Tuesday morning I woke up to the sound of rain. The first thing I discovered was that the sun doesn’t actually get up till around 8.00am. It is a bizarre feeling to see it dark outside, but know that it is 8am…. I managed to get around 10 hours sleep, so was feeling pretty good. Today was ‘explore Amsterdam’ day!
Today is pretty much the only free day I have in Holland, so I headed over to pick up Ada, our volunteer who had won a place at conference, and we caught the train into town. By the time we were on the train at about 10.30am, the rain had cleared. Good thing too, as it would have been a miserable day walking in the rain. It was quite cold, maybe 11 or 12 degrees, so I rugged up like the Michelan Man, but during the day the sun came out and it warmed up.
On the train into town, I discovered we were staying in the heart of the tulip growing region. There is a 25km area where tulips are grown from April to May, and then mainly exported throughout the world. The fields are bare at present, but you could imagine how beautiful it would be with them in full bloom.
It was a taxi trip and 2 trains before we reached Amsterdam. I hadn’t realised how far out we were staying. The train stations were a thing to admire – I felt like I was in an old war movie, waiting on the platform for my soldier to come home from the frontline. They were big open-air hanger like buildings, with high roofs and wide platforms. It had turned into a beautiful day, so we began wandering along the canals. There are 4 main canals circling the centre of the city, so we started on the outside and worked our way in. The narrow streets were busy with people, bikes and cars alike, and pedestrians were fair game. We had to stay on our toes to avoid being hit – I had to keep an eye on Ada…not sure it would have looked so good having our volunteer hit by a bike! And there were lots, I think everyone in Holland owns and rides a bike. There are bike parks, not car parks – crazy!
Ada and I waiting for our soldiers…
If it doesn’t fit on the sidewalk, put it on top of the rest
The ‘bike park’
Inside multi-story narrow buildings that line the canals are an array of shops, offices, boutiques apartments and coffee shops (both those that serve coffee and those that serve ‘coffee’). Even the train station and shopping centre buildings were stunning. So old and exquisitely built. It seemed strange to have something so plain as a shopping centre inside.
We found a warm café and warmed up over lunch. I can’t believe people here aren’t huge –all the temping pastries and coffees…heaven! Decided to skip Anne Frank’s house, as there were around 100+ people in the queue! I would have liked to see it, however I couldn’t waste hours in a queue when I only had the one day. Didn’t do too much shopping, as it seemed that prices were fairly comparable to home, and I’ve heard that shopping in Spain will be cheaper. I did find a Christmas store and bought some Dutch Christmas decorations (something I do whenever I go o/s), then checked out some cheese stores for Ada – complete with sampling! One thing that did stand out was the number of stores that sell tulip bulbs. It seemed like a strange thing to be selling in the middle of the shopping district, but I guess it is something that they are famous for!
Anne Frank’s house
This amazing building was a shopping centre
Ada and the birds…
The tulip bulbs for sale…
The other plants for sale…starter kit for beginners!
A trip to Amsterdam wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the red light district. Trouble was, there weren’t exactly any street signs pointing it out. I headed into a shop and asked for directions. The shop assistant didn’t even blink, and even drew me a mud map! We set off across the canals, and found it…though it might have been difficult to miss, as it seemed all the other tourists were doing the same thing. It was pretty much as I remember it 10 years ago – women in windows of buildings, in their underwear, some pointing to the men walking past trying to get their attention, and some just filing their nails and talking on the phone. I can’t help think that it is sad, but wonder is it better being out in the open, rather than behind closed doors like we have at home.
Our mud map
The red light district
A condomerie
Tomorrow is the start of conference, so less exploring and more learning for me. Bring on the fundraising!!
