Back from Amsterdam

Wheew!  So I made it back from Amsterdam in one piece.  Let me tell you, it was great!  I love going to see new places as a total tourist.  I met quite a lot of nice people on the tour (there were 2 buses of 50!) and spent my time walking around Amsterdam and hanging out with them.  The only real “let down” was the weather, which pretty much rained the entire time (I really need to get a rain coat I think).  Considering we were just there for the long weekend, we saw quite a bit so I’ll try to say as much as I can in this short space.

The trip started when I woke up at the ungodly hour of 4am in order to meet up with the coach in Central London by 6 – why do all tours have to start so early?!  We traveled by coach to Dover where we boarded the ferry to Calis and then drove the rest of the way to Amsterdam (in all, about 11h).  It was a nice day for traveling though very windy on the Channel (nearly lost my hat a few times on deck).

Some of the highlights of the trip included:
- A night boat ride on the Amstel river with the group in a covered boat.  We learned that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice (a whooping 88) and most of the land is at or below sea level.  Motifs consisting of three "X"s were everywhere... these represented the three things the old city feared most: fire, plague and flooding.  The buildings and bridges were beautifully lit up but many of my pictures came out poorly due to the condensation, darkness and rain.  So I eventually abandoned my camera and hit the open bar with the rest of the group ;).

- A bike ride through a little town, Edum, about 40 min from Amsterdam.  Its been so long since I rode a bike that this was one of my favourite parts.  Of course, the bikes over there are different – instead of the mountain bikes I’m used to, they use “granny bikes”.  You need to sit straight in your seat and, instead of the breaks being on the handlebars, you need to pedal backwards to stop.   Afterwards, we visited a cheese and clog shop where they showed us how they were made.  I’m now glad of the wall-to-wall carpeting in my house cause I actually bought a pair of clogs lol.  They’re my new slippers!

- A visit to the Keukenhof Gardens.  As you may or may not know, Amsterdam is the tulip capital of the world.  Every year, tulips are shipped there from all over to a central exchange where they are purchased in the millions.  So the city has some exquisite samples of the flower and these gardens show it.  I never thought about how many different varieties of the flower there could be.  These gardens have been the site of many royal visits and important visits.  My new friends and I had a ball going around viewing the flowers and art and generally acting like silly tourists .  Its so liberating at times to kick off your shoes (and inhibitions) and just have a good time (responsibly).

-  A tour of a couple of the museums:  the Anne Frank museum (very sobering), Heineken brewery (great experience) and Sex Museum (just funny).  These were each very fun in their own way, but this blog is already running extremely long and I’m sure you all know what a museum is so I won’t say much.   Jsut that the brewery provided a beer tasting at the end and there was a very stark quality to the Anne Frank museum (the furniture had been removed when the Nazi’s raided and was never replaced per Anne’s father’s wishes) that really brought the message home.  The one museum I didn’t see which I wanted to was the Van Gogh...

- A live sex show in the red light district (hilarious!!).  What trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a trip to the famous red light district.  The show we saw was exactly what it sounds like, but very “tongue in cheek”.  Several members of the tour were even pulled on stage to participate (mostly dancing).  Before the show we wandered around the district a bit and its true about the ladies in the doorway – these “ladies of the night” are standing in front of a glass door with a red curtain leading to a small room.  When they’re open for business, the curtain is open, the red light above (where the district gets its name) is on and they are standing in their lingerie.  At that time, customers can approach and negotiate (they reserve the right to refuse anyone on any grounds or whim).  There are large “bouncer type” men standing around on the corners ready to respond to any alarm and to prevent people from taking photos.

Well those were the main events of the tour.  My free time generally consisted of food like pancakes from the best pancake house in the city (I got a Thai ... curried chicken with salad in a crepe), chips and mayo (a classic favorite) and a cheese burger from a vending machine (it was actually quite good... better than McDonald's); sleeping; and bars.  Don't worry though... I behaved myself - didn't get too drunk or visit any Coffee Shops.  So it was a great trip (though Europe is quite expensive and I spent a little more than I planned... oops lol) and I will definitely be using Contiki again.

Pictures of the trip have been uploaded to the web album for anyone who wishes a look.