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© Spearing
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spearing.org.uk
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Amsterdam - The first impression - Green but Deadly
It's always first impressions that shape what you think and remember about a particular
place or City, and Amsterdam provides you with plenty of first impressions.
Three distinct first impressions formed on my first day in Amsterdam, the first
of four days, taken in February when it was largely dry but with temperatures hovering
around zero.
The first impression is that the whole concept of the City is based on making it
easy to go green , or perhaps harder not to go green. Impression
number two comes from the downside of adding a few extra layers of public transport
into a street - Deadly. But then.......as you relax into your
holiday it is the attitude to Sex 'n drugs that you find the
most different to anywhere else.
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Some general views
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Lock Keepers Cottage - RembrandtHuis
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Canal side view - Leidsegracht
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Montelbaans - Old defence tower
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Things typically Dutch
The streets in the center are not very wide and the tram ways, bicycle lanes and
pavements all overlap making it confusing for the first time visitor. We had
only been in Amsterdam for some three hours when we came across a street accident
where a woman had been knocked down by a tram.
On fashion, Charlotte says the Dutch have more dress sense than the French, I thought
that a very brave statement but do not feel qualified to put forward an opinion.
I just enjoyed the short skirts, thick tights and lo..ng legs.
Then there are the wonky houses, the hoist on every house to lift the furniture
in through the windows, the cheap flowers (roses at 10 Euros for 20 stems) and of
course the Dutch accent, which I must admit to finding ever so slightly comical.
Sorry.
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Green
The centre of Amsterdam must be one of the greenest cities in the world, although
to be realistic, the layout of the Centrum provides an ideal template to implement
green policies. The narrow canal side streets were never designed for two
way motor traffic and the solution provided is probably the best in the given circumstances.
The sheer scale of public transport available within the Centrum negates the need
for a car (draw parallel to Venice - see
Venice 2003 ) with trams, buses, bicycle lanes and the underground providing
a comprehensive alternative to private transport. The other side of being
green is refuse collection and the Dutch have this down to a fine art with most
streets having bins of various descriptions to make it difficult not to participate.
This does. however, lead to street clutter with the average street
containing a Pay & Display parking machine, multiple bike racks (right), bottle
banks and paper recycling bins, and refuse bins, not to mention lampposts and trees.
There also seemed to be a never ending amount of small dustcarts, leading
you to expect to see a Mother Dustcart descend at any minute.
Walking round during the day there were lots of municipal workers around cleaning
and repairing this street clutter. A vision of the film Westworld hit me,
with guests destroying the City by day, only to have everything rebuilt at night
to destroy the following day. OK, OK, I've lost it...............
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The lighter side of Amsterdam
The Museum of Sex on Damrak (Yes, I had to go), is a mildly amusing way to waste
an hour. Then a cafe in Rembrandtplein, with an eye catching, if inaccurate,
description of Dutch hostelry. The food was always good and I was pleasantly
surprised by the beer which was only lightly gassed. Finally, a flower sellers
stall in Bloemenmarkt, with a Cannabis Starter Kit, all we need now is some manure
and a match!
The Dutch attitude to sex and cannabis is very 'in your face' in Amsterdam and the
portrayal of each is very similar. Both have their serious and comical sides.
The Cannabis starter kits are typical of an industry appealing to the foreign
visitor, where we can all have a little giggle and feel naughty. The giggle
turns to a titter in the Sex Museum which somehow didn't seem big enough considering
the scale and history of the subject.
The more serious side of legalised cannabis comes with the Coffee Houses where you
may purchase and partake in a little indulgence. Entry appeared to be strictly
controlled with passports being required as a matter of course. Tough if you're
Dutch and have left yours at home but perhaps they have identity cards. Having
said that the Coffee Houses weren't as packed as the Cafes, but then I guess everyone
has to eat.
The more serious side of sex could be seen in De Wallen, the Red Light District,
where photography was subtlely discouraged. The Ladies in the windows of the
more traditional houses were less disturbing, more quaint, than the young girls
in the Cabines in the side streets. These alleyways full of little cubicles,
each containing a pretty young girl, promised a very clinical side to fifteen minutes
of pleasure, if it would be pleasure? Just business I suppose.
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The older side of Amsterdam
Just off to one side of the Red Light district is the Oude Kerk or Old Church, different
to walk round as it is very bare, all stone and wood, largely empty except for some
areas of worship. Uniquely, it is the only Church that I have ever seen where
the graveyard is inside the building, the floor being almost completely covered
by tombs. A PC sitting to one side will tell you if any of your ancestors
are buried here, none of my main lines were.
Then, on one of our many breaks to refuel and warm through, we stopped in the Cafe
Luxemborg in Spui (a Square - ish). Built between the square and the canal,
you enter a dark gloomy saloon that looks like it was last redecorated just after
the war. Lit by small low wattage lamps you wonder which war. Probably
an old one. The atmosphere though is wonderful, some what akin to sitting
in an English market town pub late on a winters afternoon. And then it's Dutch
apple pie, chicken club sandwiches, hot chocolate with whipped cream and ......
Heiniken. Well.......
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Deadly
As if there aren't enough things to worry about while you are wandering down a street
in Amsterdam, the Dutch build in some additional little hazards. This outdoor
paddling pool seems to have been inadvertently built at the front of the hotel instead
of at the back. A feature of the center of Amsterdam is that there are no
such thing as crossroads, merely intersecting circles, try turning left in a tram,
it's just not possible.
The public transport is very frequent and very fast, which is fine if you are inside
the Tram, not so good if you are in the street trying to cross the road. Look
at the profile of a typical street, there are five lanes of traffic, that is three
more than most of us are used to! Then at a road junction these additional
levels of transport may be coming at you from several different directions at once,
especially as the bikes go on the same sequence of traffic lights as the pedestrians.
Nightmare!
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.......and the FOOD!
Our hotel only offered Bed & Breakfast so we had to eat out every day....bugger!
..........but fortunately we were near the Restaurant City so never had far to walk.
There were many many restaurants but none typically Dutch, mostly Indonesian,
Thai, Italian or Indian. We visited four, being there four nights, and were
not disappointed at all. Our contact with Dutch food came mostly at lunch
time, when because the temperature was cold, it was nice to have something warm,
if not hot. So we embarked on a series of lunchtime snacks, gathered by the
Dutch, from across the world. I am going to start a web page listing my all
time favourite food, but for now I will mention just a few here.
Gabrita - Warm goats cheese and honey on a brown bap. Not as sweet
as you might think and nicely filling. Compares well to Brie in a French stick,
although I do think the Brie just wins by a nose.
Heiniken - Of course it's food!! I am not a great lover of lager but
the Heiniken is definitely worth a mention, lightly gassed and full of flavour,
a very pleasant drink.
.......and the pastries in the Bakers shops.........
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Trattoria Toto - Then on our last night, not wishing to walk to far and being
a bit tired, we settled for Trattoria Toto, an Italian if you hadn't guessed, on
Constantijn Huygenstraat. Our previous excursions to restaurants had indicated
that even the Dutch spoke to the Italians in English so we had no problems ordering
food. Not so here. The look of dismay on the waitress's face when she
said 'You don't speak Dutch?', was a picture to behold. Her father, who I
presume owned the restaurant, spoke good English but did not know the particular
words to describe his menu. Charlotte was shocked that here was an Italian
restaurant and they didn't serve pizza! Eventually we thought we had worked
out what each of us was happy with, and when it came we were not so very far adrift.
But to say the lamb was rare would be true, it was very rare. It was
also one of the best lamb dinners I have ever had, so if you are in Amsterdam and
fancy a good meal, then try Trattoria Toto, you won't be disappointed.
Trattoria Toto
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Why don't trams go bang in the rain?
© Spearing 2009
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