Ok, so after a sombre last post, I am writing this from a
Paris hostel after a great few days in London and Amsterdam. We got back to
London soooo jetlagged and it was a feeling that wouldn’t leave us for a few
days but we soldiered on regardless. We spent two nights in London just to grab
our backpacks and get to the train station where our Eurostar train awaited.
These trains can go up to 300 km per hour! (We really need high speed rail in
Australia!). It was a weird journey as our sleep deprived bodies tried to work
out what time it was. We just missed the train in Brussels, Belgium so we
waited an hour for our connector to Amsterdam. The next train’s journey was one
of green pastures and flat terrain. Flat as flat can be, but nice nonetheless.
Amsterdam is renowned for three things. Weed, sex and bikes.
Whilst I cannot deny that these are all true, the city is a vibrant social
place, full of culture, history and contemporary architecture with urban design
concepts that many western cities should adopt. We arrived in Amsterdam in the
early evening and although I had been there before, my slightly hazed memories didn’t
help us much as we tried to find our hostel. Incidentally, I think we found the
last two beds in the whole of Amsterdam because the weekends are so busy that they
charge more than double. $45 each for a dorm bed! We found the place though; it
was right in the middle of the red light district. Complete with live porno
shows next door, and an assortment of hookers selling their wares from the
windows across the street. That first night we visited the Grasshopper, which
is a reputable establishment in the heart of downtown. After tasting some local
flavours, and realizing just how strong those flavours are, we cruised around
town checking out all the action that a Friday night in ‘The Dam’ presents. The
red light district is full of blokes in big groups all trying to out-creep each
other, and although there is many hot girls in the red light district, most are
in the windows.
The next day we went and checked out the sex museum.
Anything that you can think of, or haven’t thought of- there’s a photo of
someone doing it. However, it’s a great indication of how the Dutch are so
carefree and relaxed about all things sexual which is the opposite of the
Catholic, evangelistic conventions that many western countries adopt, as we
strive for political correctness. Relax it’s just sex! So, after that erotic
experience we were on our way to the science museum, housed in a building
shaped like a huge ship, but we were contacted by a friend of ours, Annabelle.
Annabelle and her husband Tom stayed with us in Australia about two years ago
and live in Amsterdam. We met Annabelle and her friend Maayke for a couple of
afternoon beers then caught the tram to Annabelle and Tom’s place where we
would stay for a few nights. It was good to get out of the downtown area and
hang out with the locals. That night we went out to a few bars with the girls
and had a few beers too many so the next day was a slow start but we did enjoy
a cool market with loads of high quality crafts and foods.
A trip to the Dam isn’t complete without renting a bike.
Everyone has a bike; in fact they say there are three bikes for every person in
Holland. I love it. Everyone zooming around, it’s much more social and of
course no carbon emissions. We rented the mandatory yellow bikes as then all
the locals can see that you’re a tourist and can give you a little more space!
It’s a hectic place at times with all the other bike users, trams and cars but
we managed to negotiate our way to the Vondel Park which was beautiful as well
as the museum area and another market before returning the bikes. We also had
the opportunity to cook dinner for Annabelle and Tom in appreciation of letting
us stay at their place for a few nights. Thanks again guys. We had a great time
in Amsterdam and will hopefully be back sometime soon but for now the story
continues on to Paris!
