Amsterdam
STAY Mr. Jordaan
DO Rent a bike and experience the city like a local
christina
Visiting this idyllic city in the Fall was storybook. We were so blessed to have our friends Greg & Ian come join us for a long-weekend. It was so special to be with them since they too had taken a trip like this and were part of the inspiration for us to take the leap of faith and actually go for it. We were lucky to have them there to help us process the fact that this is really happening - we actually are on this journey and it feels so different than just taking a vacation. The shared understanding in this certain sense of freedom was a gift. Taking note of this feeling, I can honestly say it feels like in Greece I was still running on fumes from San Diego; in Spain I felt like I started to really truly unwind and now; now, I feel like I'm in a total dream-state where everything is possible. Choice is paramount and I feel young again - it's only been 9 weeks on the road at this point. While it feels so good to be in this flow state, where everything seems possible, I am starting to notice my own idiosyncrasies that don't fit into this state of being at all. Mostly what I notice is my tendency to be uptight, almost anxious, about my things (specifically about losing stuff). It's interesting to have the space and time to really process this outside of a yoga class or during my own meditation practice. It feels almost as if I'm asking myself to level up - trading in my fear for faith. The unknown has always been difficult for me - and while I'm finding all this new freedom, I'm being forced to really pull up my own roots of fear in order to live more fully. This feels very different than any other trip I've taken - it's about becoming as opposed to seeing. It feels very much in line with the questions we sought out to ask ourselves and the intention with which we set foot on this journey. It will be interesting to see what will come of all this.
Amsterdam itself was wonderful. I came here a few times when I studied abroad a lifetime ago and this time I think I remember far more of it. The sophisticated feeling coupled with the minimalist Dutch way of doing things really inspired me. It felt more whole - as in holistic in every way whether it was the people, the way a bar was designed, the bicycles everywhere or even the food - it was simple and elegant at the same time. I especially enjoyed visiting the Van Gogh museum - the style of his painting, goes without saying, was haunting and beautiful and being up close to it was jaw-dropping.
julio
We arrived in Holland late on a rainy night meandering through rings of streets till finding our trendy neighborhood of Jordaan on the Upper East Side of Amsterdam. Our hotel was super cozy and we were up early well rested to explore our exciting surroundings. After an authentic Panakoeken or Dutch Pancake we began our magical, mystery tour of the city which would leave us fulfilled, cultured and asking “What just happened.” Some extremely fabulous friends of ours came to meet us in the Dam and were taking the slightly more elegant route of Amsterdam which we also much enjoyed. We sampled the local coffees, rode bicycles through the city like mad, ate at perfectly arranged Dutch restaurants and went to our fair share of museums taking in the art. What a city. What history. What visual perfection beyond measure is the Dutch aesthetic? Incredible. Amsterdam is a place all travelers must visit.
Having not ridden a bicycle in ten years, not knowing the local rules of the road or been to a Dutch coffeeshop for that matter, made for an extremely comical scene of me being the jackass tourist. I really tried my best but I was so confused and Christina and co. were just flying around as if they were at Burningman and i was the straggler trying to not crash into a flying Dutchman or fall off the bike. If there were video it would be priceless and all things considered it was really fun and silly. Bike usage in Amsterdam has grown by more than 40% in the last 20 years and is the chosen method of transportation by locals. Bikes are everywhere and you pass bike parking lots filled with thousands of bikes leaving me to the embarrassing task of figuring out "where did i park my bike which one is it". Luckily I always found it but often wondered what the US be like if bikes weren't just used by fit guys with racing gear on, hippies, hipsters on fixies or kids? Could America survive without defining itself without giant and thoroughly enclosed cars? I doubt it, and i found the Dutch passion for bicycling incredibly attractive and democratic. Another win for the perfect Dutch.
Christina and I did take a walk through the infamous Red Light District of De Wallen receiving winks and come hither glances from the extremely attractive ladies behind the glass. Who are these women and where do they come from? Kind of a strange sensation with your satunch feminist wife but it was an experience and got me thinking. The Dutch legalized their brothel industry in the year 2000. The government promised that this would result in safety for the women, and an end to trafficking. However, nowadays there is a strong sex trade abolitionist movement and the Red Light District may soon be a memory. A number of politicians and law enforcers are now accepting that legalized prostitution has been an unmitigated disaster and failed at its original intentions of safety etc. The same could be happening with the famous marijuana coffeeshops which are now under fire by politicians and locals who want to stop the marijuana tourism through legislation making the residents the priority. It is recorded that thirty percent of tourists visit a Dutch Marijuana coffeshop yet if the global nationalist wave of politicians hits Amsterdam like the US and UK this could all change overnight. I really enjoyed checking out the coffeeshops and it seems extremely social and different from the manner in which recreational marijuana is handled in the US where as far as finding a place to smoke you are on your own. As far as Amsterdam is concerned, in my opinion add tourists and there are always problems. Make the shops for the Dutch only and make the foreigners fend for themselves like everywhere else. The Netherlands has enough going for it that it doesn't need dope to keep people coming and lets face it, youll remember more about your trip.
