Friday, July 20, 2007
Sex, Drugs, and Canals
Where else but Amsterdam? I headed to the metro in Spijkenisse with my backpack on Wednesday morning, and when I got to Rotterdam Centraal Station half an hour later, I jumped on the next train to Amsterdam Centraal Station. An hour and a half later, I was in Amsterdam! Fun!
I wandered around as I slowly made my way to my hotel, trying to not be killed by the surprisingly agressive bike riders as I did. Jesus!
I was initially a tad embarrassed that I was staying at the Marriott Amsterdam, as it is a tad generic, but I tell you what, when I checked in with charming staff and opened my door to a well-air-conditioned, huge fluffy-bed containing clean nice Marriott-esque room, I was damn glad I did. And, to boot, it was free on my points! Thank you, publishing and many many repetitive evenings in Courtyard by Marriott slaving away at my Outlook inbox with one of those tiny bottles of Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Savignon that you can buy at the front desk! Who knew I would be here now?
Then, out to find some lunch. I ate near the Museumplein, as I was headed to the Rijksmuseum after filling my belly. At the cafe, I asked for a De Koninck, which I saw a poster for on the wall. I had had this delicious Belgian beer at one of our favorite places in New York (R.I.P. the Meatpacking location), Markt. The waiter told me that the weather was too warm and they didn't have De Koninck now. ??? This I don't understand. Perhaps I'm a peasant, and don't know how to properly drink beer according to the seasons, and I should be drinking a (bleccch) Blue Moon or (too sweet) Hoegaarden. But I still don't understand why the hell the Europeans don't let me have a strong beer in the bloody summer. Anyway, I asked for a not-Amstel or Heineken and I got a delicious Belgian beer of another ilk. So it all worked out.
There was a wait at the Rijksmuseum as the space is small (they are doing extensive renovations and thus a smaller portion of the museum is open and also a smaller piece of their world-renowned collection is on display...sniff), so I decided to head off in search of the American Apparel that I knew was in the cool Jordaan neighborhood. Sad, I know, but I really needed some "bumming around the apartment" gear and I knew AA was the place. It's really hard to pack for a trip of unknown duration and be able to actually carry it with you. So I find that I'm buying more stuff than I thought I would. Who wouldn't, at the delightful exhange rate?
Anyway, found the American Apparel and found it very heart-warming to shop somewhere familiar after almost 6 weeks of newness. Then hit a "brown cafe", so known because they are so old that the walls are stained with cigarette smoke and years of bar-ness. Had a koffie at a table with a chair occupied by a soundly sleeping cat. What is it about a sleeping cat in a place that is so reassuring? A custom I think we should adopt in the US is providing a biscuit with each cup of coffee. It turns it into more of an event. But the way we drink coffee is entirely different too, buying big-ass coffees and taking them with us. Our culture is much more action-oriented, where as the Dutch, indeed, the Europeans, value sitting and communicating. Thus, the biscuit with the coffee.
Then off to the Anne Frank Huis for some uplifting tourism. I waited, yes, an hour, but was entertained by the Americans behind me INCESSANTLY TALKING. I mean, they seemed like well-traveled, well-informed folk (they were discussing Daniel Radcliffe in Equus in London), but dude, SHUT UP. I think I've been traveling too long.
So the Anne Frank Huis was pretty rad, they recreated the warehouse and storage rooms for Otto Frank's business, which was on the bottom two floors of the house on the canal, and they also recreated the hiding place upstairs. They even had Anne Frank's original diaries enclosed in cases! It was so sad, though, to be there and see how these people lived. If you can call that living. Every time I see that sweet grinning little girl's face it reminds me how evil people can be...sigh.
Then off to drown my sadness in retail therapy, shopping in the little antique shops as I wandered back to the hotel, exhausted from the walking and the heat (it was actually sunny--shocker--all day). I buoyed myself with a Heineken from the mini-bar in my room and got dressed to eat some Thai food, yippee! Spicy stuff! Not that there is a real shortage in Holland, a country that once had Indonesia as a colony, but I certainly cannot hit the speed dial on my cell phone for Wild Ginger (if I want pad thai) or Lemongrass (if I want panang curry). If I miss anything about New York living, the ready availability of food BROUGHT TO YOUR DOOR is it. Anyway, so I ate a delicious meal at a quirky Thai restaurant with a friendly waiter and a friendly neighbor at the table next to me as he waited for his dinner companion. Again, friendly folk! Home to hotel to snuggle in really really really awesome bed with feather bed on mattress. Must get one. Made optimistic wake-up call request for 10 AM.
Woke up at 8:30. Damn it! Wanted to sleep in. Barely made it to lobby for free cup of coffee and exhanged a few words (friendly ones) with a woman from D.C and a Samsonite roller bag. All of a sudden I was immediately transported to those mornings at the Hampton Inn/Courtyard with my roller bag waiting for the sales rep and reviewing my PowerPoints. I hurried off.
Back upstairs, got ready, packed, checked out, checked backpack with Concierge (who, incidentally, was very attractive). Off to Rijksmuseum before other tourists thwarted my plan.
It was awesome, and I learned so much about the Dutch. Suffice it to say, in the 17th century, they were badasses. I mean, they were blowing up Spanish ships, enslaving people, trading spices, you name it. And they are freaking tiny. I saw beautiful Delft pottery, which I knew was a ripoff from the Chinese stuff, but did you know that the reason the Delft potters took it over was because of a war in China in the 1600's and saw an opportunity to make some serious $$$? Smart. I saw a lot of beautiful paintings, too, by Vermeer and Rembrandt. I must say I prefer Vermeer and intend to see more of it. Girl with a Pearl Earring is in Den Haag in a museum there, and is on my list to see. In the gift shop, bought a couple of books on the Dutch, one more factual but with a great design and concept, and one called "My 'Dam Life" written by a guy who moves to Holland (Amsterdam) for three years. That one is hilarious already, and is making me really appreciate the Dutch.
Lunch at a Surinam-ese (?) restaurant, roti kip, located in what I take to be the "ethnic"(read: dodgy) part of town, was delicious. Surinam, of course, another Dutch colony back in the day. Now off to the Albert Cuyp market, which was AWESOME!!
Kaas (cheese), frites, fruit, boobie- and penis-shaped chocolates (you know I couldn't resist those), buddhas, antiques, socks (awww, like the NYC street fairs...made me nostalgic), deodorants and shampoos, kitschy Amsterdam souvenirs, etc etc. So much fun! Of course I had to pick up some Old Amsterdam cheese. Folks, if you see this in your local cheese aisle, pick some up, trust me. Aged Gouda is good, but this stuff is like crack cocaine. After a coffee at a cafe being taunted my intermittent raindrops, back to the hotel to pick up my bag and make my way back to Centraal Station.
But not before stopping by the Red Light District! I was so exhausted, but couldn't leave without seeing at least one lady in a window. And I did, right after walking past the Oude Kerk (old church), which is from the 14th century, I believe--I was kinda just walking and then--boom!--chicks in bikinis behind plate-glass windows looking all sexy. Strange! One was on a cell phone, too, Xander says chatting with her pimp. So you just pick one like a puppy. Bizarre. Then I headed to the Station, walking past coffee shops with wafts of marijuana coming out the door and sex shops with DVDs with VERY NAUGHTY video stills on the covers...and then past the Koninklijk Paleis and Nieuwe Kerk (new church, we're talking 15th century, so only "new" when compared to the Oude Kerk). So the Paleis is the official residence of the Queen Beatrix of Orange, but she actually lives in the Hague (Den Haag). I don't blame her, as the "Paleis" is the old city hall and it looks downright depressing. I assume it is also very dirty.
And on the train to come home to Xander, who is apparently very tired for a long, typically frantic exercise. This country needs air-conditioning, I'll close with that. I know it's cold and wet most of the time, but it isn't all of the time. Folks.
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