Amsterdam Blog

Haarlem

Sat, 9 Feb 2008 23:00:10 -0500

We stayed in Haarlem for our last 2 nights in the Netherlands. I enjoyed this city the most. It is more laid back than Amsterdam, and less “in-your-face”. It is worth a visit if you are going to Amsterdam.

We took a bus to get here on Friday afternoon because our hotel is right next to the bus line, but far from the train station. We decided to walk around the city Friday night, and got lost thanks to our unfamiliarity with Europe’s circular shaped cities. I felt a lot safer hanging in Haarlem after dark than I did in Amsterdam.

Thanks to the warm, safe feeling I had here, I also got my SLR out more often to take pictures. I used the fish-eye lens attachment in the pic above, along with some other photos (link below).

We went to two museums in Haarlem: Frans Hals & Teylers. Frans Hals features works from Holland’s golden age. Teylers is the oldest museum in the Netherlands, featuring mostly science exhibits, which I found AWESOME! There is a hall with old science instruments from which I could barely tear myself away.

When we were done with the museums, we went to the market they have in the town center every Saturday. We got some silly souvenirs and some yummy food. If I could buy stroopwafels here in the U.S., I would be very fat!

I’m so glad I wrapped up my trip in Haarlem. What a jewel of a city. When I think of Europe, I think of this kind of place.

Click here to view photos I took Haarlem.

Alone with the trains...

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 20:00:19 -0500

It was after 5pm, and the historical museum (and pretty much everything else) had already closed, so I decided to pop into a coffee-shop on the way back to the train station. Well, my feet didn’t hurt anymore as I made my way to Centraal, and I didn’t get lost (yet), but a wave of confusion hit me as I stared up at the largest train schedule I had ever encountered.

At the first schedule board, I found my station relatively quickly, but by the time I went up the escalator, I couldn’t remember, was it platform 14 or 15? I think the first train I could have taken was already leaving about the time I got to the station, so I couldn’t have caught that one, but there was no ‘good’ excuse for missing the next train.

I must have looked ‘special’ running from schedule board to schedule board, staring repeatedly at my watch, looking back at the board, probably with my mouth hanging open. When I finally determined that I wanted 14a (not 14b), my train sped past. After all, I had arrived at the correct platform, but I was at the wrong end of it! So I gazed at yet another board to ensure that the next train to Hoofdorp would leave from the same platform (yes), and find out when it will leave (30 minutes).

When I got back to Hoofdorp, I knew exactly which way it was to my hotel (I could see it from the train), until I went down the escalator and got turned around. It took me more than 10 minutes to walk back to the hotel, under spookier nighttime conditions.

I think that there is a moral to this story (something about coffee-shops, memory, and sense of direction), but I thought it was all quite funny at the time (I wonder why). I ended up in once piece, and that is all that matters.

Alone in Amsterdam

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 18:00:43 -0500

Our hotel is pretty darn far from the city despite being relatively close to the airport. An €8 round-trip train ticket is decidedly cheaper than a hotel in the city, though, so I don’t mind. The station was a less than 10 minute walk from the hotel, and that is nothing considering how much walking I have been doing over here! So I hopped the train and took a (relatively) short ride to Centraal station. This was actually my first time inside of Centraal, and it is definitely the biggest train station I have ever seen. I should’ve payed attention to the platform I left from, but more on that later.

First I visited Stedelijk CS, a temporary exhibit in an office building while the main museum is under construction. I hated it. At least my museum covered the cost of admission and I found out that I think art films are stupid. The main museum has some Mondrian paintings (some of my favorites) and other modern art (which I usually like), but none of that is in the temporary exhibit. I feel like I wasted my time.

After that, I wondered around the Plantage neighborhood on my (roundabout) way to Rembrant’s house. I like this area. It seems like it would be a nice place to live. I really enjoyed Rembrant’s house. I saw some of his paintings at the Rijksmuseum, but his etchings (on display here) were my favorite of his works. Seeing the way that he (and other rich Amsterdammers of the time) lived was very interesting. I would suggest this stop to be at the top of the list for any artsy tourist visiting Amsterdam.

Rembrant’s house is near the Waterlooplein market, a big flea market where I found nothing of interest to buy (mostly junk). More locals visit the market on Albert Cuypstraat, which isn’t in the city center, but is worth the tram ride if you need something (I needed a scarf) or want cheaper souvenirs than can be found in the centrally located shops.

After wasting time at Waterlooplein (that rhymes, btw), I went off in search of food and Anne Frank’s house. I swore I was lost, despite heading in exactly the right direction, because I walked so far. The Jordaan neighborhood is very cool, by the way. I was almost to where I was going, so I popped into a cafe for a late lunch and a beer.

The bartender at Cafe de Jordaan was great. I heard him speaking at least 3 different languages. He said he was from South America, but I don’t know where exactly. He kept me company a little since I was by myself. At that point, I must have looked a little frazzled, because he kept asking me if I was okay, and making conversation about what I was doing while I was here. I ordered a single glass of Amstel, but he kept feeding me tiny beers after that until I was tipsy. His suggestion for chow was a great meatloaf sandwich that tasted like it had a little liver sausage in it. So yummy. When I asked for my bill, it was only about €10. Awesome!

If you go to Anne Frank’s house later in the day, you don’t have to wait in line, and it is much less crowded. I didn’t know what to expect here, but I am really glad I decided to go. Anne’s documentation of her experience is really important to history, and I had always been curious about how they lived since I read her diary in middle school.

Anne Frank’s house is open a little later than other museums in Amsterdam, so it it the last place I visited today.

Click here to view photos I took all by myself.

Sign in the bathroom

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 16:00:34 -0500

So I’m sitting on the toilet, and I see this sign on the door. I can see that it is something about prostitutes. I was so curious that I took a photo, thinking I could try translating it later. Here is what I came up with, thanks to altavista:

APPEARANCE DECEIVES

Coercion labour in the prostitution, a form of trafficking in human beings, is a very serious indictable offense.

Do you recognize the indicators?
•fear
•blue spots
•no 'pleasure' in the work

Stop trafficking in human beings. Communicates anonymous.

I guess this is a serious problem in Amsterdam. Trafficking is a horrible downside to having a large prostitution industry (wherever it occurs). Although making prostitution illegal may decrease the problem, it won’t eliminate it. This issue must be difficult for the liberty-loving Dutch.

Driving in the Netherlands

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 23:30:28 -0500

Greg needed to visit some facilities today, so he rented a car, and I was designated navigator. We got a nice Land Rover rental with a navigation system, but it was all in Dutch. I poked at buttons and eventually got it to work, deciding that I was a genius.

Hoevelaken was a very pretty, “upper-class” town. Joure seemed a little smaller, with more charm, and had an old-style windmill for me to photograph.

I didn’t see very many cows (I wonder if they keep them out of the cold). The countryside was mostly full of sheep, waterfowl, and modern windmills. I also saw a few horses, including some adorable shetland ponies. I enjoyed the drive, and I tried to take a few pictures out of the window on the way back (that turned out better than I expected).

I was so exhausted when we got to the hotel. Greg went to meet up with work folks and I took a nap! I missed dinner and ordered room service after 11pm. If you are ever in Amsterdam, order Sate. There is excellent Asian food in the Netherlands!

Click here to view photos from the Netherlands countryside.