October 28th, 2007 - Amsterdam

Local Wanderings

The idea of the day was simply to experience Amsterdam from as close to a “locals perspective” as possible. So I set out to walk the city. First stop, Vondel Park…



Everything shared a peaceful beginning to a Sunday morning.



The ducks enjoyed a slow start to the day. This was the first time spotting a mallard or drake with a white-breasted mate, instead of the more commonly seen chestnut breasted variety.



To my surprise a blue heron was lurking near the shallows. These were more common in Malawi, Africa, and the migration does bring them in this European direction, so it was pretty interesting to have seen them both in the southern and northern hemisphere.


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Exiting the park and walking along the Singelgracht Canal you will come to the “Mecca” of green bottle beer lovers or the Heineken Brewery. After coming from Germany and the Czech Republic all Amsterdam suds tastes like canal water to me. So unlike the Guinness tour in Dublin (a must see), this tour, although on the itinerary was passed on by.



Seventeenth and eighteenth century architecture is still alive and well in Amsterdam. Former storehouses are now apartments with character.



The grappling hook hoist stanchions still hang above the entryways.



Even though it is Sunday, most churches are empty in this increasingly secular state.



A typical “two car” Amsterdam family…



The Magere Brug is one of the remaining “classic style” drawbridges and is heavily used by locals headed to and from the new and old sections of town.



These working fishing vessels are a reminder of the previous main source of income for residents in the forms of fishing and international trade.



Heading up the banks of the Amstel Canal and turning right on Oude-Schans Canal the Waterloo Plein market becomes visible. (The peaked building in the distant right.)



At the Waterloo Plein market you can find almost anything in used condition. With the obvious Dutch theme I chose to picture the shoes/clogs.



I couldn't pass up this puppy going for a ride in a handlebar bike basket.



With the world’s monuments under construction, why should the Amsterdam train station be any different? It is still one of the most beautiful functioning stations in the world and will only get better when the cranes are gone.



After a full morning and early afternoon of walking, it was time for the very recommended “Canal Tour”.





At the junction of the Prinsen-gracht (canal) an Bloem-gracht stands the Anne Frank House. The line was enormous and hundreds of people deep. Thus far, the people who have been inside say “Its not worth the wait.” So, I’ll skip it.



The boat maneuvering is tremendous. The captain of the tour barge is constantly at work, sighting other boats and openings, while maneuvering with "side thrusters" and standard rear propeller. (Impressive multi-tasking.)



There is less than a foot of space around the three exposed sides of the boat as the captain pilots the long vessel through the stone lined water maze.



Running up the Singel Canal we break out in to the more open water of the Ijhaven (harbor) to get a view of the massive train station, from the modern covered platform side.



The Nederlands Scheepvaart Museum houses a replica of the Amsterdam, one of 800 ships that commanded the world’s oceans in the years following the defeat of the Spanish fleet. On today’s scale, it is hard to imagine that such a small country could have controlled the trade routes of the known world at one point in time.


(I have no idea what the XXX symbol is on the transom of the ship, but it is echoed around town as well.)


Heading back towards the dock, the cruise passes many canal barges that serve as restaurants, homes, or convenient storage.



We are never alone on the canal system and either have to give way to tourist boats or are being followed by others.



An interesting side note is that many of the canals are lined with chain guardrails or these pipe boundaries to keep cars from rolling into the canal. Still, cars manage to find themselves “in the drink”, so there is a specialized brigade of trained technicians to retrieve vehicles with a crane. Not a single tax payer cent goes to maintaining this squad, as the insurance companies fund the efforts.



With the coming of nightfall, the city springs to life. The streets become crowded and the theatres packed with patrons. (There really wasn’t a blue sky. It’s just a trick that the light from the building plays on the camera. Trust me. It was still dark gray.)



After a couple of days wandering the city, I think that one of my California friends put it best in describing Amsterdam as, “An interesting city, with great museums, if you don’t mind the filth.” In the Spring and Summer I’m sure the warmth and light help to mask the wear and castoffs of over-trafficking, but with a gray sky and damp cold as a backdrop there is little to hide the city’s inadequate refuse system.