Our trip to Amsterdam (Ally)

We just arrived back from a trip to Amsterdam. I was there on a two day conference on Information Architecture, presented by the pioneer in the field. Ally came along to keep me company. Great having your other half along on business trips!

Life can be good!

Ally´s account

I have just done a tour of Schipol Airport in Amsterdam as I have 3 hours to kill. If I was an airport junkie then this would be heaven. The Dutch like to do things, including airports, in style.
They have a communications centre (you can email with a glass of wine), a massage centre, a meditation centre and a museum with famous Dutch painters (I kid you not!). So I have decided to prioritise my pleasures. Did the museum first - my third of the day and my feet are killing me! Now I am writing up my time here in Amsterdam and if there is time later, I'll hit the self massage chairs!

My tale starts on Friday - my last day of work. I don't really know what I felt. It all felt rather surreal. The person I have handed over to is great. I have made some super friends but not for one moment did I feel sad. With Forward Slash and Aqua I felt sad that I couldn't stay longer or sorry that the company couldn't remain open. But I was so ready to leave WCE.

The Financial Director said some really nice things in his leaving speech. Like how HR has gained so much in reputation and I was leaving a good career development system - so that all made me feel appreciated. God knows I’ve done enough exit interviews where people don't feel appreciated. I was chuffed with my own speech as I only started it that morning (getting better at this public speaking thing).

But when I got home on Friday I collapsed like a sack of potatoes. I didn't realise how much the handover took out of me. On Saturday I also slept for most of the day then we went to Sanjay (G hiking friend from Nepal) house warming. He and his girlfriend have just bought a 4 bedroom house in Hackney - very shrewd move as I think it will be worth a small fortune in 10 years time as they are cleaning up the area like mad. But the house did nothing for G and me - it has 4 stories - imagine lugging the vacuum cleaner up and down those stairs - no thank you!

While G is travelling round Europe and I am kicking my heels the G man has said very kindly that I should travel with him. So....

On Sunday morning we got up at the ridiculous hour of 4:30am as we had a 7am flight to Holland. We only got to bed at 3am!! But we got to Amsterdam safe and sound. They did not have a room ready for us at the hotel so we had to go in search of breakfast. Now anyone who knows us knows that breakfasts have to be good - none of this soggy toast and baked beans British effort. So we went down the main road and found a promising looking place - pancakes - a food matter close to our hearts. But we were just plain tired and they weren't really up to scratch so we went back to the hotel and slept the afternoon away - bliss.

G then took me on a tour of some good spots. We did go to the “sex through the ages museum” and the ONLY thing that has changed about sex through time is the mecium on which it is depicted. I had to admire the intricate skill required of the Japanese ivory carvers. To comment more than that would be require censorship.

On Monday I booked myself on 2 tours. The first one was a city tour with a free canal tour. So I took myself off towards the way of the canal and was hugely distracted by the clothes shops (pity I no longer work) But they were very good!

Next to the train station I got onto the boat - Amsterdam central station sits on a man made island. I was having a lovely time sitting by myself enjoying the fact that it was Monday morning and the most troublesome thing on my mind was what to have for lunch - when there was a tap on my shoulder and a family asked if the could sit next to me. As first I was delighted until I started to noticed a strange smell. There was swift self inspection!! But I soon realised it came from the family sitting next to me - the smell of unwashed bodies. It some what took the edge off the pleasure of the trip. It was very cute though when we saw some balloons in the canal and the young daughter said that the fish must be having a birthday party!

Well it was afternoon and I decided not to go on the city tour and Ii got a full refund so that made me feel a bit better about the boat trip. I hold my hand up and freely admit that I spent the afternoon finishing my book and G found me fast asleep when he returned from his conference.

G took one look at my photo's and called me photo- less!! So we went out and G took loads of night time shots - both from the red light district and other typical shots. When we were hungry we had steak (both nights in fact). Let me tell you Argentina have good beef!!

Tuesday morning I took the bus tour to the Windmills and Edam. I enjoyed going in the windmill as they made peanut oil which you can buy - I managed to hold myself back as I cannot think of one recipe which needs peanut oil!

I did buy some goats cheese. G was asking me what vices I have - in the space of a morning it came home to me - I like tourist kick-knacks. I cannot resist cool hair gadgets. Local delicacies or kitchen gadgets! So we now have clogs for the Christmas tree, a Degas hair clip, 500g of goats cheese and a cool oil and balsamic thingy:)

All I can really say is that the windmills were great but Edam was not - it is named after the cheese that was ONCE made there. End of the attraction.

Well.., I was not about to be called a photo-less girl again so I planned my next adventure - a trip to the floating flower market. The last floating marketing in Amsterdam. I was enchanted by all the flowers - they even had proteas from Kenya (do they have then there?). I remembered my aunt wants to plant a blue garden this year so got her some blue bulbs.

Then it was off to Rembrandts House. G mentioned this was something to go to and I remembered Rembrandt from art classes so was thrilled about the prospect and I was not disappointed. They have reconstructed his house and it is fascinating. He was a talented, curious, passionate (and probably not very astute) man (he died bankrupt and in poverty after having a very prosperous career) - I couldn’t wait to see where he lived and worked. The walls are covered in paintings; mostly those of his teachers. His bed was display – only four foot long so he obviously lived in a time when the Dutch weren’t so tall. We learnt about him as the painter of The Nightwatchmen which Kerry and I saw last time but he is also really famous for his etchings. He is the forerunner of the graphic artists. I could hardly get enough of his work.

It is rare that you are able to see the “other parts” of the artist - the other passions/quirks that they have like Monet had his garden, Van Gogh his madness but here you had a man who was an insatiable knick knack collector. He collected everything all kinds of knick knacks from around the world like fossils, coral, Indian head dresses, native necklaces, turtle shells rocks etc. Fabulous stuff – we would have got on so well!

Well that concludes our trip to Amsterdam – we have a great time and I love travelling with the G man, even if he is on business.

Some things they don't tell you in the Amsterdam guide books:

• The airport security men are delicious - being searched by them has the potential to be fun:)
• Pedestrians or bicycles are a menace depending on which you are, cars are superfluous, trams are cool!
• A visit to the grocery store is well worth it - British food has definitely improved due to continental influence but has a way to go.
• Dutch art rocks - maybe it is the light with everything being below sea level - go figure
• There is not one American coffee depot (not even a Starbucks) - but good coffee can be bought from the supermarket. Plus their famous “druggie coffee shops”
  

Graeme in between business sessions

Red Light District

The crookedest house in Amsterdam

Cheaper than a Dutch beer

Bicycles, bicycles everywhere...

Clogs

Edam and the Windmill

The flower market

HOLLAND (5 – 24 June)

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From Post Cards

6th June

I’m in paradise. Amsterdam has to be one of the most scenic, vibrant, interesting cities in the world. I love the Dutch already – they’re really laid back and totally liberated and friendly. I’m amazed how much of the language I can understand with my Afrikaans. I’m having a very relaxed time soaking up the atmosphere, seeing some museums, and exploring the canals. The hostel here is very cheap so I’m in no hurry to move on.

7th June

Wow, I’m speechless. I thought I was very open minded, but this just frazzled my outlook. Streets and streets of sex shows, cinemas and shops, and of course, everywhere, windows with very scantily clad, often drop dead gorgeous women beseeching you for sex (your money!). If it weren’t for my terror of Aids (and Ally of course!). God help me! But it certainly is entertaining watching all the goings on.

8th June

I visited the Van Gough Museum today and fell in love with his work. It’s passionate, alive and colourful. I went to the famous Rijks Museum yesterday and saw some other great art works, including Rembrandt’s “Night Watch”. I’m so enjoying all this culture.

10th June

Well, I can’t say the art in this very famous modern art museum turned me on much – a bit like the stuff we all churned out in kindergarten. But there was a fantastic photographic exhibition which more than made up for it. I’m still loving Amsterdam and making some really zany Dutch friends – learning Dutch really quickly.

11th June

I’m still enjoying the sights and sounds of Amsterdam. Some of the activities include the sex museum (watching other people’s expressions was the best part!), sun bathing in beautiful Vondel Park, meeting some very interesting Dutch drop-outs, partying it up at some festive dance clubs, going to the Michael Jackson concert (sorry Gramps!), visiting the Heineken beer factory for lots of free samples, going on a canal boat cruise, the hash museum, window shopping at the Mayna Plaza, etc. Great fun.

14th June

Spent a quiet day walking around this lovely little town of Marken. Many of the townsfolk still wear traditional dress (albeit, I suspect, for the tourists!). The town is situated on an island, connected to the mainland by a dyke. Very inventive these Dutch. I’m not my best – got a streaming cold – like everyone else in my hostel – sniffle, sniffle!

I caught the boat from Marken to Volendam. Another beautiful town with delicious frikadels to eat. I hired a bike and rode around remembering to stay on the right side of the road! Great fun – there are more bicycles than Dutch in Holland. Best way to get around!

I spent an interesting day at Zaanse Schans, shown here. A traditional (rather touristy) Dutch village. Tasted plenty of cheese at the market and Dutch ice cream and saw lots of windmills and how they work inside. Cows everywhere (beat the English sheep) and clog shops. Very scenic and relaxing.

15th June

Edam, famous all over the world for its delicious cheese, is known as Holland’s “sleeping beauty” because it is so scenic. I gorged myself on the scenery and free samples of cheese. Then to the town of Hooru I went, on the edge of a vast fresh water sea that the ever enterprising Dutch diked off in 1932. Lovely town with picturesque harbour. Picture book Holland – but I miss the mountains.

17th June

I spent a fantastic day cycling around Amsterdam on a rented bicycle - felt just like the locals. Very flat but you’ve got to watch out for trams, buses, other pedestrians, bikes, etc and remember to stay on the right. There is a huge music festival in the city right now and everything is free so at night I get to listen to opera, classical, pop – all held open air on the canal. Fantastic stuff. My timing in being here couldn’t be better. My Dutch is fast becoming fluent.

19th June

The Hague is the provincial capital (not economic) of Holland and I must say it’s a grand city with wide streets and beautiful buildings. Excitement – I got to see an international boule championship held in the city and it left me speechless. You wouldn’t believe the precision, they never miss but just keep hitting each other out of the way and taking shot. I picked up some great tips so cannot wait to have a game with you all! Better get practising Gramps!

20th June

I’ve found paradise again. An Island in the North Sea off Holland with long sandy beaches, green forests, nature reserves and quaint villages. Lazy days spent cycling round the island exploring on my three speed bike (far more than you need!). There is great bird life here (migrating) so I’m in heaven – oh and there are nude beaches, too!




Travel Notes


Amsterdam

• Thurs 5, Catch bus and hover craft (City Sprint / Hover Speed) to Amsterdam. Takes whole day but relaxing and cheap. Meet sweet SA girl on bus, conservative, strict parents now blown away by Dutch freedom. Arrive 8 pm - goto Red Light. High novelty of beautiful girls in windows beseeching you with intimate, steamy looks and knocks on the window. Slimy black and asian doods offer hard drugs from dark corners - do I look suspicious? Visit sex shops to see vast range of videos and magazines on every kink, including animals (eels, chickens!), eau de toilette, fisting, SM etc. Impressions: narrow lined alleyways, tourists stare on the main routes, young groups encourage each other to go in, asking the price. Some of the attractive girls have lines outside. Client goes in and curtains drawn.

• Fri 6: Visit Oudekerek, oldest Amsterdam building and right in the naughty district!! Sex Museum - watching reactions especially in explicit section on different sex kinks. History of porno and photos of 1890 - 1970. Walk around the streets and canals of Amsterdam - what a vibrant, beautiful, interesting city with great pub and eatery life style. Weather hot, really hot. Then visit house where Anne Frank hid from Nazis and wrote her dairy. Moved me to tears - family betrayed and her father only survivor. Anne dies only few months from liberation. Dairy translated into 55 languages - a heart filled work of genius.

• Sat 7: walk round the Rijks Museum- over 7 million pieces of art including 5000 paintings. Rembrandt's "Nightwatch" not overrated - spectacular with spot light effect. All other Dutch Masters as well as sculpture, pottery, porcelain and gorgeous doll houses. Come out in T shirt and shorts to find pouring rain. In evening, went for stroll - gave beggar supermarket food including SA's best - mango juice - then to cinema "Devil's Own" with Dutch subtitles and very saucy adverts.

• Sun 8: I explore the Vincent Van Gogh Museum - inpirational. A passionate man who only started painting late in life, his transformation from novice, brown paintings to his vibrantly colourful, revolutionery broadbrush style. A genius, only painted ten years as he became insane - till his suicide - over 900 paintings. Just before, I help a Sicilian chap to roll his joint and smoke it. Then a relaxing cruise along beautiful tree lined canals to the harbour and back. Houseboats and a gorgeous old Dutch ship (part of Maritime museum)

• Mon 9, an early get up to the old Heineken Factory. Very schlick presentations, then to the stables of horses (so thats the secret to beers hue) - all horses named after members of the board. Then wonderful samples where I meet two very nice American girls. Then to the Stedelike Museum of Modern Art. Some impressive - but on the whole, no turn on. Except Nan Goldin photographs. Living, feeling art that brought me to tears. Photography based on relationships, not observation, reflections on her life and her friends. Deep, baring photos that capture the soul. Free life style, drugs, sex, love, pregnancy, operations, battered bruises, holidays and parties, cross dressing etc all captured intimately - including the decimation of the group to Aids - sickness, funerals, sorrow. Slide show to music. Most rivetting art I've ever experienced. Art is creative expression that draws emotion. I feel the need to liberate my own creative expressions in some way, burst forth from my self conscious, analytical chains and express. Words are probably the best outlet for me now.

• Tues 10 - an unforgettable day. Laundry and a long chat to a laid back Australian traveler. To the Dam to view the Koninklijk Palace. Shopping sights at the Magna Plaza, clothes galore and Virgin superstore. The World Press Photo Exibition at the Nieuwe Kerk. Then to the Arena for the Michael Jackson concert. Get tickets cheap and meet a wonderful Dutch couple - giving me a great feel for Dutch life, including Queen Beatrix. Some great laughs and fun. The concert is spectacular and emotional with massive explosions and sights and great use of moving image. Jacko hangs from a crane over the audience by his sweaty hands. A girl jumps onto stage and latches on - Michael handles beautifully till guards intervene. (Same girl night before and same emotional breakdown when sings old songs??)

• I join the crowds by train back to Amsterdam. Complete my thriller "And then came a Spider." Excellent psycopath killer read with some good twists. A walk through Vondelpark - meeting some interesting "drop out type" Dutch characters. Dogs mate unashamedly in the field - can't get away from it. Then I make friends with three Dutch guys and a girl. We get on very well - is fun to speak Dutch / Afrikaans - sheltering from the rain under a big tree. They chain smoke hash and drink beer + snort coke off their credit cards (despite police!). It feels good to have some deeper human contact. We almost hug our goodbyes. On the edge of oblivion but loveable nevertheless. Some general impressions: tower bells that play a beautiful tune. Bicycles, bicycles everwhere, watch out because if they don't get you the trams will!! Almost one bike per person. Canals with boats and mottley ducks. High houses with steep stares and gables. People sit at road side caffees and "people watch". Coffee shops sell hash too - milkshakes, tea etc.

• Thurs 12: wake up sick with infected throat. Visit Torture Museum. How could people do such cruel things in the name of the church? Perverted cruelty! Why are we fascinated by it? Especially the wide based Pryamid on which victim was seated and weights attached to legs. Then to Hemp / Marijuana / Hash Museum. Unashamedly pro - glorifying the properties and advantages. Certainly seems to have strong merits for consumption and treatment of many health problems. I'll have to give it a proper try when my throat clears up.

• Fri 13: Awake feeling real sick. Fiery throat. Meet two SA's at breakfast. Quick train ride to Zaanse Schans, a reconstruction of a Dutch village as it would have looked in 1700. Picture book Holland (very touristy) Windmills (including how work inside - triple story structure with massive network of cogs just to squeez oil out of pea-nuts!), clogg shop, cheese market (delicious samples), traditional Dutch houses, cows. Relax and write postcards. Wonderful evening with Amanda, SA girl as we hit the town. Classical music concert (including opera) on a huge makeshift platform on the canal. Brilliant and free of charge.

• Sat 14: My cold has broken. Gush. Bus to Marken, a traditional town on an island joined to the mainland by a dyke - my 1st! Wooden houses and some traditional dress. Beautiful harbour. Take boat to Volendam with a vibrant (very touristy) waterfront. Cute baby ducklings paddle along the canal. My first Frikadel (very nice.) Home early to nurse my cold. Off to music concert. Fantastic African band "Seven seconds away = popular song), then Samba. People dance.

• Sun 15: My running nose has congealed. Walk to station to catch bus out but so exhausted, decide to rest for day. 15 days of no neck clicking! And been feeling a lot better. Street festival, some entertaining comedian shows from rope walker and Houdini artist. Another concert tonight - traditional classical, followed by an extraordinary, alternative band with all sorts of ingredients (even heard a tune or two in there somewhere!) Very enjoyable though. Whole city closed off due to Euro summit. Impression: A bicycle with side car, huge Australian horn blown by passenger, "open the prisons", furtive, cheeky glances at little politie group as hum past.

• Mon 16: My cold is running again. God dam. To Holland's sleeping beauty, EDAM. Gorgeous quiet canals, houses and shops. Very few tourists - refreshing. Walk and laze on canal banks. Lovely rural and suburban feel. Then to the town of Hoorn, on the edge of the Ijsselmeer, an inlet of the Atlantic that the ever enterprising Dutch diked in 1932 to form a fresh water sea. Lovely town with picturesque harbour - boats everywhere. Walked through the quaint town center to harbour, then along "coast". Warm weather. Final concert night - opera, then pop including Katrina and the Waves "Walking on Sunshine" and "Shine your Light."

• Tues 17: I hire a bike and ride round the city. To harbour, across canal by free ferry, delicious lunch from bakery, back to cycle Amsterdam canals. Lots to watch out for - trams, cars, other bikes, people + stay on right of road. Cold seems better. Impressions: Best cherry yoghurt in 500ml tubs with whole cherries. Chicken Pita. Cape fruit juice - especially Mango, salad shreds, frikadels, vrites "chips" with mayonnaise, curry and onion, krokets

• Wed 18: I spend the entire day chatting to an Italian girl, about life and spiritual matters. From 11 am to 6 pm in garden by canal, then she gets me supper. I think she may be very needy but it feels nice to listen and connect. I've been missing real human contact. Gets me thinking about spiritual energy.

The Hague

• Thurs 19: To The Hague (Den Haag). Grand city. Bool on wide pavement in square. Open, rink divided by string, ground has light covering of sand and pebbles. Frenetic pace, lots of games on go, very informal, all types of dress. ome smoke. Practice - hit bool, spin away, then hit that - keep going. Marksmen. Hardly ever miss. Some go down on knees. Knock bools together in congrats. All ages, tent eatery. Some bools very high in sky. Some advertising branding along sides. Roadside vendor sell bools. Knocking out of way or closer is major part of game play - crashing down on bools, often to take shot - massive spin so stop dead. Tour old city - parliament buildings and palaces, eat a "kroket", read "Wall Street" newspaper, then proceed to the large city forest.

• Coots diving for their young and building nest, carp spawning frantically. (not at all interested in fisherman's bait!) Lots of life in middle of city. Back to Amsterdam for an early night.

Texel

• Fri 20: early get up to catch train to Den Helder, then ferry to Texel (one of Wadden Islands in North Sea.) Mix up of Youth Hostels. I hire a bike and ride to Panarama Hostel with back pack and all. (Handled challenges like a pro!) Then cycle to harbour (Oudeschild) and along a dike to a quaint village (Oosterend) for very best apple pastry ever had. Cycle through forests and dunes to sandy (and blowy) beach. Then back to Den Burg and the hostel for a beer. Lock won't work on bike - never mind. Girl cycling with her horse. Get stink bug in my eye.

• Sat 21: Windy and miserable. Breakfast with my new German friends - she in Re-assurance. Fix my bike by blowing in it (sand!), then cycle to Den Burg for delicious "chicken springrole" (Loempia) and read magazines. Back to Hostel for hilarious reading of Roald Dahl's "My Uncle Oswald" Wickedly funny. Impression: Extraordinary bike contraptions for carrying young kids - windscreen with seat, baby rucksacks, baby trailors etc.

• Sun 22: rainy and miserable. Then bike in rain and wind to Den Hoorn for a beer and bacon pancake. Relaxing. Then to sand storming beach - no nudes!! Back for a sleep where I meet slow American (Craig) and full of life Dutchman (Hugo). Hugo is passionate about sailing ships. Wonderful to have a consuming interest! Then off for supper (Loempia). The evening is beautiful so I cycle through the forest to town of De Koog. Sneak into farm for sunset but all the sheep charge for me, thinking I'm going to open gate to green pastures. Complete book "When She Was Bad" by Ron Faust. One of best thriller yarns ever read.

• Tues 1/7: up early to the bus station by tram. Manage to get on. Meet nice British chap and have some good laughs. Dreadlock kids light their joints in the hovercraft after intensive French search. Hovercraft amazing - "Hope you enjoyed your flight." Can't wait to see Ally.
• Back in England!

London (24/6-27/6)

• Hello again, Ally. A very quiet couple of days resting. London weather has been foul for weeks non stop. Catch train to Coventry to get tent. Booked my flights for my next trip (to Israel etc). Lunch at Nando's. Get ready for Ireland.

Next stop: 

Israel