From Ferry to Frogger - Navigating Scenic AmsterdamArriving by ferry to the capital of the Netherlands seems only appropriate as the city is a series of concentric, semi-circular canals. Water is a way of life. Amsterdam has a ship that serves as a maritime museum, a fragrant floating flower market, restaurants that offer canal-side seating on barges, and trendy new houseboats that are located permanently on the canals. Although many homes have their own boat to navigate the canals, bike traffic rules the city. Crossing a busy street is similar to a game of "Frogger". Leaving the safety of the sidewalk, one must cross the "cycle path", the car lanes, the train tracks, the car lanes traveling in the opposite direction, the second "cycle path" and finally back to safety on the sidewalk. "Cycle path" is also a loose term as this lane is used by bicycles, Vespas, motorcycles, and an occasional Smart car. Also, the American belief that pedestrians have the right-of-way is discarded by bicyclists determined to make that important board meeting and those trying to make it to daycare without being charged the late pick-up fee.
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Flitting through the Flower Auction"This is what it must feel like to be inside a beehive," I wrote in my journal the evening after visiting the Royal FloraHolland, the world's largest flower auction. Inside the auction's distribution center, we experienced the hustle and bustle of thousands of flower deliveries per hour from a series of walkways criss-crossing above the "controlled chaos" of the flower carts below. (Also, everything smelled like flowers.) Tiny one-person vehicles zipped in and out of traffic on the floor, hitching up with new carts piled high with flowers, often narrowly avoiding collisions in the process. Holland is well-known for its love of tulips and financial speculation on flowers, but it was amazing to see a modern twist on this Dutch tradition. The auction delivers 12 billion flowers each year to distributors throughout the world, a feat of Dutch engineering, ingenuity and agriculture.
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It's All Smoke and MirrorsThe smokey "coffee shops" and beautiful women behind the plate glass windows are not an illusion as both prostitution and marijuana are legal in Amsterdam. The government's solution to these issues was to clean it up, legalize it, and then tax it. Ludo, the owner of the appropriately-named coffee shop Paradox, explains the situation. In the city it is illegal to grow or buy marijuana, but it is legal to sell it (and the government profits from this sale). Although it seems this puts Ludo in a situation with blurred lines, it is obvious that this is a man who loves his job. No trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a walking tour of the red-light district. The roles here are reversed as we are the street walkers and window shopping is the order of the day. Although pot and prostitution are the two things that come to mind when tourists think of Amsterdam, this city offers so much more. The city sports wonderful museums (as you can read about below), unique restaurants, and fabulous flowers. You might even be tempted to pick up a few bulbs to take home.
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The Anne Frank Museum
Reading The Diary of Anne Frank as a youth, I visualized the secret annex as well as the hidden door behind the bookcase. I imagined the church bells as they tolled the passing of time for the hidden Frank family and their companions. To visit the cramped rooms and narrow staircase brings reality to the story. The actual diary pages, log books, and video interviews with Anne's father and those who kept their secret give this museum an extra dimension to life for Jewish families pursued by the Nazis.
RijksmuseumNothing can compare to visiting a major museum with a knowledgeable tour guide like Robert. He knows where they keep all the good stuff and can give you the scoop on what you are seeing. Flitting from room to room, Robert shows the highlights. Exploring "The Night Watch," the entire story comes to life and we understand all the pivotal players in the scene. This room is alive with activity that is puzzling as it is centered around two other works by Rembrandt. Today is the debut of the wedding portraits of Marten and Oopjen, who are reunited by a cooperative effort of the Louvre and this museum. They are "the most wanted and least exhibited Rembrandts in the world" and we are here for the party. The Rijksmuseum is massive and contains something for everyone. Not only are there famous works of art by painters that we know by name, the collection includes amazing dollhouses, a grand array of musical instruments, and a really cool assortment of locks and keys. And if you can't find anything inside to your liking, there is a cycling path that runs through the middle of the museum.
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Stedelijk MuseumVisiting the modern art museums in each city is a passion for Justin, while the rest of us come along for the ride. The Stedelijk Museum proved to be a treat for us all. The museum had a wide variety of modern and contemporary art, not just the usual kelly green rectangles and framed toilet seats. On exhibit were works by the early modern artist, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse and many others. The museum displayed a large collection of works by pop artist Andy Warhol which were quite interesting. One of the most intriguing exhibits was from the Amsterdam School. It featured sleek modern tables crafted from exotic woods, elaborately embellished chairs and sofas, screens featuring intricate carving, rugs and textiles with interesting patterns and beautiful hues, teapots that stretch the imagination, and unusually shaped clocks made of rare and interesting woods. After falling into a rhythm that this was not a "typical" modern art museum, we wandered into a room with a giant bubble-filled hot tub. This seemed reasonable and then the people in the tub began to move ever so slowly.
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The Last Day and the Last Supper
Our family always embraces the philosophy that we must make the most out of our last day, because tomorrow we will not be in Holland. We end our tour the way we began - with a boat tour. Our boat navigates down Amsterdam's beautiful canals. We take photos of gabled houses, churches with jewel-toned windows, rows of colorful bicycles, and bridges lined up in series across the canals. Our peaceful trip is momentarily interrupted as we pass a boat packed with college students who bid us a fond farewell by mooning us. We smile, remember the exuberance of youth, then head for our final dinner together with our tour buddies.
Chaucer once penned the words, "All good things must come to an end." And it seems the better the "thing," the more difficult the end. As our tour group files into our private dining room at Haesje Claes, the chairs fill up and the conversations begin. Nina, our constant companion and mentor, sits in the middle of the table. She has taught us well. Our tiny tour group has gotten so close that the conversation flows as smoothly as the open bottles of wine. We leave our last dinner with a few tears, a lot of smiles, many hugs and a lifetime of memories.
Chaucer once penned the words, "All good things must come to an end." And it seems the better the "thing," the more difficult the end. As our tour group files into our private dining room at Haesje Claes, the chairs fill up and the conversations begin. Nina, our constant companion and mentor, sits in the middle of the table. She has taught us well. Our tiny tour group has gotten so close that the conversation flows as smoothly as the open bottles of wine. We leave our last dinner with a few tears, a lot of smiles, many hugs and a lifetime of memories.