In March, it was finally time to explore Amsterdam. All I had ever heard about Amsterdam was that everyone smokes pot and that prostitutes dance in the windows of the Red Light District. Little did I know that this image and the reality of this, exists mainly on one small street, occupying a couple blocks of the whole of Amsterdam. Instead of the Red Light District, Amsterdam should be known for it's endless canal-lined streets that rival those of Venice, it's international offering of cuisine, it's gorgeous parks and green space, and it's 2-wheeled population since hopping on a bicycle seems to be the preferred mode of transportation used by locals and tourists alike to navigate the city. Although Dutch is the official language, English seemed to be spoken everywhere, so landing there for a weekend was easy, since we didn't have to worry too much about communication. I had rented us a small, but fabulous apartment in a perfect location along a canal and walking distance to the Museum Quarter, Anne Frank House, Red Light District, Dam Square, and tons of restaurants, parks and shops. There was also a great bagel shop near by, and after living in Italy for 1.5 yrs where I have yet to find bagels, the ability to get a toasted bagel w/ cream cheese each morning was a huge treat! I also didn't feel like I was missing out on local Dutch cuisine, since a couple locals had told us there really isnt' a quintessential "Dutch" dish to order off a menu....maybe Dutch Pancakes, but the bagel sounded better. Besides...wouldn't they have to use a 'dutch oven' to make a dutch pancake..I didn't want to risk that..sounds stinky (haha).
Each day we loved strolling along the tree lined, gable roof house-lined, canals. Although there was traffic, most of the traffic was caused by bicyclists, so the city is free of a lot of the loud traffic noise caused by big cars and trucks, making our strolls that much more enjoyable. We took a boat cruise one day which was a fun way to see the city sites while cruising the intricacies of the canals. We also were subjected to some fraternity boys having fun with a blow up doll in the window of a houseboat we cruised by. The group of guys were obviously performing for our tour group, and by the time we were fully past them, everyone on our boat was laughing...even if at first they tried to stifle their laughs due to embarrassment, noone could resist, and it did seem to be a very Amsterdam/RedLight type moment:)
We also enjoyed 2 of their over 50 museums--the Anne Frank House/Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. The Anne Frank House still seems to breathe the atmosphere of the time in 1944 when The Frank's hiding place was betrayed and tehy were deported to various concentration camps. Quotes from Anne's diary (and her actual diaries), photographs, historical documents, film images and original objects that belonged to the Frank's while in hiding are all on display. It was amazing to be in the actual tour, and I was actually moved to tears by some of the video footage. A definite 'must do' / 'can't miss' if you are ever in Amsterdam! The Van Gogh Museum was also very impressive. It houses the world's largest collection of Van Gogh works, but if pressed for time, you can likely make it through in under 2 hours, like we did since we had a tired little Evan with us that evening:)
We are loving having so many amazing cities within easy reach, and are looking forward to continuing our exploration of Europe. So far, Amsterdam, with its beautiful scenery and active lifestlye, may just be my favorite European city yet!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment