After an 8 hour flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam we arrive to a nearly deserted airport. Quickly passed through passport check and customs. Tried to purchase train tickets with Mastercard but card not accepted. Found a cash machine and hopped our train to Amsterdam Central. Only two or three other people on the train. It's 7am. The city is still sleeping.
From the train station at Amsterdam Central it's a 5 minute walk to our hotel. There's a foul smell in the air. Reminds me of Dublin. There are bikes piled everywhere. We cross a bridge. Not much foot or road traffic right now. We stop by the hotel to see how long until our room is ready and head back out to explore. Immediately start noticing garbage piled in the streets. Trash strewn across the sidewalks; bottles, cans, plates, flung here and there. The source of the stench. By now it's 7:30am and still it's like a ghost town. There's no place open for coffee or breakfast. No convenience stores open. I see a few shop owners unlocking doors, starting to set tables and chairs outside. But still an hour from opening. Looks like this is a city that parties late into the night and starts the day late.
We wander through the red light district. See many women in stalls donning leather and lace, trying to lure the clientele. Around 8:15 we head back to the hotel restaurant for fuel. By then the city's starting to clean up. There are men using stick brooms to sweep all the random trash into the street where it's picked up and a cleaning crew follows, one guy driving the water truck while the other walks around spraying the streets clean. Better to stay out of their way.
After breakfast our room still isn't ready so we give them our phone number and head out to explore. By now it's 9:15 and the city is bustling with people. Most of the locals ride bikes to get from place to place - that explains all the bikes lining the sidewalks and piled in front of buildings. And the multi level bike parking garage I saw by the train satiation! All the bikes look pretty much the same: old, black, and rusting with a saddle bag on the back or a wooden box secured to the front for caring things. Some are modified with large wooden carts on the front that can hold two small children. Bikes/bikers are literally everywhere. That is the thing that really stood out about this city. The streets are designed with both bikers and cars in mind with specific lanes and lights for each. We quickly learn when you cross the street in Amsterdam you're looking not only for cars but more importantly for the bikes coming from every direction. We head the opposite direction from the red light district. Here the streets are lined with design stores, bakeries, flower shops, etc. The canals are lined with house boats. The trees are blooming. Again, there are bikers everywhere. After checking in at our hotel we ate lunch and stopped at a street cafe for a beer. We ended up sitting next to some ladies from the San Diego area. It's a small world.
Later that night we went to Ardensnest for a few beers before dinner. Discovered them online - experts in Dutch beers which is unique. Located on the "good" side of town and more of a local bar. Exactly what we were looking for. Very few tourists around. Fantastic selection of beer. From there we wandered through the streets and stumbled upon a tapas restaurant for dinner. Pidgeon, vegetables, clams, rabbit - very different from our everyday life and very good! From there we checked out a coffee house, people watched in the red light district and headed back to the hotel.Saturday, April 16, 2011
Second day in Amsterdam. Woke up around 9:30am. What a treat to sleep in. Had breakfast at a cafe across from the hotel (they played Mariah Carey concert on TV - lame!), then we toured the city by boat. A tourist trap but fun. Learned they actually planned to build the houses leaning forward so they'd look bigger and to avoid damaging the furniture when they're lifting it up. The houses are tall and narrow so they all have a hook hanging off the gable to lift furniture through the windows. Got off the boat at one point and went in search of a street market. Wandered a few miles only to discover we were walking down the wrong canal! Oh well, fun to explore. Next time I'd try to rent a private boat/taxi for a 1 hour tour - could share with a total of 6-8 people.
There are mostly European travelers. Not many Americans. Most locals speak English so it's not difficult to communicate.
