Mar 30 2009
Amsterdam
En route to Amsterdam via Eurostar from Brussels immigration busted into our train car and asked for everyone’s passports. They had some sense of urgency about them which made the atmosphere a little more intense. As it would turn out they escorted 4 gentlemen off the train at Rotterdam. One of them was hiding in the bathroom right next to me and I saw the guard posted outside waiting for him to emerge. Exciting times.
Time in Amsterdam seems to slow down just a bit. The pace is very relaxed and the people are exceptionally friendly. I was staying in Sacha’s Bed & Breakfast which was within 5 minutes walking to 
everything in Amsterdam. I thought I was lost when the taxi first dropped me off because it is very unassuming and appears to be rooms in his house that he rents out. A simple buzzer on the front door encourages guests to call for service. I had a moment of panic when the taxi was telling me that this was the address and to get out of the car into the rainy night. With an establishment like this I should have heeded the registrations notice to contact Sacha with arrival times as I showed up at 8pm for a 2pm standard check in time. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice single bedroom place in central Amsterdam. At 30 euros a night it was quite comfortable.
Within an hour I had discovered the Cafe de Fles whose fine proprietor had spent some time in Canada and had a large flag hanging in the corner of his pub. He furnished me with the most delicious short-ribs and kept the libations liberated throughout the night. If you find yourself lost in Amsterdam, find yourself here to get acquainted properly.
I met some local chaps in the pub that night and learned many things of local ways and customs. They’re both students who lived nearby and worked in the bar part-time as well. They showed me the ways of the town that night including their shoe-boat which was unfortunately not sea-worthy at that particular moment. I was invited back to their house on the canal to listen to some euro-beats and keep the party going because everywhere in Europe seems to close way too early.
I took a boat tour of the canals and port to see the city from the water and try to get better oriented. There aren’t too many landmarks to orient yourself if trying to navigate blindly, so its important to pay attention to which canal your on and which way you’re heading. The boat cruise only added to the confusion, and my best guide was definitely the map and street signs.
The Torture Museum was recommended to me by my father so I found my way there first to see what the fuss was about. Although short, it was a great display of torture implements and some fascinating history. I particularly enjoyed the Bad Musician’s torture implement and guillotine.
I walked around town mostly and saw a lot of the shops and canals. Of course there were visits through the red light district and the coffee shops, but there was also some other quirky sights to the museum of bags and purses; collections of juices; fancy buildings. I even found another Australia store, although this one wasn’t serving alcohol!
The Van Gogh Museum had the most amazing exhibit on called Colours of the Night which was highly inspirational. It was the history and inspiration behind Van Gogh’s passion for painting a starry night. Another culturally significant site was the Anne Frank Huis which was a living story of the famous Jewish diary-writer of WWII.
Towards the end of my stay I noticed a significant increase in the amount of kilts flowing through the city streets. As luck would have it, the Scottish were in town to celebrate their eventual defeat to the Netherlands in a World Cup qualifying match (3-0). I say this because I spoke with many a Scotsman who were all forth-coming that although they fully expected to get smashed in the match, they were there to support their fellow countrymen. Someone told me that there were only 8000 tickets for the match reserved for the Scots but that they estimated 20,000 were in town. I caught a glimpse of the celebrations in Dam Square before the match including a few notable characters and animals.
2 responses so far
Thanks for sharing Zach. Amsterdam is a favourite city of mine. Crazy friendly people there including a hash smoking off-duty policeman in a brown pub…
The thistle’s our flower, the Saltire our flag,
Our lion stands rampant - there’s only one snag,
We’re better at singing than kicking a ball,
We’re everyone’s friends but we’ll n’er win fuck all
Come lift up your cup, come lift up your can,
Resplendent in tartan, every loyal fan,
We go all o’er Europe and drink the pubs dry,
Oh, there’s nobody like us, we’re Scots you and I
I’m glad to see the lads of the Tartan Army were there in force despite their inevitable loss, and provided a bit of a show for you. But I hope you didn’t hang around those boys too long cause there’s no cure once you’ve gone Tartan Barmy with the Tartan Army