Amsterdammit its C-c-c-cold here!

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Trip Start May 14, 2008 Previous
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  Amsterdam, Netherlands
Monday, May 19, 2008

I thought I was imagining things last night as my room grew colder and colder. The Hotel Nadia wraps itself around a busy intersection. Beautiful but not so old (c.1870's) for Amsterdam, the windows are single pane, thin, and some of them are purplish in hue like the Back Bay area of Boston. I wasnt imagining anything. It was getting colder. In fact, it got cold and stayed cold. Temps continued to fall throughout the day and I layered clothing, regretting that last-minute decision to leave my chunky sweater home. It probably made it to the upper 50s today and I never got rid of the chill.

Morning began early, but halted abruptly as I started out, camera-clad, into the crisp air. As soon as I pointed my camera, I got a message that my 2 gig data card was filled. How could it be? I had only taken about 100 pictures, and I typically get 250 pics on a data card 1/4 that size. I headed out to find a "foto" shop, toward Dam and Central station

Amsterdam

. Just past Dam I found a shop, closed. Two blocks further, another Foto shop closed. I stopped into the tourist bureau to learn that many businesses dont open until 12:30 on Mondays. Why? Because its Monday! (Makes me think the Dutch have some great parties on Sunday nights.) So I headed back to the Hotel and caught up on a few things, ate a meal and then headed out again. A woman about my age, not only helped me download the available data on the card to CD, but also figured out why the data card quit so early. YAy!

I wandered down tree-lined canals with beautiful and ancient houses, dating back as far as the 1500's. Canal houses are usually four stories, skinny and tall, and pitch forward toward the canal. Each house has a cast-iron hook at the gable to haul furniture up and through the windows. THe forward pitch helps keep heavy items from crashing onto the windows as they are hoisted to the appropriate floor. Four styles of roof-gables predominate and give accurate clues as to the century in which the house was built. I paused at Dam Square to admire the Palace, the statuary, and the hordes of buskers and tourist. I was caught by "the Grim Reaper and Scream" and forced to pay 0,50 euro for my release and a photo of course. Continuing toward Centraal Station, I walked along the path of the tram, which curves along these medieval streets. I noticed a change in the appearance and displays of the shops, and woke from my awestruck-tourist cloud to realize I was in the red-light district

Dam Square

. It was quite a distance from my Hotel, not what I was led to believe. Now things got interesting. "Brown" coffee houses were prolific and men travelled in packs down alleyways where people had to walk single file. The packs of men would often stop and stare through a shop window, pointing and commenting. My curiousity piqued so I headed down one of these narrow alleys and saw what the men were doing. The alley was lined with nearly nude women in tiny rooms that contained a cot and some mirrors. There were every size and shape prostitute available and the men were window shopping. Girls in bikinis, bras and panties, exotic dancer clothes, and sometimes less, were posing and beconning, flashing and fondling themselves and the men...well...were doing as men will in that arena. I walked up and down a few of these alleyways before I grew bored of the whores (although many of them smiled and waved back at me when I waved) and continued Northward. I found "The Bulldog," Which is Amsterdam's first and oldest Brown coffee houses. I stopped in and checked out the menu. Wow. Unparalleled high grade flowertops from the world-over, a gram for less than ten Euro. Out of the red-light district, things calmed down again and became more frequented. I browsed the touristy souvenier shops and purchased a few small momentos. I hopped into a pair of giant wooden shoes and had some stranger take my picture. Continuing onward, I came to the last canal before central station and hopped on a canal boat for a one hour tour

Hee hee

. The tour was prerecorded in four languages and English was last. By time the English was broadcast, we were right upon the featured landmark and it was difficult to absorb and/or photograph it.

Next I stopped at Mannekin Pis Frites ("voted best in the WORLD!" [by whom?]) and ordered a small cone of Belgian fries. They came piping hot, thick, and yes---very good. It warmed me slightly as I made my way back to the Hotel Nadia. I an freezing cold. I need to rest and warm myself before heading out to dinner. Its already late, 9pm. I have been walking all day and I am definitely feeling it. My foot is working great and I dont limp at all!!! I rested for a while, but beat feet to Koh-I-Noor Indian restaurant and made it just moments before the kitchen closed. Dinner was Vegetable Kurma with Chapati and Pashwari naan, followed by a massive cup of mango ice-cream, of which I took just a few bites. Had a long conversation with a Pakistani man named Kevin (from Los Angeles) and waddled all the way back to the Nadia. I was so full I could hardly drag my frozen glutenhiney up the devil's stairs and into my room. The proprietor chuckled at my breathless struggle and asked if I would like a tour of the fourth floor balcony. Smaartenkopf.

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Tattoo Parlor in Red-light District

The Bulldog

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