Bikes, Bikes Everywhere in Amsterdam

I have had my friend Bob and his friend Dui staying with me for a while. They were here for a week, and then went to Rome for a week. Bob came back here and Dui went on to Morocco. Bob had another week here with me so we decided to take a quick trip to Amsterdam. He has some friends that live right in the historical part of town, so I only had to pay for the airfare. Seemed like a great opportunity.

When you first step onto the streets of Amsterdam you are struck by the incredible number of bikes. Thousands are lined up near the train station. All are very simple one gear or 3 gear bikes. I haven’t seen this many bikes since Beijing. There are really very few cars especially in the old historic part of the city. Built mostly in the 1600’s these mostly brick buildings have a unique architectural style. They are built very narrow, about 4 stories high with tall roofs and lots of detail. The stairwells are too narrow to bring furniture up so each building has a large hook built into the roof so people can hoist their furniture through the windows. Some of the buildings actually tilt forward a couple of degrees to accommodate furniture being moved it. They are all out of square because of all the canals that surround them have caused the structures to settle unevenly. Thank goodness there are no earthquakes there. The whole place would be leveled in about 10 seconds.

More Canals than Venice
When this port city was first laid out, the city planners decided to dig long canals to aid in the trade and mercantile industry that it would become famous for. Even though the streets are quite narrow, the canals running through make the city very open and the water gives it a wonderful tranquil feeling. There are far more canals in Amsterdam than Venice. It certainly is a very livable city. We rented bikes for the time we were there and were able to get everywhere on them. We even rode to the outskirts of town following the Amstel River, which the town is named after. There are still a few windmills standing after 300 years.

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Amsterdam is to make a pilgrimage to the Van Gough museum. It is the largest collection of his works. What surprised me the most about the exhibit is how many of his works I have already seen from the traveling exhibits of his work over the years. It was still wonderful to see them all collected thanks to his brother Theo’s wife who still believed in Van Gough even after his death.

One night we went to the famous red light district. It is just kind of bizarre. Women dancing in tiny windows waiting for their customers to choose them like chocolate in a candy box. I personally found it more interesting to see the young guys as they reacted and were enticed by what was going on. Much bravado goes on about which one they would pick. The whole area had kind of a frat house feel to it. Some do get picked because the curtains are drawn in some of the windows, but mostly it is young girls of every size and shape in clothes that revealed about as much as what you would see on any beach. Actually the system seems to work better than having the prostitutes wander the streets. They are kept in just one area of town and if you want to see them, you go visit. It is probably much less violence and better city oversight.

Holland has a reputation for being cold and overcast much of the year. Fortunately for us the weather could not have been nicer. It was shirtsleeve weather in the daytime and just a light jacket at night. When the sun comes out, so does everyone else. The parks were packed with sun worshippers getting in their dose of vitamin E. Everyone speaks English as well as Dutch of course. You should not ask people if they speak English. They would take it as an insult that you thought they were not well educated. Bob’s friend that we stayed with is originally from Portland and teaches English to high school students. He has lived there for years and loves it there. I asked him if the students prefer an American accent or a British accent. He said most prefer an American accent. It is because of all the music and movies that are imported. I guess one thing America does well is export it’s pop culture. Well that and fast food restaurants.