One of the nice features of my plane ticket to Turkey is that it included a 8 hour layover in Amsterdam. Having never been to this orange obsessed country (color not fruit), I decided to embark on a quick expedition. Because of the last minute nature of my trip I neglected to do any research concerning Amsterdam, its attractions, and how to get around prior to leaving the states. After making it through customs I followed the signs to the train station and took to the rail map to find possible destinations. After some strong analysis of dutch train station names I went with Amsterdam Central. I would like to say because it made the most sense but really it was because it was the only one that was in English.
It turns out this was a good decision. From what I can tell it drops you off right in the middle of the city. It seems obvious in hind sight but at the time I really had no idea where to go. Once arriving in town it became instantly clear that Amsterdameans? really enjoy riding bikes. It's pretty much the city Portland wishes it could be. As a bike rider myself I had a strong appreciation for this quality. I easily saw more people traveling by bicycle than car. The part of the city I was in, wherever it was, was mostly flat and very bike friendly.
Once I got what little of a bearing I could muster I set off to find the only attraction in Amsterdam I had herd of other than weed, absinth, and hookers; the Anne Frank House. I was unable to find any signs pointing to it around the train station so I just started walking. As it tends to do dumb luck kicked in and I stumbled on a sign pointing in the general direction of the house. As I arrived I noticed a sign on the window of the entrance; 'No Bags Allowed. Please deposit your bags at your hotel or at Amsterdam Central lockers'. Well crap. I obviously didn't have a hotel so it was another 2km walk back to the station.
I was really unsure if this sign was accurate. Luggage lockers have been removed from all US airports since 9/11 and I was not confident that I would be able to store my bags anywhere. Luckily Europe does not blindly institute reactive travel policies at the drop of a hat. With my bags now in a locker it was time for round two. Much more confident in my travels now knowing where I was going I headed back.
The Anne Frank House, or Huis as they like to call it, was pretty underwhelming from the outside but I guess that was the point. Inside it is full of not only items from the Franks time living/hiding there but also things written and attached to the walls like the height measurements of Anne and her siblings and photographs Anne glued to the walls. The little details like that were what really brought it home for me. It was pretty neat to see all these things preserved and really gave you a feel for what they went through. I think I also had a unusual appreciation for this house having always dreamed of having a secret room behind a bookcase. No pictures are allowed so you will have to use your imagination on this one.
After my sightseeing rebound I decided I would try to find the red light district of the city where all of the ladies of the night are presented like manikins in the store front windows. This also turned out to be an unsuccessful endeavor. This was as close as I got.
What I did end up seeing was a good chunk of what I assume is downtown Amsterdam. The narrow alleys and cobblestone streets were full of modern shops and restaurants. Speaking of restaurants holy crap Holland, you really need to get some variety. I don't think I’ve ever seen so much redundancy. I’ve concluded that the Dutch only allow 3 kinds of restaurants in their country. Argentinian steak houses , pizza parlors, and 'Chinese' restaurants. I suppose when your culinary culture is only known for putting mayonnaise on french fries you aren’t the best foodie destination but the frequency of these steak houses was reductions.
The rest of my adventure was pretty uneventful. I don't really think Amsterdam will be a vacation spot for me in the future. If I smoked a lot of pot and wanted to bang attractive hookers in 19th century houses it might be a more appropriate destination. That being said it looks like a phenomenal place to live. I would defiantly consider a relocation there if the opportunity arose. I’m pretty much a fan of anywhere I would not need a car to function.
This turned out to be more of a wordy post than I intended and I apologize for that, but I will leave you with a few wtf moments of my day. I am off to Istanbul as this is being typed so stay tuned.
