Amsterdam

  Amsterdam, Netherlands
Monday, April 13, 2009

Amsterdam has always had an infamous air and been high on my list of travel destinations.  There is a certain "je ne sais quoi" about the fact that they are one of the few developed societies in the world to have made certain illegalities the norm.  Combine these illegalities with a unique culture, which seems almost cliché and one starts to understand the mix.  Marijuana and picturesque canals, sex shows and tulips...you get the idea.
 
Walking down the main street from the train station upon arrival, the only adjective I could muster, was "full-on".  That is - in your face and everything to the maximum - meeting every one of your wildest and most cliché expectations.  Much that same way Las Vegas does not disappoint - Amsterdam delivers.  I was all I could do to stop my self from raucously laughing out loud.  People were definitely looking at me like I had smoked something funny or perhaps enjoyed one to many special brownies.  This wasn't the case at all; when your expectations are met and exceeded it is hard not to be amused.  Although I have to admit, I had an overwhelming inclination to keep replaying "Love is in the Air" in my head.......but in fact it wasn't "love" at all I was smelling.
 
I nearly lost it when, upon arrival at the hostel, the receptionist (who was smoking a joint) told me that it was "cool if I 'smoked' anywhere but to please have some courtesy and take my cigarettes elsewhere".  No cigarettes - got it!
 
I found the main street to have a similar air to Clifton Hill at Niagara Falls - it bore a striking (if naughtier)

Carnival - Dam square

resemblance.  It is a place where you can buy any and all smoking paraphernalia that your heart desires, peruse a sex shop, visit Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, got to a haunted house and of course, go to a "coffee shop"!  Not only are these tourist treasures a permanent fixture, they had converted the historical Dam Square, compete with a War Memorial, into a carnival for the weekend!  
 

Reflections

With more bikes per square kilometer than Beijing and more canals than Venice, it is easy to understand why this amazing city is a permanent fixture on the tourist circuit.  I was quick to learn to look out or both cars AND bicycles when crossing the street but it was the canals which I found utterly amazing.  Watching the reflections at night or sitting on the edge watching the locals and tourists alike cruise around during the day and picnic in their boats and they meander the tiny waterways was one of my most memorable experiences there.
 
In addition to the obvious appeal of the city, there are quite a few sights that are on the must-do list as well.  From Ann Frank's house (which unfortunately I didn't go to because of insane line-ups) to the Van Gogh Museum, there is a lot on offer.  I found the Van Gogh Museum particularly fascinating having studied him in my art classes.  Seeing "Starry Night" up close, along with hundreds of other works I grew up copying was an awe-inspiring experience!
 
One day I took a day trip to the Keukenkof - the world's largest flower garden. It is about an hour from Amsterdam by train.  The journey takes you through the country side where you can help but contrast the older

Cliche

windmills with the more modern, power-generating ones. The former or course providing that "icing on the cake" feeling.  Not having even the tip of a green-thumb myself, I was drawn to this Mecca for gardeners for what else...... the tulips!  When in Holland....  Surrounded by bulb fields in a rainbow of perfectly straight columns this picturesque area has an abundance of flowers.  The colours, smells and variety alone can not help but enthrall even the weariest of men dragged along by their counterparts.  
 
Meeting some great people, taking an "ambient" stroll through the red light district and purchasing the requisite clogs were also some highlight experiences.  After three days I was ready to say goodbye to the "Marijuana and Hash Museum", neon glow of the coffee shops, blood-shot eyes and those women glowing in pink light!