The city's set-up is at once simple and confusing - when you look from a birds eye there are some neighborhoods on a traditional grid and then the downtown and canal area which is more like a belt - the streets and canals arch around the other (like a rainbow). I think it would be quite easy to navigate but the street names (for me) are not easily recognizable! I became quite adept at navigating the main canals but I have no idea what they were called. Dutch is not forgiving to my American tongue.
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I came to Amsterdam from Newcastle via ferry. First off it was amazing to have my own cabin after all the shared dorms in hostels!! I love being on boats and the ferry was small enough to feel the swells but not too small to be overwhelmed in the North Sea (a notoriously cold and bitchy sea, so my Navy friends say). They had a small cinema so I also got to see Elysium (in my opinion, quite good). The ferry, run by DFDS Seaways, had some very fancy restaurants, a couple musicians, and of course bars and stores. It was very enjoyable .... except that I was hungry.
Here's some fun stuff to know for when you travel anywhere in Europe (and it's quite new so pay attention, travelers)!!..... The ship accepted both GBP and the Euro but they ONLY accept chip cards. The credit cards have a chip on them; which looks like the chip on your phone's memory card. Each person has a PIN for their card and they are not swiped at all. While most places in the UK can accept both (but NOT Royal Mail or Post as I discovered). this ferry could not. I did not foresee this and spent my GBP down to the last 2 pence...and had no Euros :( There was no cash point but the woman said I can give you cash from your chip card....AHHH! Thankfully I came stocked with Clif Bars and some protein bars. While not satisfying it held me over to Amsterdam.
Model of the ferry (I was way down on deck 2)
Our boat, the KING. She was made in Copenhagen.
My humble abode for the night. It was quite comfortable!
I love to be on the water (especially in the Caribbean during a thunder storm) and the best thing about it, besides being rocked to sleep, is this....
In progression.... always when I am sleeping on a boat I try to get up to see the sun rise! The North Sea was calm for our passing and not as cold as I thought it would be - all wonderful.
We docked in a port town called Ijumuiden and there was a bus to take us to town. I only stayed in Amsterdam for one night but the ferry docked at 9am so I did get to take advantage of two full days. As the previous pictures suggest, the first day was gorgeous and sunny (for part of the day) - which is rare in a place where it rains 300 days a year (sound familiar, Pacific Northwesters?).
As always the first stop is the hostel to drop the backpack! This one was pretty cool looking...
If you can manage to see, my room was all the way on the top floor (no elevator...hm) with the balcony (left side in this photo). It overlooked the Vondelpark. The largest (47 hectares) and most famous (live music, shows and popular outdoor spot in summer that attracts about 10 million a year) park in Amsterdam.
Vondelpark. I imagine its more becoming in the summer. This was the warmer, sunnier day by the way (cough cough).
FUNNY FACT - the directions to this hostel (stayokay) said to "turn left at the Marriott". Hmmm...
Day 1. November 13 - Anne Frank House, long walk around the canals, getting high walking by cafes, eating a large, deserved, and delicious meal, cheese, flowers, and of course...browsing shops!
About 15 minutes from the hostel, the Anne Frank House is located off Prinsengracht, which is the second canal street. The house is easy to find because it's on the corner next to the Western Church or Westerkerk.
*history*
The Anne Frank House is quiet and sad but also remarkable. That is especially clear when you think of Otto Frank, Anne and Margot's father, who had to return to the house (or the secret annex) and took the time and energy to read and assemble Anne's diary (he even made it into a stage play but could never go to see it performed - having to see people portray himself and his deceased family). Otto was the only Frank to survive with Anne having died only days before Liberation.
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The museum is set up to be bare, quiet, and asks for no photography as many visitors have emotional ties to the subject. It is set-up with photos, models of the office and warehouse, and with interviews of those who knew the family. The best feature, though, is at the end of the museum. I think it's a great feature because it engages younger people who are farther from WWII and possibly are not as affected by it. It also relates Anne Frank's story to current society; which is how education of history SHOULD be.
At the end of the exhibit there is an interactive TV area. In the middle there are lot of little columns (about 1.5 meters) with a red "no" and a green "yes" button. The TV's show clips of religious, race, gender interviews and asks a corresponding question which you answer on your column. There were 2 school groups here at the time and it was really interesting to see the buttons they pushed....and how some of them reacted when their friend chose the opposite. Fascinating. More info on that here: Free2Choose
This is Westerkerk. It is the biggest church in Amsterdam and is, of course, Protestant. The tower, Westertoren, is 275 feet high and is considered to be the symbol of Amsterdam to many.
I'll be honest....I can't believe I put off eating for so long but I am happy I did! Right across the canal and down to the next bridge from Westerkerk and the Anne Frank Huis I found a little cafe run by a very nice Indian man who was helpful and handed me an English menu (no, it wasn't a curry place!), called Roem. Fantastic. I had a very hard time deciding because everything sounded good but I knew I had to have a pancake (not quite a crepe but it's the best comparison I have). I decided on the savory - bacon, mushroom, cheese, and tomato pancake. I went back again the following day for lunch.
If you are ever in Amsterdam and want to try a Dutch pancake (and everyone should) go to Roem. It's in a touristy place but its small, cozy, very well priced and caters to locals as well as tourists.
On the same road there are two other places I enjoyed exploring. The Tulip Museum and The Cheese Museum. Holland is famous for its tulips and had a festival each year, Tulip Time, held in early May(ish). As for cheese...there's a lot. Some is stinky, some is tasty, some come in big wheels (!).
It smelled quite nice in here, and though I do not posses a green thumb I was tempted to buy lots of bulbs and try.
Being lactose intolerant does not mean I avoid cheese altogether...so the free sample was plenty as well as tasty. They had a nice mild cheese out (no idea what it was) and a very sharp cheddar. YUM!
Sadly for me, the museums in Amsterdam are not free and when traveling for so long (and having spent so much in the UK) were out of my reach. This being said I walked about towards the central station, Dam Square, and in and out of the winding canals to really get a sense of the place.
Things I noticed and found, and learned:
- Absolutely no photos of the girls in the windows...they get angry (kind of funny for a spectator, but don't do it). The oldest female worker in the Red Light district is 84.
- There's a chance if you walk by the right places at the right time (and I think I did) you may get a bit high during your walk (I had very vivid dreams that night...hmm)
- Shop and restaurateurs will practically proposition you to come inside and shop/eat.
- There are 5 lanes to cross on most streets - regular two-way traffic, one tram (center) lane, and two bike lanes.
- Bikers in Amsterdam rule. And are pretty confident that rules don't apply to them.
- It rains. A lot.
- Pancakes are suitable for every meal
- Crooked houses? Nope, that's intentional.
- Tallest people on average!
- Dutch are the kings and queens of water management and when floods or other such things happen, most leaders call on the Dutch.
- Coolest and also crudest signage. For example:
Signs like this are common in the bigger party areas...."people live here" is a popular add-on.
Why are the houses so narrow and crooked? You may ask. Well, read-on!
- Some people say the houses are so narrow and tall because the Dutch are the tallest people in the world. - - Some people also say they are the tallest people because their houses are so tall. While they are the tallest people, that's not right,
- The houses are so narrow and high because of the way taxes were calculated; by width of the property. But feel free to build as high as you want! Which leads to houses like this...
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The red building on the left...is a house. That's all there is to it! It is the narrowest house in Amsterdam and was built by a rich merchant for his butler because the butler said..."I cannot believe the width of this house, if I had one only the width of this door." He was taken literally.
- Most houses, even though they are so narrow in front, do widen as they go back.
- The houses naturally fall to one side or forward because Amsterdam is all marsh, of course, and the foundations shift. Instead for tearing buildings down and re-building them correctly the Dutch just re-leveled the floors and kept on going.
- More recently the Dutch started building the houses with foundations of tall trees - just like houses near beaches that are raised up on stilts. So, Amsterdam row houses have tall foundations underneath!
- Lastly the crookedness. Totally intentional. Why? Well if you think moving is a pain with a regular house and doorway, try it here. Every building has an arm, a beam, off the top with a pulley hook. So next time you see a spoof of someone dropping a piano on a car below...it likely has happened in Amsterdam.
See?! I bet it's fun to watch people move-in and out but horrible to do it. I'd also imagine most places come furnished!
Your comments are a delight to read, Carrie. We will miss you at Thanksgiving, but it is obvious you are traveling happily. Love, Aunt Mimi
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