Amsterdam, July 6 - 10

With sandwiches packed, we set off for another long train ride. This time our destination was Amsterdam. The apartment rental market was a little steep, so we decided to pursue "bed and breakfast" style accommodation.
Thanks to some new sources, we discovered Kaola the jewellery designer and his delightful house in De Pijp. Kaola, an American who has lived in Holland for over a decade, was a friendly and helpful host and we enjoyed our time with him very much.


The back yard, as homely and inviting as the interior, but unfortunately much wetter than would be comfortable to spend time in. In usual Amsterdam style, rain played a major role each time we left the house.
Regardless of the weather, we made sure to get out and about each day. It was lovely to sit in one of the many parks on our way in to the center, and watch picnickers make the most of the break in the weather.
We became quite fond of the Amsterdam cargo bikes, particularly when they were loaded with kiddies. The following image shows a small group packing up after a birthday picnic. Four or five kids somehow squeezed into the bike, along with games and all the party goodies. It looked like a fun picnic, we were jealous and wished we could have joined in.


The neighbourhoods of Amsterdam can be quite delightful. Naomi was particularly taken by the leafy streets of Jordaan, where we wandered up and down between peaceful canals.
In a scene typical of the area, two well-to-do ladies wheel home some new topiary to perch amongst the greenery of their balconies.


We also hunted for fun markets in this neighbourhood, and had some apple pie at Winkel's. Kaola insisted that this was "the best apple pie in the world". Coming from an American, we could not let this one pass us by. Truly a fitting reputation, all they seem to serve is apple pie and coffee - the menu may have had other elements but who cares, when the pie is as good as this?!?

At times, the rain poured down in torrents that were too much for all but the most diehard cyclists. We often found ourselves sheltering in doorways, waiting for the worst of it to pass.


We were overloaded with tourist sightseeing after Berlin, so we tried to keep it to a minimum in Amsterdam. It was a valuable experience to see the Anne Frank House again, much has changed since my last visit and it has become a very well considered museum. We were both moved and inspired, particularly given the context of what we had seen so recently in Germany.

Another sightseeing highlight for me was to go to Rembrandthuis. I loved to see his collections of natural history, and the workshops and studios within the dwelling - even although much there is reconstructed interpretation, it was still a little wonderland for me.
We particularly enjoyed a demonstration of the etching and printing process, as well as exhibits in the attached gallery space, an image from which appears below.


Before arriving in the city, we had dreams of renting bicycles and becoming authentic citizens, even if it was just for a few days. The weather conditions soon put an end to that fantasy. Even still, thousands of commuters rode in to this bicycle parking lot near the central station. Neither of us had ever seen so many bikes in one location before. It was quite a sight.


Eating out in Amsterdam was a mixed affair for us. Aside from cakes and sweets, we did not find ourselves overly impressed. Perhaps our budget had something to do with that...
Thankfully, our financial constraints did not see us ever needing to sample the delights of the Febo vending machines.


The sight of them was enough to stop my appetite.
Also not to my personal taste, were other aspects of Amsterdam cafe culture...

Here, Naomi makes a good effort at enjoying an uninspiring waffle from the heart of the Old Centre.
I amused myself, watching bleary-eyed tourists stumble in and out and waited patiently for the day to move on :)

It was interesting to be in Amsterdam during the week that the Tobacco laws were introduced. Given certain freedoms that the locals enjoy, much fuss was being made over this new restriction.
A bizarre (for us, at least) image appeared in the paper, showing people enjoying the final smoking session at the cinema on the evening of the laws coming in.

That's the Dutch way of embracing progress.




Other tolerances in the city were particularly important for Kaola and his partner. All throughout the house, there were little reminders that we were not in Kansas any more...
(I have put a modesty patch on one of the more prominent features, for the benefit of the more innocent viewers ;)


We enjoyed the sights, sounds and sometimes the smells of Amsterdam. It is a city that has something to offer for everyone, and you don't need to look to hard to find the parts that you like. Kaola was a lovely host, and we wish him and Mattius all the best in Valencia.
On the day of our departure, we were in for a real treat.
The central station (where we had earlier experienced a bizarre ticketing process, all four hours of orchestrated waiting) had become the site of some fantastic performance art.
All across the station - from platform to platform, above ground in towers and below in stairwells and tunnels, performers were infiltrating the public and causing surprise, hilarity and delight.
We even saw performers board trains, and then return minutes later from another direction.


To the right of the above image, you can see a guy with a portable mixing desk. Behind him, a small group of official audience wear headphones. The performance was happening in amongst the commuters on the platform to the left. At the time of the photo, the woman in blue sang an operetta from the stairs of the control tower.

One of the more amusing sequences saw a young woman attach herself to "commuters" for brief periods. They would go about their business, acting as though oblivious to her being draped over or clinging to them. This went on for at least half an hour, across several platforms. It ended with her slumped over a display board, from which she was removed into a dumpster and wheeled away.


Of all that we saw in Amsterdam, this performance was the highlight. When the time came to depart, we grudgingly boarded our train for Denmark wearing brand new smiles. Thank you, mysterious public actors!


A short sequence appears below...