We slept in very late after our overly eventful day yesterday.Took the train to Amsterdam and my vocabulary is not large enough to describe this city or even if I “should” describe it all. lol
My simple definition is, “Spectacularly Trashy!”
I think more than anything I loved seeing with my owns eyes the scenes from well-known pictures, art and movies.
Everywhere you turn there is something new to see but usually gawk at. Where else will you see people walking around dressed like penises or wearing blow up ones on their heads? Where else are there scantily clad women advertising their wares in large windows? I even saw one eating her Burger King meal while on display. I guess they are not allowed actual lunch breaks? We saw brass art work embedded into the ground of a hand holding a breast, which was located directly in front of a church. Say what?
Or a little person dressed in a bunny suit!
Or signs with a person figure saying, “No Shit, No Pee, No Puke.” Really sad when you have to post signs like that. However you will be smelling pee a lot and I suggest wearing shoes that you can hose down later.
Pot cafes, pot candy, pot stores, pot merchandise, pot everything on every single corner in every type of variation and we were constantly walking through clouds of smoke. (smelled better than the pee)
Every imaginable restaurant to choose from too. We went to New King for lunch, which is located along an entire street of Asian eateries.
More shopping than you could ever do in even a whole week. Its like one big shopping mall. That was not so great to me, but I did buy some souvenirs.
We purchased some amazing Dutch chocolates at “Ganache” and they are superbly decadent.
We by chance walked upon the canal area where they were filming stunt scenes for a new Hollywood movie called, “Hitman’s Bodyguard” with Samuel Jackson. There all many videos on youtube from the locals.
More than any other city in Holland, you had best learn to move fast and dart quickly. The trams and cars are the least of your worries, it’s the bicycles that will mow you over if you step in front of them. There are so many designated paths that it leaves you wondering a bit about where the walk path actually is located. Stick to the back streets if possible.
We had coffee and little tiny pancakes called Poffertjes with powdered sugar called “poffertjes” and they are mightily delicious. They make beignets taste like blah dough. Seriously!
We witnessed someone who had obviously gotten evicted and their belongings dumped on the street. Looks as if many people had pilfered through the items for anything salvageable.
Spoke with three cool police on bicycles. I of course had to ask why the front of his bike bore three X’s. He said that is the accepted sign of Amsterdam now and everyone wears it. WOWZA!
Amsterdam used to have a huge flower market with fresh cut flowers, but that is no more and Han was a bit disappointed by that. Now they have bulbs you can buy and fake tulips. They are catering more to the tourist obviously.
I was able to take a photo of Han sitting where he used to sit 48 years ago while playing guitar on “The Dam”, which is the central gathering point in Amsterdam and it was extremely crowded like every other area.
Some think it may have been because Beyonce was in town today playing a concert at the Bijlmer Arena.
When we got enough of walking, we walked some more, but back to the train station to head back to our comfy hotel.
On the way, there was some weird goings on with two guys in their 20’s who were sitting behind me. All of a sudden, both were in the bathroom together, I got uncomfortable and went into the next car. Along came a train conductor and Han told him what was going on. He sat down to wait them out. I came back into the car and shortly they came out of the bathroom. They had been hiding from the conductor because they had somehow jumped the train without tickets. He put them off at the next station, but had called ahead to have someone investigate them. We got off at the same stop but got out of there because who knows what those two guys were up to?
Two Travel Hints:
I have walked many cobblestone streets in Europe, but none quite so difficult and uncomfortable as Amsterdam. Wear good, comfortable sturdy shoes. Your feet will thank you.
Carry a knife in your purse or pocket. You never know when you will be hungry for a piece of fruit or some peace of mind.
July 17 Day Two in Amsterdam
We visited Amsterdam again and walked our little feet off. I kept trying to find the perfect ratio of bicycle and canal for a picture but never really succeeded to my liking. I have a few, but nothing to make me overly excited.
Yesterday Han had mentioned he wanted a certain soup called Saoto. It is a Surinamese dish and I happened to round the corner of the Red Light District and there was a restaurant that served it. We had a very nice lunch, then walked through the Sunday market in the square. It was okay but I would have preferred just to walk around the natural settings.
We walked through some neighborhood areas and they were not as crowded. The crowds are really getting to me a bit, especially when you witness people being horrible pigs and throwing trash on the road and in the canals. I decided I did not want to do a canal trip after all due to the many people who were just so loud and obnoxious and it is over the top touristy now this time of year.
We spoke with some older locals and they are also saddened by the condition that Amsterdam is quickly becoming.
I shopped a little more. Replaced the items that I had forgotten in the train station yesterday. (I checked with lost and found but no dice.)
Met a nice gentleman from India who owned a store. He was truly charming and sweet. It is always such a pleasure to talk with uplifting people.
We had coffee and poffertjes (mini pancakes) again. To be honest, I asked my hubby for this treat, but instead of one portion (a dozen) he ordered two. My tummy cannot take much more. This was dinner for me.
We arrived back to the hotel about 7:30 and we were both fairly worn out. Time for some resting and sleep.
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