(Houses and Houseboats along an Amsterdam Canal)
One three-hour train ride later from Brussels and we were in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This human-scaled city feels very comfortable, but there are enough bikes and trams around to make any walk here a potentially hazardous one. Stereotypically a land of clogs and tulips, the only ones we came across in Amsterdam were behind souvenir shop glass. Though this was winter, and we know better to return in the spring if we really, really feel the need to see wooden shoes and flowers.
Bikes rule in Amsterdam. They are everywhere! It is the preferred mode of transportation for locals and it's no wonder: the public transportation tram system here is not a straightforward system (at least to me on my first time here). And the city is as flat as a board, so biking is easy. Another fun little piece of information is that locals own more than one bike and often choose to ride the most run down of the lot to avoid them being stolen. An interesting anti-theft device, no?
Another interesting thing about Amsterdam is that the locals here are, at minimum, bilingual in English and Dutch. No worries about communicating here.
(Art Nouveau Dining Room at the Café Americain)
It's not easy to identify or find authentic 'Dutch Cuisine' here, but we were able to enjoy Poffertjes (Dutch pancakes) and zoute drops (salty Licorice candy).
I am a sucker for Art Nouveau architecture and design, so it should come as no surprise that our blow-out meal was at the Cafe Americain in the Hotel Americain in the Leidesplein area of Amsterdam. It is a Dutch national monument to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The restaurant served good, straight-forward International cuisine using local ingredients and I had the experience of having Hollandaise sauce in Holland...imagine that!
Dinner was followed by an express visit to the seedier side of Amsterdam that included 'coffee shops' and the Red Light District, all conveniently located close to Amsterdam's Centraal Station.
(Left: Interesting stacking of buildings and shapes at the Rijksmuseum; Center: View of the Westerkerk Church from the Anne Frank Huis Museum; Right: Painted window shades at the Rijksmuseum)
Earlier in the day we high-tailed it to the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht. I read The Diary of Anne Frank years ago in school and it made a mark. The diary chronicled the experience of a little Jewish girl who's family has to go into hiding during WWII. Going to the museum and seeing where she spent her days in hiding reading and writing was a surprisingly emotional experience. Especially when I realized that the father was the only one from the war who survived. He came back to the house on Prinsengracht, found everyone and everything gone, except for Anne's diary, which he later published. The rest, as they say, is history.
(Above: Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms)
It was then time for the Van Gogh Museum. Yes, that same crazy Dutch painter who cut off his ear, etc., etc. Most of these paintings I was seeing for the first time and that was a great experience. Two stars, in my opinion, are missing from the collection: The Olive Grove, which is in another museum in the Netherlands and Starry Night, which is in the MOMA in New York City.
(Above: Vermeer's The Milkmaid)
I took an express trip through the famous Rijksmuseum, that didn't really do it justice. The museum is a repository of Dutch masterpieces from Vermeer to Rembrandt to Hals. I was only able to spend about a half hour there. Oh, well...there's always next time!
(Above: Gate from Vondelpark, near our hostel, StayOkay)
Speaking of next time, here are a few items on my must see and do list when I return to this amazing city:
*Canal Cruise
*Eat Indonesian Food (Indonesia was a Dutch colony and this is probably some really interesting unique food)
*Rent Bikes and pretend to be a local
*Shop
*Stroll through the Vondelpark and snack at its cafe (it's supposed to have great views!)
*Eat at some of the outdoor snack vendors on Museumplein
*Heineken Brewery
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