Europe post cards: Part 1: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I know I have promised to do separate posts on the places my sister and I went to in Europe, as well as our adventures [and misadventures]. I know it’s a little delayed, but here’s Part 1, which starts in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Amsterdam was our first stop. It was our first step on Europe soil. We went via KLM, and thus started out European adventure. We already noticed a distinct smell in the plane. No, it wasn’t mabaho, just distinct [we later on realized that the smell carried on until we were in Amsterdam]. My rhinitis caught up with me [because of the strong smell]. We had our first taste of Dutch food in the plane. I found it nice, but I later on decided I can’t live on the taste.

When we went out of the plane, into the airport, I was feeling a bit nervous, like I was when I defended my thesis. It was something new. Everything was new. Wherever I looked, it was either blonde or red hair, 6-feet, lanky. No moreno people, no small people…not at least Asian-looking people. And among my first thoughts was: God! It was cold…super duper cold! I don’t think my jackets would be of much use here!

Schipol Airport in Amsterdam (a very big airport!)

We took so long in the airport, looking around and taking pictures [my sister and I are both picture addicts] that we got lost. By the time we got to the luggage belt, our luggage was already on the floor, off the belt. Ha! Ha! My mother told me this was a sign that we really took that long. We looked around and observed what Europe was like.

We had no idea how to get to the center, though we knew it would be by train. A woman told us to buy tickets from the machine [most stations in Europe use automated machines to sell train tickets], and we did not know how! We must have looked funny there, like lost kittens. But there was this man who helped us, the first of the many nice people we met in Europe. Not only did he teach us, he used his card so we would have to pay smaller. A regular ticket costs €6, but because he used his card, we had to pay only €2.30, less 50%! Thank God we met this man. [Although we’ve been warned not to, we couldn’t help converting prices from euro to peso as we saw them. Kaya naman everything was expensive for us! I mean €6 for a 15-minute train ride? That’s 420 pesos already! Nakarating ka na ng Baguio nun ha!] Anyway, the man accompanied us to the train, up to the Central Station. I honestly though he wanted to bring us to the hotel, ha! But we still wanted to go around the Central Station, so we thanked him and parted ways.

 The ticket machine we tried so hard to decipher!

When we got out of Central Station, everything was WOW! The buildings, the people, the sights, the trams! We were like newborns seeing things for the first time. Imagine our amazement at everything. We decided to walk to the hotel because according to our directions, it was just walking distance away…walking distance was right. But because we had a hard time deciphering the streets on the map and on the real thing, what was supposed to be a 15-minute walk became 1 ½ hours. Imagine us, two women, walking around and dragging our luggages on the cobbled streets of Amsterdam! Gosh! Good thing my sister and I were such in high spirits because of everything we saw, because if not, we might have slashed each other’s throats in frustration!

Anyway, those were the major bumps in our Amsterdam leg. Afterward, when we were able to learn to read the map and decipher the transportation system, everything was a breeze. And when I say everything, everything! No glitches anymore. Yahoo! We can finally enjoy Amsterdam.

We bought the Iamsterdam card for free entrance to some of the most famous museums, ride-all -you-can transpo, and for the canal cruise. It cost us €33 for the 24-hour Iamsterdam card. We went only to the Rijks Museum and Van Gogh Museum (pero dito pa lang bawi na kami). We also went to the Ann Frank House, flower market, and Diamond Museum and took the canal cruise. Everything was wonderful.

 Counterclockwise: Van Gogh Museum (very modern), Rijks Museum (very contemporary), Diamond Museum (where we met our first kababayan), and Ann Frank House

The flowers in Amsterdam are simply beautiful. Their colors are so vivid, so striking! When it’s red, it’s really red. When it’s orange, it’s orange. Everything looked so fresh, so beautiful. I love flowers, and I certainly enjoyed walking through the flower market. My eyes kept bulging out because of the beautiful flowers displayed. I wanted to take home some bulbs but I know they would not grow in the Philippines.

 Very colorful flowers!

 The Netherlands is known for tulips…beautiful!!!

Because it was the first place we went to, my sister and I were amazed by the transportation system, especially the tram system. It was like an on-ground MRT. Galing! When we missed our stop, we simply had to get down, cross the street, and get on the tram going to the opposite direction. And there we were on our destination! Amazing!

Another beautiful thing that caught my attention was that there were bicycles everywhere! And it didn’t matter if you were going to the market, or wearing a business attire, or carrying grocery…bicycles were a normal means of transportation. Our guardian angel at the train station told us that there were 1.5 bicycles per 1 person in Amsterdam. Meaning there are more bicycles than there are people! Grabe ano? My sister commented that it’s no cause for panic when your bike gets stolen, just pick up another bike as if it were yours and just go on like nothing happened! He! He! The bicycle system works here because Amsterdam is a flat place, and cycling is easy. No sweat [literally and figuratively]! Gosh! I secretly hoped it was like that in the Philippines [tram, bikes, and everything!].

 Bycicles were a normal thing here…

  People use bikes to run errands, to go to work, or to just go around…

Imagine, they even had a parking lot for bicycles…and it’s full!

Of course, Amsterdam is known for its legal prostitution…and lo and behold, everything was there! There were stores selling sex toys, edible underwear, and what have you. And of course, along the Red Light District, there were “live” shows and windows where women sell their “wares”. We saw women displayed in these windows: all colors, all shapes, all ages! All men had to do was choose! [I sort of felt pity when I saw these women. I know that no woman deserves this kind of job, whether she has a choice or not.] Men of all colors, all sizes, and all ages [yes, even and especially those needing incontinence supplies] walk around to choose. At around 8 p.m. women start “displaying” themselves. Red Light District during the day is dead; but at night, it is very, very alive!

 Ha! A porno supermarket…imagine having a cart and going around this one!

People have no more qualms about these kind of things.

 Stuff like these are sold…even displayed!

Now, I think we all know what lies behind these windows every night…

But would Amsterdam be without its canals? When you look at the Amsterdam map, it was like looking at a big canal with buildings built around it [kung baga parang canal na tinubuan ng mga buildings!]. And take note, the canals here do not have the stinky smell and garbage that the “canals” in the Philippines have. Some people even own a houseboat here and live in it. That’s how clean their canals are.

We enjoyed going around Amsterdam [perhaps, we thought, because it was our first stop]. We learned so muc, especially from the museums we visited. Though I’m not an art lover, I was able to appreciate the arts in these museums. I got my Arts fix here [but I was still looking forward to The Louvre and the Vatican Museum].  I also enjoyed walking around, which I rarely do in the Philippines. The sights and sounds of Amsterdam were such a wonder for us. My sister and I thought that if Europe was all like this, we would very much enjoy our trip. We anticipated and were very excited for the rest of our trip!

 Our first “taste” of pigeons!

 Dam Square: the “heart” of Amsterdam

Amsterdam was a beautiful place. The 1 1/2 days we spent there was worth it!

To sum up our Amsterdam trip, it was a great introduction to what would be a very memorable trip.

Next stop: Brussels!

Related posts:

Europe post cards

My love affair with Europe