Wandering through the Netherlands – Part 1

The real enjoyment started when our plane landed at Schipol airport. Immediately we were impressed by the size of the airport and the friendliness of the locals. We were impressed by the fact that the locals are incredibly friendly, by their knowledge of English and the fact they were prepared to help as at every step, every day. From the airport we drove into the city by train. Public transport enchanted us with its extensive network of lines, accuracy, high-speed connections and affordable tickets. We just sat down and before were able to look around the suburbs of Amsterdam, and take off our warm jackets we were already at the main railway station. Well, as we found out the same afternoon, the main station Amsterdam Centraal  is the centre of everything – buses, trains, metros, trams, as well as it is the world of mini shops, the best hamburgers, Starbucks coffee and friendly staff. Our hostel was on the other side of the channel, so we used the ferry. Crazy, right? Every day we were twice or four times on the ferry that brought us almost to the entrance of our hostel (well, we still had to walk for about two minutes). This just is not an experience you get on any journey.

 

The first day we were a little angry at the sun, which refused to peek out from behind the clouds. The weather consisted of rotation between the showers with clouds and sun and little rain again. In the next few days we realized that we actually had the best weather on our first and on our last day (oh, the irony). Showers are the least that can surprise people in the Netherlands. Heavy rain and storms are here an obvious constant. It seems that people in the Netherlands do not mind the rain at all. Cycle lanes are full of cyclists. With or without rain coats. And pavements are full of people without umbrellas. Even we quickly learned that the umbrellas are completely ineffective, because the rain and wind do their own. So we left our hostel every morning with the hoods on our heads and spend evenings drying our jackets with hairdryers. 

 

After ten minute walk from the train station to the south, we arrived at Amsterdam's most famous city square. This is the Dam Square with a large fountain in the centre and the Royal Palace and one of the most famous churches – De Nieuwe.

From there we went to the most famous and most visited destination in Amsterdam – the red quarter. Even we (either we wanted or not) ended there at least once a day. The most famous street is De Wallen, which originated in the 14th century. The saleswomen of love remained, only then sailors have been replaced by tourists. In the morning, the "windows" of high narrow buildings are mostly empty, but in the evening the street gets its power. Prostitutes lustfully address each group of boys passing by. Responses vary – while the tourists go there largely only to satisfy their curiosity, locals use their services. The price? It starts at 50 euros for a basic package for up to one hour. Prostitution in northern Venice is legal, and the working girls pay 150 EUR a day for their work environment (little room with a window).

 

House of Anne Frank was one of the reasons that I wanted to once again return to the Netherlands. When we arrived the first day to the house and saw several hundred meters long line, we turned around and left. Before that we checked at the box office, if it is less crowded during working days. The clerk kindly advised us to return the next day, when there should have been less tourists. So we returned the next day. But the line was even a little longer than the previous day. And we waited. One hour and 45 minutes. But it was worth it. We climbed up to the loft, where the family of Ana Frank hid for two years from the German occupation forces, during which time she kept the secret diary. Tired and nearly frozen, at the end we were happy that we decided to wait. The museum is great and I definitely recommend it.

 

We took the tram to the south of the city into the Vondelpark. Locals use it for afternoon walks, jogging, recreation in nature, or for a family gathering on the playground with the youngest. Too bad that the weather was so capricious. In sunny and a bit warmer days the park definitely smells of colourful spring flowers. With our phones in hands (thanks to Google Maps) we went to the big brown building with an almost imperceptible also brown letters that read Rijksmuseum. In the house of world art we admired Rembrandts (certainly) most famous painting The Night Watch and many other works from the local masters of the golden age. Connoisseurs of art history can also enjoy Vermeers painting The Milkmaid. The works of two great Dutch baroque painters attract many visitors. The Rijksmuseum is surrounded by a large lawn (which certainly hosts more young people chilling on their blankets when it is sunny and warm). In the building next door there is a Van Gogh Museum, and before it, the most well-known sign IAmsterdam. Vincent Van Gogh is undoubtedly the biggest name in the post-impressionism. The Starry Night, The Scream and Sunflowers are just a small part of the extensive opus of drawings, watercolours and oil paintings left by the artist. The museum is definitely worth a visit. And the visit of Amsterdam would certainly not feel "real", without a glass of well-chilled beer. Not just any beer, but by Heineken, which we tasted at the Heineken Experience museum. After a three-hour visit and enjoyment of the museum, we had really earned that glass of beer.

 

Even before our departure to the Netherlands I made a selection of several restaurants and bars via Instagram. And so we discovered a delightful café with sky-blue door, small room with a pleasant atmosphere, a large massive table in the centre, a counter on the other side, slightly retro interior design and the best coffee that we drank in those six days in the Netherlands. We also visited the biscuits shop that was selling Belgian white and dark chocolate in the middle of the narrow side streets on the other side of the town. Without previous research we would probably not have noticed the store. At the Rembrandt's market, we sat in one of the many surrounding bars and indulged ourselves with a heavenly good mint tea and still warm cookies. Mint tea in the Netherlands is great because you get in a cup with 2 dl hot water with soaked mint leaves. Intoxicating smell is pleasant and strong, specific taste! Such as a mint tea should be.

 

To be continued …