For me, Amsterdam was one of my top destinations in Europe for one reason - you guessed it - the Van Gogh museum. Duh, what were you thinking? Ever since I read Lust for Life by Irving Stone in high school, which may have been the only book I read completely through in those days, I was hooked on the mysterious man and his unique style of Impressionism. Friends of mine (Drew and Alex) had been to Amsterdam on a school trip a couple years ago and had told me it was a must, which only reinforced my desire to see it myself. I arrived in Amsterdam a day before I was to meet up with Brandan and Aaron, the Aussies I had traveled with in Prague and Poland, so I was given a chance to do all that I really wanted to accomplish before they came in case they didn't have the same interests.
First thing I did was rent a bike. Similar to Copenhagen, the amount of bikes in Amsterdam is astonishing. Right when you leave the central train station you are welcomed by the view of a four-story bike garage, packed full of the two-wheeled machines that Europeans love so much.
OH MY I JUST FIGURED OUT HOW TO PUT PICTURES IN MY POSTS. HOW HAVE I NOT FIGURED THIS OUT BEFORE?? I don't know whether to be excited or sad it took me this long to figure it out. I'm going to go with excited, don't tell me otherwise I don't want to hear it (cough denial cough)
So yeah, check out those bikes. In the background you can kind of make out the multi-story garage. You can't tell too well from this picture, but in Amsterdam it's almost cooler to have a bike that looks like a rundown piece of crap than it is to have a nice, new looking bike. And when I said almost cooler, I mean it is cooler. I liken it to how people act like they don't care about something, or do their hair like they its bed head, or say they don't care about what people think though obviously they do or else they wouldn't tell you that. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Or, its because the crappier your bike looks, the less likely it will be stolen. Also a plausible option. Either way, I didn't want to be riding around with a clunky, bright red bike that said Amsterdam Bike Rentals in a big white circle on the front that screams I'M A TOURIST (you think I was making a hypothetical bike up, but I'm not, I saw dozens of people riding these things). I did my research and found a place that rents bikes that look like a piece of junk, I mean, like a local's bike might look. After having to return my first bike because the brakes didn't work, I got one that was actually pretty good. And I didn't have to stick out as a tourist - mission accomplished.
In the day had by myself, I biked all over the city and did my touristy things. The Van Gogh museum met every expectation I had and more - not only did they have tons of Van Gogh's work, but also the works that inspired him, as well as others that were inspired and transformed by Van Gogh. The museum not only told a story of a man and his work through its vast collection, but also the story of how a huge portion of the Impressionist art movement began and its impact. A must if you ever make it to Amsterdam.
Another must is the Anne Frank house. The house that the little Jewish girl lived in with her family, hiding from Nazis for more than three years, is truly an eye-opener. Walking past the bookcase that covered the secret door to the three hidden rooms where her family lived, and walking around the tiny living area that the Frank family lived in, you have an entirely new respect for what the families in hiding had to go through. The house/museum also opens your eyes to all that the Dutch did in resistance to the German occupation, many risking their lives to help save their Jewish friends. Sad, but a must.
When the guys came the following day, I moved to the hostel they were staying at. It was a street over from the Red Light District. This meant every day and night I was walking past half naked women tapping on their glass windows trying to lure me in. I don't get how people do this. And an unbelievable amount do. I can't look these women in the eyes without thinking about what their life must be like, what diseases they must have, and what kind of person gets into that. But time and time again I saw men going in and out. Normal looking men too, not just the weird ones you expect to be doing it. In fact, my day in the city I got into a conversation with a couple British kids from Wales, and it turned out they were their because it was one of the guy's 18th birthday, and his buddies brought him to Amsterdam for the weekend to celebrate, and "get him a girl". Literally, they said that with a smile, like it was the most obvious thing in the world to do for your eighteenth birthday. When his friend told me this I swear a look of shock, disgust, and amazement flashed across my face all at once before I had a chance to hide it, but the birthday boy didn't notice, and instead gave me one of those "oh yeah I did" looks coupled with an oddly satisfied smile. I threw up in my mouth a little. How is this normal to people?
Sorry, I ranted. I loved Amsterdam. I had an amazing time, met some really interesting people (one of my favorites was this guy from Canada staying in my hostel. Just picture the most stereotypical stoner imaginable - long curly, unkept hair, hippie clothing, and talked like he had one-too-many hits when he was younger and stunted his mental growth, and then a few thousand more hits just to make sure it stuck. But he was also unbelievably nice, and I found myself talking to him on more than one occasion.) Going out with Aaron and Brandan, along with their three friends they were meeting up with in Amsterdam, was always a blast. Probably the best thing we did together was visit the Heineken factory and do what they call The Heineken Experience. Its just a tour of the brewery catered towards the 90 percent of the people on the tour high out of their mind. Kind of cool, but not as exciting if you're not stoned.
I'm actually heading back to the Netherlands soon. After Belgium I'm planning on going to Haarlem, a town just outside of Amsterdam that I wanted to go to but didn't have time. One of the things I took away from my experience in Amsterdam was a respect and love for the Dutch people. Truly the first country to have the right to call themselves truly Free (yes, before America come on), the Dutch have had to stick by their principles over the years, even as more and more tourists flood their streets with the majority of them coming just to flood the coffee shops and Red Light District for a good time, and yet they do it without the snobby attitude that I think they would even deserve. I read that last year, less than 10 percent (I think it was 6) of the Dutch population smoked marijuana even once. Instead, they bike by - tall, beautiful and with impeccably straight posture and continue on with their lives around the tourists. Although I have gained a respect for every type of people around Europe, the Dutch have my greatest respect so far, and I think that is what's guiding me to go back and see a different part of their country. Oh, and my guide book. That too - Rick Steves raves about Haarlem.
More on that later. AmsterDAMN this is a long post. Sorry. I'll end with the picture everyone takes -
Don't know how anyone gets it without a dozen people all over it. Still counts. There's so much more to say about Amsterdam, including the food:
Yum, Herring sandwich. I asked the lady for the most Dutch food she had. That's what I get. Actually kind of good, apart from the sliminess. I've already gone on too much, for more you'll just have to talk to me.
- Matt
Location:Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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