Bridges. Boats. Bicycles.
I can't navigate this city. I think that's why I haven't fallen in love with this place; I feel more secure when I can figure out where I'm going. The roads run along the canals, curving with the water. The streets have the illusion of running vertical and straight but end up deceiving you as they twist along with the water. I think I should just get a personal canoe next time and travel by boat. Of all things I didn't do in Amsterdam and wish I had, it was a canal tour--I like to think I would have gotten a better feel for the city that way. Can't do it all.
So what did I do? I arrived late Friday so just went out for a drink with the gang. I was traveling with a posse of eight for this first leg of the journey. It was actually a bit overwhelming to be going about with such a large group. We stayed in hostel in the middle of the Red Light District. A good location as far as getting around places I suppose, but I was slightly uncomfortable for most of my stay given the consistent presence of the prostitutes. That's just something I don't think I could ever get used to.
Saturday was packed: Anne Frank Huis, Van Gogh Museum, Rijks Museum. I was actually disappointed by the Anne Frank Huis; it just was not a great museum experience. We were herded through the house, and there will little blurbs every now and again about the Frank family. It was interesting to see the annex. Very tiny; it must have been incredibly cramped. Otto Frank has not allowed any furniture to remain in the house, which I think is curious. Perhaps it would recreate their former reality too much. Fact: 103,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps from Amsterdam. Van Gogh was my absolute favorite. The collection was so extensive. I almost completely the entire room with the studies of night--you know, Starry Night and such. Luckily, I managed to catch a glimpse and then some of the masterpieces. My favorite was a piece called Almond Blossom. Look it up. I bought a postcard version just so I would have it. The Rijks was a pure slice of Dutch culture. That was just awesome. They had a couple Vermeers--still my favorite.
Sunday morning or afternoon (since we slept in a bit), we went to the Heineken Experience. Certainly not worth the 15 Euro, but it was entertaining. I learned more than I wanted to know about the brewing process and hops and everything. The most interesting part was actually the components on advertisments--there were mini personal viewers where you could watch commericials dating back decades. Then the final room before you got your free pints was surround screen propaganda of how amazing Heinenken is. Eh, not my favorite beer.
Next Stop: Praha.
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