Tuesday, August 19, 2008

We Need More Amsterdam






Hi all. Bret and I are writing to you from the Princess of Norway DFDS cruise ship. It’s pretty cool, with several restaurants, lots of bars, and some not so spectacular entertainment.

The trip from Newcastle to Amsterdam is very long- 15 hours by boat each way! So as you might imagine, the ship tries to keep things as lively as possible. There is a ‘pirate’ for the children, which they love, a few shops, and a movie theatre, in addition to several singers and some dancers that parade around in feathery outfits. The cabins are very bare-bone, just a bunk bed and a small en-suite. I was hoping there would be a tv, but no such luck.

It has been very weird travelling by cruise. Neither Bret nor I had ever been on one, and though it has been a good cheap adventure, I can’t say I’d do it again. The ship sways wildly from side to side on the choppy North Sea, and the hum from the boat makes it feel like you are in a perpetual earthquake. I miss the speed and efficiency of flying. We were supposed to arrive in Amsterdam at 9am and depart at 6 pm, but there were quite a few details that were left out, particularly, that the boat does not actually arrive in Amsterdam, but in the industrial outskirts of the quaint city. Instead, we got off the boat at 9:40 and got on a 45 minute bus ride to city centre. Then, the bus picked us up at 3:30 from city centre. So effectively, we had about 5 hours in Amsterdam. We were not pleased by that…

But we made the best of it…after grabbing some dutch breakfast (delicious with cheeses and fried eggs) and dutch apple pancakes (like crepes) we rented some bicylces so we could go around the city faster. We realised that we would not be able to go to the Van Gogh musuem, but we could still meander around town.

What we did not anticipate was the bicycling skills of the locals. I hadn’t been to Amsterdam in 5 years, so I was quite surprised to see that people not only talk on their mobiles as they are weaving through heavy traffic, but they text as well. The locals are expertly with their bikes, ringing their little bells as they zoom past clueless tourists.

Aside from that, biking is quite easy in Amsterdam. It’s flat and beautiful. There are lots of lush trees, and there are canals everywhere. The city vibe is very informal. There are lots of cafes, coffeeshops (that sell more than coffee), and cosy little hang outs in quiet alleyways. You see many a stoned hippy staggering about happily on the neatly paved streets, but you see just as many people in business suits and doing exercise with their dogs. Amsterdam is the kind of place that invites you to relax and enjoy.

While the Red Light District is a must-see for its sheer shock value (there are literally women in lingerie standing in windows, beckoning men to come in to their brothel rooms), my fave area is the Jordaan. Here, the sleaze disappears, and you can really take in the beautiful Dutch architecture. Homes are tall and narrow, Georgetown style. They are all painted very cleanly and decorated very simply. The most elaborate thing you’d see in a home façade is a vine crawling up the wall. The windows are small, and as far as I could tell, the décor inside is elegant and simple. Not exactly minimalist, but not as boring as ‘contemporary.’ Just elegant and plain.

A big downside about Amsterdam is that, though small, it’s a circular city, so it’s almost certain that you will get lost. It took us a good 45 minutes just to find Vondelparc, the lovely large green space in the city. But riding around there was worth it. It’s not a ‘perfect’ park, more like a simple untamed natural place, kind of like Amsterdam itself. Sadly though, after riding around for a few hours, we realised that it was time to go back on the bus and head back onto the ship…

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