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Published: August 4th 2013
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Remember a couple of weeks ago I had some fun at the expense of my German friends? Specifically, I blogged about their inability to break rules. I have another example.
I boarded the Ice Train this morning, bound for Frankfurt. There were exactly 6 people in the first class car. There were 96 seats.
I was sitting in a non-reserved seat when a German lady approached. She produced her ticket and nicely, but firmly requested that I get my butt out of her seat (she must have just purchased her ticket, because the seat was marked "un-reserved").
Anyway ... I complied ... but as I was relocating, I looked around and thought "what does it possibly matter? There are 90 empty seats in this car, why did she go to the time and trouble to move me?" The answer is simple. She is German and that was the her assigned seat.
These blogs may read like a series of unrelated free associations, but the truth is I put a fair bit of work into them. I am constantly looking for blog-worhty moments, and I am frequently outlining in my head or in a little red book I
carry around with me. I tell you this because when I started outlining the Amsterdam blog it was going to be brutal.
I arrived in Amsterdam about 9:00 p.m. and walked from the train station about 1/2 mile to my hotel on Dam Square. I checked in and then found a place to eat (more on the place to eat later). In my head I was drafting a blog describing my extreme disappointment in a dirty, filthy, litter-stewn city. The amount of litter was especially shocking ... SHOCKING.
I actually considered leaving first thing in the morning. It was a serious enough thought that I consulted the EuroRail Timetable (how far is Copenhagen?).
That evening I exchanged emails with my friend John Burczyk. John remembered Amsterdam fondly from his travels here in the mid-1990s. I told him the city must have gone completely down hill. John encouraged me to give the city a chance because he thought it was beautiful.
And it turns out ... John was right.
The area I traveled on my first night was the "Red Light District," an area located between the train station and Dam Square.
The Red Light
District is filthy, and although it is quite safe, it feels SUPER SKETCHY.
Once you get out of the Red Light District, the city is clean and beautiful, and built on a series of lovely canals that separate one section of the city from another. I spent an entire day walking along the canals, visiting the biggest open air market in Europe and generally have a delightful time in a truly wondrous city. Check out the photos.
Amsterdam is also very bike friendly. You thought Madison was a bike friendly place? It is not even close to Amsterdam. But with all those bikes, 1 or 2 or 1,000 or 2,000 end up in the canal. I stumbled upon a Amsterdam City Barge that was rescuing lost bikes from the bottom of the canals with a giant claw.
Which brings us back to the Red Light District.
Amsterdam, as a community, has determined that drugs and prostitution should be legal. If that decision is ok with the good people of Amsterdam, it is ok with me.
Most of Amsterdam's prostitution and drug use is confined to the Red Light District.
Now, here is the problem
as I see it.
The Red Light District is the front door to the city. Travelers cannot avoid it.
Whether visitors arrive by train from another European city, or by train from the International Airport, they have to walk (or taxi) from the Central Train Station, through the Red Light District to their hotels.
Wouldn't you think the city would want this area to be clean and welcoming, even if it is a Red Light District? Where is the Chamber of Commerce for God's sake?
Further, the Red Light District is not just about illicit-tude. Many of the cities shops (including all the big international retailers), restaurants (including all the big international chains), bars, cafes and dance clubs are in the Red Light District.
It seems to me, from a business point-of-view, Amsterdam wants the Red Light District to be DIRTY (as in illicit, naughty, forbidden and fun ... like Vegas) but clean.
It should not want the Red Light District to be DIRTY (as in pick-up the damn trash).
So perhaps ... just perhaps ... I have found my next career. I think I am going to immigrate to the Netherlands and
run for Mayor of Amsterdam.
I am going to single handedly fix Amsterdam! What could possibly go wrong?
I have a couple of final observations.
First, when you tell people you are traveling to Amsterdam you get these "knowing" nods and smirks, silently questioning "so, what you gonna do there?" I will just state for the record that my drugs of choice require either (i) columbian beans and a paper Starbucks cup, (ii) a large brewing barrel and a frosty mug or (iii) a tumbler of ice and two (not one ... two) limes.
Second, I was wandering around the Red Light District looking for a place to have dinner. I happened down this alley, and stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant (which was descriptively named "Chinese Restaurant"). When I walked in. I was the only (I mean ONLY) non-Asian in the joint. I am pretty sure that at that moment every Amsterdamer of Chinese decent was either cooking, serving or eating in the restaurant. I grinned with delight and thought to myself "this is going to be great." I was seated, but I shook-off the menu. "Just bring me what is good." AND IT WAS.
Finally, Europeans make greater use of the 24-hour clock than we do in America. They rarely use a.m./p.m. Instead, Trains that leave at 1:22 p.m. leave at 13:22, and tours that start at 4:00 p.m., start at 16:00. Once you get used to it, it is quite efficient. Here's the rub ... at least for me. My feeble little brain cannot handle 20:00. I always translate 20:00 as 10:00 p.m., instead of 8:00 p.m. I do it all the time. The latest example had me sitting on the train from Frankfurt scheduled to arrive at Amsterdam at 20:32. Its 8:32 and the train stops, I just sit in my seat (lamenting the 2 hours I still need to travel) as everyone else grabs their gear and leaves. I look out the window wondering where we are and find myself staring at a sign that read "Amsterdam Central." That is a true story.
More maƱana.
JJF
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Tim Nikolai
non-member comment
Amsterdam v Venice
I've heard the two cities compared because of the canals. What do you think?