It’s probably human to visit a foreign place and think about whether you could live there, or perhaps that is just a side effect of our lifestyle. Whenever I go somewhere, I wonder what life would be like. Would I shop at this market, frequent this coffee shop, how would I get to work each day? And while I can always picture myself living somewhere, I never found a place where I was like, “This place could rival California as ‘home.'”
Until now.
We were only in Amsterdam for three full days, but I feel fairly comfortable saying I could live in the Netherlands. First of all, the Dutch are known for producing some of the best show jumping horses in the world, so I feel affinity to any culture that loves horses so much. I didn’t actually get to see any horses or horse events while we were there so clearly this must be remedied. Perhaps one day I will be wealthy enough to afford a proper horse shopping trip in the Dutch countryside. But the sentiment still stands, horse loving people = ok by me.
What I loved about Amsterdam was how clearly Amsterdamers embraced their city, particularly when the sun is out and the weather is mild…which admittedly, might be a somewhat rare occurrence. All day and into the late evenings, people were out on their stoops, drinking wine, snacking, or chatting. One family had a fancy finished wooden slab about 5 feet long and 1 foot wide that they could bring outside and fit perfectly over two posts near the sidewalk, so they had a small table for their drinks. Others dragged their furniture– easy chairs, poufs, and foldable tables– out onto their stoops to watch the scene on the streets and canals. Basically, it was the chillest big city ever– at least the area between the canal rings.
It was also clear that while the canals may seem super touristy, huge numbers of Dutch people own or rent boats, with no other end than to cruise around the canals, people watch, enjoy each other’s company, and enjoy a drink and meal. Other than our food tour cruise, we didn’t take this approach, but if we are ever back in Amsterdam we would definitely consider renting a boat for a few hours, assuming they let “regulars” do it. The best part was just sitting by the canal and people-watching as the boats went by. Our last night, we went out for drinks and dinner at a pub with canal-side tables. A large group on a boat was just finishing up their dinner and handing loads of plates back to the waiter. Then, a family in a boat pulled up alongside, ran in to use the bathroom, then asked for menus and ordered dinner, to enjoy al fresco, in their boat. Man, these Dutch know how to live.
Apparently back in the 19th century the Dutch used to partake in a game called “eel pulling” in which an eel in hung from a rope suspended across the canal and men try to pull the eel off the rope in order to win. The game was outlawed and when police attempted to break up a match it led to the Eel Riot of 1886. It’s a thing, people died, google it.
We never would have guess what this green oval-ish box was– I’m not sure we would have even noticed it– but it’s a canal-side public urinal, complete with two slots! If I were a man, I’m not sure I could bring myself to use it– it’s weird to me that any passerby could see your feet and also kind of your face.
Public art to explain why there are bubbles in the canal. This was taken near the “Brewers’ Canal” which apparently was 5% alcohol back in the day.
The canal houses with shutters were warehouses or places of industry back in the day. Without shutters, they were just regular houses…
Lots of the houses had started to develop a bit of a gangsta lean due to Amsterdam being built on land that should be water. I can only imagine how much it costs to stabilize your house once you realize you’re starting to sink a bit. They don’t straighten them out, just reinforce the foundations to make sure it’s structurally sound and then level off the floors.
Every canal house has a hook because the staircases are so narrow, the only way to get large furniture inside is to send it in through the (fortunately large) windows. We did not get a chance to see the system in action; even with the large windows I am sure it is a spectacle to watch them try to get a couch or mattress into these houses.
Everyone told us we just had to go to the Anne Frank House, but we did not. The tickets sell out quite quickly, it is a tiny space, and below is a shot of just a small part of the line. I realize not going makes us slightly bad humans, but in the past two years we have been to both Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau, so we have done our duty to see the history.
One of the things we did not do in Amsterdam was go to the Red Light District when it was at maximum seediness. We definitely smelled our fair share of pot smoke coming out of coffeeshops (which are everywhere in Amsterdam), and we saw one or two prostitutes in the windows in broad daylight…but in early June this is what 11 pm looked like, so I don’t think we even managed to stay awake for it to get entirely dark, let alone be out wandering around.
Back in the days when people were illiterate, you had to put a little graphic on your storefront so your clients could find you. We came across an alley where a bunch of them had been moved and preserved on a single wall. This one was one of my favorites, because how many bell makers do you see these days?
I don’t remember exactly which building this is but I think it’s City Hall. I only took photos of it because there are two UNICORNS in this tympanum. Plus a guy with a trident.
Amsterdam’s flag is an awesomely simple “XXX” (origin unknown) on black background with red stripes. It popped up in unexpected places around town. We were hoping to find a fridge magnet that embraced the flag, but we couldn’t find one so we ended up with one that has canal houses on it.
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