Kelsey's Travel Blog!
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Although it has been given a bad reputation by the more conservative nations, such as my own, Amsterdam is way more than the iconic red-light district lined with surprising beautiful “independent entrepreneurs”, as defined by the state, beckoning to the passing groups of male tourists It is more than the hazy coffee shops on the corners, and the faint smell of that illicit substance that can be recognized from miles away. It is more than the scandal of sex and drugs that it is made out to be.
It is very easy to pass judgment on the Dutch. The wildly liberal policies found in Amsterdam are nearly impossible to be understood through the eyes of such a conservative nation like the US, yet they are the results of deeply rooted Dutch history, full of both prosperity and extreme repression. In the minds of these people, never again would the Netherlands be a place that restricted the freedom of it citizens to choose the way they live their lives; regardless of which way that may be. Amsterdam is not a city that strips one of their morals, but instead is a place where freedom flourishes; freedom from the restraints of social conformity and standards.
I knew from the moment I arrived in Amsterdam that I would love this city. It is a place that values true liberal freedom, an extensive bike system, incredibly reliable public trans, healthy and locally grown good options, and cheese—lots and lots of cheese. All of my closest friends both in Colorado and in Philly know that my two vices in this world are good wine and good cheese. In Amsterdam, I was in heaven.
My sister and I arrived after the four our train ride from Hamburg and headed straight for our hostel. It was a nice hostel, with both a bar that only served Heineken, and a basement that turned into an awkward middle school dance of a disco in the evenings. Many of our social relationships were made in that bar over a pint of Heineken and were solidified with trips to the coffee shops to participate in the local customs that are more or less illegal in the states. When in Amsterdam, do as the Dutch do. Although this custom is now outlawed in many of the other states in The Netherlands for tourists, they have yet to bring this regulation to Amsterdam, but there are rumors that it soon will come.
Just as in Berlin, our first order of business when arriving into the city, aside from a pint, was the free walking tour sponsored by Sandeman’s tours. The three- hour tour took us all over the city to see everything from the National Monument in Dam Square, The Old Church that old sailors would visit to repent their sins of adultery they had just committed in the surrounding Red Light District, and the working ladies behind the full-body clear glass windows. We made our way through the canals, visiting other iconic Dutch monuments like the building of the Dutch East India Company, the first multinational corporation in the world and the first ever to issue stock, as well as the home of Anne Frank right next to the Jewish Quarter. Following the tour, we stumbled upon a cute café, had a cup of coffee and tea, and continued on with our day.
Amsterdam is a great place to meet people from all over the world, since it is one of the “must” stops when backpackers come to Europe. The first night in our hostel, we met three incredibly nice guys from Austria who, although they claim they spoke German, spoke the weirdest German I have ever heard. We wasted the night away playing Austrian drinking games, speaking in a mix of both German and English, and later continued on to another backpackers club around the corner from our hostel.
Although many backpacker friendships end as quickly as they are made since it is a constant cycle of people coming and going, our second night in Amsterdam, we fortunately met Adian and Jeremy, two upstanding, not to mention insane, blokes from Perth, Australia. These fine gentlemen became our partners in crime! After seven months of travel, they had arrived in Amsterdam with loads of inspiring travel stories through Southeast Asia, up through China and Mongolia, into Russia, over and down through the Baltic countries, in through Scandinavia, and finally, to Amsterdam. In many ways, I envy the Australians. Not just for their laid back spirit, better quality health care, and superb gun regulations that have nearly wiped out gun violence throughout the country, but for their adventuresome spirit that leads them to all corners of the world. It is integrated into their culture, and it is almost expected to participate in long-term travel, a practice that most Australians have perfected.
Adian and Jeremy were the perfect partners for our five days of madness. My favorite day with them was Jeremy’s birthday where we started out the day with a beautifully made Dutch brunch and topped that off with an even more beautifully rolled legal, government regulated and taxed joint, and proceeded to enjoy life changing Subway Sandwiches in Dam Square. It was a magical and friendship-solidifying day.
The final “must visit” attraction that my sister and I visited was the historic Heineken factory. Although it is no longer in service, it was perfectly restored with an added “cheesy tourist” feeling. Interactive games like “poor the perfect pint” and the “brew you” ride made the entire thing nauseatingly over-the-top, but with a complimentary pint at the end of the tour, we sucked it up, strapped on our invisible tourist tevvies, and made it through to the end. Regardless of the level of cliché, it was worth the 17 Euros, and we got a ton of great pictures and had a bunch of laughs.
We woke up on our final day in Amsterdam to some terrible news from back home. On the morning of July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a theater back home in Colorado. Although Aurora is about 30 minutes from my home in Superior, the violence hit incredibly close to home. When circumstances like this occur in your own country while you are away, you can’t help but want to run home and hug those who are closest to you. It also makes you look around, where ever you might be, and be thankful that you are alive and experiencing all of the beautiful places and people that the world has to offer.
In the midst of the ugliness surround the 2012 Aurora shooting, the world still remains a beautiful place, and the resilience of a community should never be understated. I am thankful for my experiences here in Europe, and my heart goes out to the Aurora community and all other places on this earth that are experiencing violence.