Amsterdam E-mail

Our drive from the Airport into Amsterdam was quite a shock.  We were very happy to not have to drive ourselves, as we were more than tired from the flight, but our adrenaline was pumping hard from the excitement of finally being there that sleep was not an option.  The desire to see everything and explore it all immediately was unbearable.  I was in shock to be there to the point that I really didn't care what we did.   Standing in the streets after we dropped off our bags, I realized what a treasure these cities truly are.  I almost cried as I imagined these streets being destroyed like Rotterdam was during World War II.  I understood very clearly why the Netherlands and Belgium surrendered quickly to Germany during that war after the example that was made of Rotterdam.

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Our first order of business was breakfast so we ventured out into the city to find something "European" to eat.  It was going onto 8:30am but many of the cafes and restaurants were still closed.  I guess people sleep in late when they party all night in a city like Amsterdam.  We found breakfast at Rembrandt's Square and watched Amsterdam wake up.  It was cold and cloudy by our standards, but somehow it was absolutely perfect.  The people on bikes and the odd looking, small maintenance vehicles passing us by during our short breakfast provided plenty of eye candy.

We needed a couple of supplies for the baby and some batteries for the camera, so we began our tour of the city with those goals in mind.  Heading deeper into the city without a map is where our troubles began.  A few words of advice...  get a map and use the public transportation system when possible.  It will save plenty of time and allow you to see a lot more during your stay because you will get to your destination in good time.   Well, we didn't get one and ended up walking down 5 blocks of a shopping district full of American chain stores, definitely not what we wanted to do on our first day in Europe.  We just that morning got off a 7 hour plane ride and it felt we were right back from where we came.  We escaped that street and headed down a few alleys to the Dam.

The Dam is exactly that, it was built to keep the river from inundating the city.  The Grand Palace and War Memorial is built upon it.  It is the largest square in Netherlands and it is full of pigeons.   We watched two ladies in electric wheelchairs get practically attacked by a swarm of them as they were trying to feed them.  I could see them defecating on their jackets and in their hair.   Slightly grossed out and ready to change our scenery, from there we wandered about some side streets until it was decided that it was time I tried a Dutch beer at a local cafe.

Having a beer on a street corner in Amsterdam is quite a relaxing past time.  You see all the same types of people you would see in any big city but the difference is that most are on bicycles.  You had to be careful you don't get hit as they drive those bikes like NYC cab drivers drive cabs. They will take you out.  I also learned to stay underneath the canopy while relaxing at outdoor cafes because of the pigeons.   Don't get too close to the edge or you'll get branded by the birds!  The many trees lining all the streets in the old city attract a lot of birds.

First Night's Adventure

The one thing we didn't learn very quickly is you need to get on the local schedule ASAP or you will be in that psychedelic jet lag frame of mind that isn't drug induced.  You won't need drugs.  It's terrible.  Meaning if you are tired and it's 5:30 p.m. don't go to bed.  Force yourself to stay up 'till your normal time of 11:00 p.m. and then get a full night's rest.  We headed back to the apartment after a beer to relax a bit.  We ended up falling asleep at 5:30pm and we woke up about 10pm hungry and kind of refreshed.

Our nighttime adventure began, so it was the quest for food and fun.  We wanted to hang out in the city for a couple hours before retiring for the night.  We were wide awake from the few hour rest and started off along the outer canal on a walk towards what we thought was the nearest shopping market.   We didn't do much research prior to setting out and found that the grocery stores were closed for the night.

Off we went, without a map, into the confusing 1/2 circle plan of the city.  A place were bridges don't always get you where you want to be, the street names are nearly the same or at least look the same after a few beers and then it's compounded by confusing street numbers.  Sometimes there is no bridge to the road you want to be on, the streets all look the same in the street light and the numbers on each side of the canal do not line up.  So, for the next 4 hours we wandered the city, seeing all sorts of buildings and not having the slightest clue as to how we got there.  Nothing looked familiar, yet everything looked the same.  If you showed me a map, I would have had a hard time figuring out where to start looking.

During our late night walk we came upon a corner store with no prices on the goods being sold.  Clearly a warning sign to not enter, but we needed some water and a bit of food for breakfast.  It turned out to be our most expensive breakfast of our trip, but not because it was high quality or plentiful.  Remember to avoid late night corner store runs for anything but an absolutely essential item.

We were captivated by music and followed it towards a lively square, which when we finally arrived the music had stopped and the clubs were closing down.  It was good in a way because the jet lag had caught up to us and our bodies begged for rest.  Off in the direction we thought home would be, we began our walk.  It was a long walk.  The next 2 hours saw us wandering in circles through the streets of Amsterdam, trying to find out where we were staying.  After no luck having found a map or anyone on the deserted streets that could give us directions, our feet ached and we were ready for bed but had no idea where we were.

Lady luck had mercy upon us and we spotted a couple of people going into a shop.  We crossed the canal and headed towards the door they went into and as we got nearer we noticed it was a police station.   I didn't want to go in but our feet were so sore and I could not handle another 10 min of walking.  I walked in and the couple ahead of me were talking to the officer in Dutch.  While waiting for them to finish I studied a large map on the wall.  Desperately trying to find out where we were so I didn't have to ask him.  I'm one of those guys who doesn't like to ask for directions because it takes all of the fun out of figuring it out.

A few minutes later, after searching on the map and not finding a thing, the officer realized I needed help.   He cut off his conversation with the others and asked if I knew where I was. His manner in the question tells me he asks that question a lot to people everyday.  I told him that I needed to get to Princengraht.  He pointed out where we were and were our street was.  Our present location on the map was on the complete opposite side of town to where I thought we were.  He gave me some verbal directions in broken English and sent us on our way.  He failed to tell us was that the street numbers on the each side of the canal can vary widely.  It might be on the 700s on one side but it will be the 300s on the other.  Nonetheless, after a few blocks of backtracking we made it to our cozy little place.  Our first night was filled with wonder and delight, but we realized we had much to learn about getting around the crazy streets of Europe.

The Next Few Days

The next day we sat in the little garden in the back of the house.  It was a wonderful spot to relax and let jet lag of the trip melt away.   The owner had a fountain and a little pond.  The next door neighbors had hens and a duck.  Many of the other backyards that adjoined ours were either too small to do anything with or were overgrown with grass and weeds.  We enjoyed the sun, birds and muffled sounds of the city.

We were to head out early and get a good start in our exploration but that did not occur.  We got out the door to head through the city to get to the boat tour's dock at about 1 p.m. and afterwards Central Station.  We still got a bit lost even with the map as we tried to avoid all the US shopping stores and the big tourist crowds.  When we finally made it to the docks we wanted a bit of rest.   We chose the first boat tour but it wasn't the best.  The Hop On and Off tours would work much better because of the ability to catch it anywhere and take it for short trips to popular destinations.

Our hour tour took us near to places we wanted to see.  We marked those down and promised to make our way to them as soon as we got off near Central Station.  Since we were right there I checked in on a few things and learned how to use the rail pass.  We had enough of walking by then so we jumped the trams out to the museum district.  The trams are a great way to see the city, relatively inexpensively while saving time and foot pain.

We made it out to the museums with 45 min before closing.  Not nearly enough time to be worth paying the high entrance fee.  Nearby was a famous market so we set out to find.  After about 1/2 an hour, we needed to consult our map.  I pulled it out to find that the map was not big enough to show our location.  We had fallen off the map.   For the next hour we did some more walking to find a tram station to take us to a stop close to home.  We caught the next tram but our stop was under construction.  The next stop took us farther away from our goal then when we got on.  We had to do a bit more walking but we do know that city pretty well.

For the next two days we were able to get around pretty quickly without needing the map.  We hit the Van Gogh Museum which was pretty fabulous and relaxed in the local parks.  We kept near the house and enjoyed the local restaurants.  It was a peaceful evening out until about 11pm.  Large groups of people walking by shouting, drumming and singing along the canals.  It was the last Friday of summer and everyone was out enjoying the warm nights.

The Dam

The Dam is fronted by the Royal Palace and is the largest plaza in Amsterdam. On the far end is the war memorial Obelisk which holds soil from all the dutch provinces. The Dam created in the 13th century was quite literally used as a dam to block the river. It is now the most popular square in the city for people and pigeons alike.

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Streets

The streets around the canals are beautiful with their many stores and offices at ground level. You must watch out for the bikes as they are the mode of transportation and drive everywhere.

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Bikes & Bridges

Standing on a bridge at the start of a quiet side canal. Bikes are everywhere and there are many tourists about.

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Accommodation

We stayed in a little 1 bedroom place on Prinsengracht for 3 days.  This place was in a great location.  Make sure to look through the place and find the maps that are available.  For first timers to the city the streets are confusing.  The back terrace was a wonderful spot to enjoy time in peace away from the noise and bustle of the city.  There are some other places that are much nicer but we arrived during the last week of the busy season so we had to take what we could find.