Amsterdam: a cultural mecca
Kathy and I traveled to Amsterdam by train; and the trains in Europe are awesome! There is hardly a wait between connections, and all of them are right on time. VERY punctual. They also serve food, and are very comfortable and clean. Why can’t we get it right in our country? We bought our rail passes ahead of time, and our reservation was for the last stop on this particular train. We got off at the wrong station by mistake…and took a very long, very expensive cab ride to Dam Square in the heart of Amsterdam.
The Queens arrive
Kat in Dam Square, Amsterdam
White-gloved attendants treated us like royalty when we arrived at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, and we soon forgot all about the mishap. It was just shy of midnight, but you would have thought it was lunchtime in NYC there were so many people walking around! The city was alive…it had a pulse, and everyone was moving to the beat of that pulse. Despite all the ruckus outside, this hotel is blissfully quiet inside, like you were in a sound-proof bubble, and we slept like babies. Even the common areas were quiet and peaceful .
Fashion faux pas
Breakfast there the first morning our compatriots caused a bit of a scandal, though. As we were leaving the buffet, a group of college-aged girls came in. At the head of the pack was a vision to behold: dark brown shoulder-length hair…a little pudgy, but cute…wearing a white satin spaghetti strap teddy with a tiny red print (strawberries maybe?) on it. You could see through it, and it was working its way into a wedgie every step she took. To complete the look, she wore a pair of socks (no shoes)… we hoped she lost her luggage. Made us embarrassed to be Americans, and thank God we were on our way out. But that image was burned into my brain and very hard to forget…even after the weed brownie!
Schwinn attack!
Parking deck for bicycles in Amsterdam
Aside from that visual fiasco, we really enjoyed all of Amsterdam. But beware of the bicyclists – I bet the most common cause of death here is death by Schwinn! They tear around the city like they’re in the Tour de France and you’d better get out of the way! There are literally a million of them…and there is even a three-tier parking deck near the train station dedicated to bicycles. There are several bike rental places around if you want to join in on terrorizing pedestrians, but we chose to walk.
We popped into the Amsterdam salsa congress and who’s the first person we run into? Eddie Torres! For some reason I figured Eddie would be a much bigger guy. Later he performed a cha cha and that was the first time either Kathy or I had seen him perform (except on video). I danced a couple songs and went to check out the bachata room… Ugh! It smelled like a gym locker room full of sweaty socks so I bailed. We came back to the hotel to a welcoming party of really drunk people that I think were stalking Kathy for her pizza…
Speaking of food…
The best places to eat are always off the beaten path, and Mimi Latteria Milanese is a prime example. It’s a little place on a side street a local resident recommended. They serve Italian cuisine, and our dinner was phenomenal! The service was on point, the pasta al dente, and the waitress suggested a perfect wine pairing. It was a culinary delight! Five stars!!!! Find Mimi Latteria at Kerkstraat 148, 1017GR Tel: +31 (0) 207370239
One morning, we stumbled upon a line of people waiting for this hole-in-the wall pancake house to open. We decided it must be good to have a line to get in. We were right – scrumptious! Turns out Amsterdam is famous for pancakes. These are not the pancakes we know and love, but over-sized crepes. The tradition here seems to be molasses in lieu of syrup, and not all of the pancakes are sweet. There were some vegetable combinations that sounded pretty darn tasty, but we can only eat so much in a sitting. Then we discovered Speculaas – these are thin ginger cookies that are as addictive as heroine must be. We plowed through an entire tin in one sitting, and another one the next morning!
Get it to go
It’s true the coffee shops here sell more than just coffee – marijuana is legal to smoke (in the coffee shops)…and then there’s those hash brownies I mentioned earlier made with the oil from the plant. If you stay in the shops to enjoy your purchase, you will walk out of there smelling like weed. Most people get it to go and are just mindful of how they enjoy it. They have really interesting names for the stuff, too – like Purple Sticky Punch, Acapulco Gold, Northern Lights, Green Goddess, Haze, Lakbay Diva, Black Widow, Love Leaf, Rainy Day Woman, KGB, and my personal favorite name, Righteous Bush.
A full day, or two, or three…in our case four
The “I Amsterdam” sign
We meandered all through Old Town and the 9 streets, crisscrossing the canals and immersing ourselves in the city. The Jordaan section of Amsterdam really struck a chord with us, and we really enjoyed its artsy vibe. No matter when we went, the Anne Frank House had a line 4 blocks long that appeared to move very slowly. I highly recommend purchasing an advance ticket to avoid the wait. We tracked down the Rijksmuseum and I made sure to take a photo at the I Amsterdam sign. The waterfront bustles with activity, and is home to the maritime museum and to the science museum NEMO, which looks like the huge hull of a ship. But Sundays are pretty quiet, and the flea market draws the local population out in search of bargains.
What’s it like to work behind a window?
The red light district deserves special mention. Prostitution is legal in Amsterdam, and the brothels do a steady business. You can also “shop” the red-lit windows, but it is illegal to photograph the women in the windows. I even came across a workshop to learn how to present yourself in one of the windows, which I think it’s a unique way to really understand the Dutch mentality and the sexual culture in Amsterdam. At the end you got a photograph of yourself in the window to commemorate the event.
Zaanse Schans
Windmills of Zaanse Shans, a traditional Dutch village
What would a trip to Holland be if you didn’t see the famous windmills? Zaanse Schans is a traditional Dutch village near Amsterdam with a cheese factory, a few shops, and several windmills within walking distance of one another. There were a myriad of tour packages available to take you there…at the tune of 45 euros or more per person. You could get there on your own by train, but we just took a bus. It’s about 30-40 minutes travel time, and the ticket is very reasonable by comparison. One of the mills is still in use today, and the riverfront views alone were worth the trip.
Curious observations
What we didn’t see in Amsterdam were children and the elderly. This is a place for the physically able in-between age groups. Strollers and wheel chairs and less ambulatory people would have a hard time getting around with all the cobblestone streets, steps, and narrow doors and staircases. They modernized the building interiors, but the original structures and exteriors remain unchanged. All of the skinny houses along the canals each have a pulley system that hangs from an out-stretched arm attached to the roof. Then we saw a couch dangling from a rope while people hoisted it up to the open double-window on the 4th floor. I bet most furniture wouldn’t fit otherwise, and it sure beats climbing the stairs!
Typical canal houses – Amsterdam
Canal House close-up
Kathy and I both love this city, and we have many excuses to return. Our remaining agenda includes a canal tour, the Van Gogh Museum, and a trip to the tulip fields in bloom. The historical river estates, and the castles and gardens in the fortress stretch definitely merit a visit. The Dutch dunes, the bubbling beach,…and Haarlem also pique my interest. And the Speculaas beckon….
July 13, 2016 – This is by far my favorite European city to date, and I can’t wait to return!