Hamsterdam

 

Getting to Amsterdam was our first opportunity to use our Eurail passes – train tix to travel anywhere in Europe. We traveled from Paris through Antwerp, Belgium and up to the Netherlands. It was about a 3 hour journey with a couple train changes and different stations. But we passed the time with card games, snacks and enjoying the sights.

 

Amsterdam, or as Jett calls it, Hamsterdam. Or as Mike calls it, Funkytown. Our friend Pat referred to it as ‘the city of the future in a Blade Runner sort of way’. Very true, it’s such an eclectic mix of partiers, tourists, artists, families and history.

 

BIKES
The first thing you notice when you get off the train are the bikes. Thousands, maybe millions – it’s wild. Every public place will have literally hundreds of bikes locked up, often they are double stacked. Many bike-friendly cities have a bike lane on the road shared with cars. Amsterdam cyclists have their OWN lane. Meaning there is the street for cars, the sidewalk and in between is a special path for bikes with their own signals. It’s a little strange at first because it feels like a sidewalk. We learned that in the first minute here as we stepped into the bike lane only to hear the ‘ding, ding’ of a bell and suddenly 5 bikes shoot past us at breakneck speed. “Tourists…” (you could read their minds). We joked about how strong our necks would be after this because you have to look both ways before crossing the bike path, then again crossing the road, then again crossing the bike path on the other side! And you won’t see a single bike helmet anywhere in the city. We even saw a dad with a toddler in the seat behind him and a baby in the Bjorn on his chest. No helmets, just cruising along. And many bikes have a cart in the front for kids or supplies – it’s like a trunk or roof rack. Brilliant.

FUNKYTOWN
We stayed near Leidseplein, a popular square with cafes, shopping etc. Its a short Tram ride to Centraal Train Station, the Red Light District and most of the crazy touristy stuff you hear about Amsterdam. Our neighborhood was bustling with local business owners, bike commuters and families out for strolls. The people were incredibly polite and helpful – as in every place we’ve been. And yes, now our kids know what marijuana smells like. 🙂

We spent one afternoon at Albert Cuypmarkt – Holland’s largest street market with over 260 booths. Finding the local street markets is one of the first things we do when arriving in a new city. It’s a great way to experience the local food, culture and art. The energy is always amazing and it’s a chance to teach the kids one of their most important life lessons – bartering. We sampled some waffles and fries – don’t call them French Fries, here they’re called Frites. Always served with mayo, but you can ask for ketchup with is a bit more sour and fermented tasting then our high-fructose corn syrup version. We also took a boat tour through the many canals that interweave throughout the city. The houses are narrow, tall and sandwiched together. Many lean slightly forward with heavy hooks at the top so that it was easier to hoist furniture and goods up to the top floor.

Another highlight was Dam Square. Home to multiple street performers like: Darth Vader, Freddy Kruger, the Grim Reaper, Hippies making bubbles, a girl with a flaming hula hoop. But none of them compare to drummer Dario Rossi. He sits on the cobblestone ground playing drums on pots, pans, pipes, and random pieces of junk. For 10 or 15 minutes he jams, scooting around, crashing metal – always keeping his beat. A massive crowd forms and it’s one of those moments where you realize that human beings are capable of amazing and beautiful things and they don’t need anything except their own will and imagination.

 

HISTORY
Mike’s great, great, great (x 6 or 8 or something) grandfather – Johan Stuyverse left Amsterdam in the early 1800s and came to New York City. It was a little surreal for him to walk the streets here knowing that Johan had possibly taken the same paths and seen the same views. The courage and sense of adventure he must have had to leave his home and come to America over 200 years ago is amazing. It’s emotional to consider the similar journey that we’re on and the parallel feeling of the unexpected.

 

The other big historical presence in this town is Anne Frank House. Our kids hadn’t read the book yet so we rented the original 1959 black and white film the night before. Photography isn’t allowed inside the house for sensitivity reasons. Walking through, there were 2 moments where I got goosebumps. First was looking down the long, dark narrow stairs leading to the front door where the Gestapo entered the building. And second, was up in the attic when I took a step and the floor creaked – just like it had for them when the thief was below. That damn creaky floor I thought. It’s a very heavy and emotional experience to say the least. And has lead to difficult, but important, conversations with our children about the Holocaust.

NEXT
From Amsterdam to Muiderberg for some quite time.