Amsterdam.
The word alone elicits a varying collection of ideologies (and, ahem, memories), be it clean or cloudy. Before I left I talked to at least 5 people about my upcoming adventure, and every single one of them had a different perspective. After returning I realized what one omitted was highlighted by the next person, which ended up rounding out my own experience. Not to say that Amsterdam is any one thing, let alone five, but, well, it is what it is - and that's what makes it so damn unique. Even their tagline is "
I AMsterdam". Pretty much sums it up.
Our initial plans were to tour the city and lands, visiting cheese manufacturers, sniffing out the iconic windmills, and crawling via boats through their many canals. Ended up traveling by foot or tram most of the time, and didn't get out of the city for any of our previously planned activities. Instead we pedded around with friends of ours who we hadn't seen for a while. The weekend was slow-paced and very enjoyable compared to our action-packed adventures which I recently decided to move away from. I do wish the weather had been nicer to warrant bike rentals, though, as it's a great way to experience a new place - especially in a town that has more bikes and boats compared to cars. You can't throw a stone in that town without either hitting a watery canal or a bicycle (and probably a bicyclist to boot).
This, like all other spaces of available earthen
property, was completely consumed by bicycles.
Top activities: The Dutch Resistance Museum, an awesome Brewery next to the token Windmill, improv Comedy at BoomChicago, the Church in the Attic, the Van Gogh Museum, and visiting the House of Anne Frank. I'd like to note that it was nothing like the house I envisioned Anne Frank and her family living in. In fact, I didn't see any of your typical free-standing "houses" in Amsterdam. They're all what you'd recognize as Town Houses or Row Houses. Apparently the Amsterdam gov't imposed a tax on each house depending on its width. The skinnier the house, the lower the taxes. You'd be amazed how long these houses are from front to back, but also how skinny some of them are. The stairwells of many houses visited were freakishly steep, and I imagined plenty of scenes how my life would play out should I go a'rolling down just one flight. freaky steep.
A tiny example of Amsterdam property fronts.
Packed tightly together and along the water-
front, these houses are unique and interesting.
This trip also rejuvinated my fascination with house boats. Seriously, house boats are cool. So cool, in fact, you suddenly have to worry about pirates mucking about your watery property. Unfortunately I didn't see any of them equipped with canons, which would have been the ultimate accessory, but I did see one with a WWII USSR water mine atop it's cabin. Some were plain-Jane while other boaters had their gardens atop their living quarters. That's a pretty efficient use of space, thought I. Aarrgh.
Click to see more detail of the houseboats. This
photo captures all: Bikes, Boats, and Moats. Sorry,
supposed to rhyme. Of course I meant canals.
Apart from these sights we of course saw Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District and Pot/Shroom shops galore. I recall an article (the Economist?) about Amsterdam's "working" population achieving health care benefits for their profession. They are, after all, a business and I believe somewhat regulated by gov't taxes / standards. This profession is not without its group of slackers. I can't count how many windows I walked by observing a majority attached to their mobile phones, texting or chatting their time away to friends or family while they stood (or sat) around in lingerie. Couldn't believe it. Talk about a lack of motivation! I guess Amsterdam proprietors haven't implemented a rewarding Employee of the Month award program just yet.
In the end we didn't get to a cheesehouse in the country, something that appealed to us both. We managed to sneak away with a nice wheel of fresh Gouda and dill, as well as a local cheese recommended to us by our host Barry. We did, however, finally take our first train ride to a vacation destination. An agreeable time of 5 hours to get to Amsterdam, and spent the entire time reading and watching scenery whip past at 100-200 km/h. I look forward to taking more trips this way, as it worked out best for both of us considering the low-to-zero stress when compared to preparing and taking a flight. And whereas you encounter a formidable security checkpoint including chemical sensors, frustrated passengers / workers, and seventeen ID checks, our experience was much easier: one passport check and one ticket check per direction, and one friendly dog visit on the way home. Don't worry, he didn't want our cheese anyway. He was looking for something much more interesting... :)
Melissa, me, and our friend Rebecca
Our friends Mike and Kathleen.
Certainly there are some things that Volksfest doesn't have, like not as many rides and not as friendly waiters (ours was a real jerk...oh well). It also doesn't have nearly the selection of beer tents. Stuttgart has 3 large tents and 6 smaller tents, while Oktoberfest has 14 large tents and 19 smaller tents. Plus some would also argue that Bavarian beer tastes better than Schwabisch beer (and I'd be inclined to agree), but I don't know how much it really matters. Most people don't come to savor the beer....they just come to drink it. :)
