Amster- Amster- Shh Shh Shh

Hallo daar vanuit Amsterdam (Hello there from Amsterdam). I have officially made it to the Netherlands. I'm currently sitting in a pancake (crêpe) shop in an old canal house. It's lunchtime and I'm waiting on a ham, cheese, and onion pancake. So let me tell you about my time in Holland (a.k.a. the Netherlands).

I couldn't get back to sleep after 5:30am, so I watched the sun rise over a horizon of wind turbines (the modern equivalent of Dutch windmills, I suppose.) Our boat docked in Ijmuiden, about 30 minutes from Amsterdam. The port itself was industrial to the max; a massive barge was being filled with sand next to us. The biggest industries in the Netherlands are agriculture, energy, and tourism. All three of these seemed to converge at this port, where wind turbines and energy plants graced the horizon, and tourists were handed maps of local farms.

The port area itself had nothing to offer in terms of sightseeing or exploring, so we hailed a cab for Amsterdam as a last resort (confession session: we didn't plan ahead for today either). I wouldn't recommend a cab in Amsterdam if you can avoid it. Dutch taxi drivers are notorously sketchy and the cab fare is steep. There are plenty of articles online that inform tourists how to avoid being scammed, but bus fare is very reasonable. Either way, we made it to the "Venice of the North." Just when I thought foreign cities were starting to look the same, I encountered a very unique territory. In this case, the mix of the architecture, culture, and landscape of Amsterdam was entirely unique to me. The buildings in Amsterdam are both modern and gothic and surrounded by canals. The primary forms of transportation are canal boats and bicycles, and I have never seen so many bicycles in my life. According to AmsterdamFAQ.com, the city is home to 847,000 bikes with 78% of residents over 12-years-old owning bikes. Cyclists dominate the streets and bike parking takes place in virtually any location one can click a lock. I'll admit, the sound of a bicycle bell has become something of a terror trigger for me.

In the city, we opted for a hop on hop off canal boat, which I would not recommend. There are lots of cheaper canal tours that are way less touristy and much more comfortable looking. We took a local lunch recommendation that landed us at the Pancake Bakery restaurant in which I began writing this post. After being served and starting to eat, however, Lily didn't feel well; so I stepped outside with her. Most likely due to dehydration and low blood sugar, she passed out. Stay with me because this story gets even more interesting. As she woke up and I forced her to drink water, she saw a girl across the street staring at her. She sluggishly informed me that the girl was a TV star from an Emmy winning show that she loves. As Lily recuperated (she's totally fine now, by the way), Roman chased down the actress, Annie Murphy, for a picture. After we got a move on, we ran into her again and she asked Lily what happened and if Lily was okay. Then they took pictures and I found a dog to pet. So all was well.

We walked back through the city to get to our cab driver and experienced a whole lot of culture on our way. Amsterdam is decidedly one of the most culturally-different areas than any in the U.S. that I have experienced. For starters, virtually everything that can be trafficked in America is legal and socially acceptable in Amsterdam. The Red Light district constitutes a thriving industry that is government regulated and taxed. The amount of second hand tabacco and marijuana smoke in the air was extremely taxing to my lungs. I don't know if I just have a low tolerance or if everyone else is just acclimated, but I have a new appreciation for smoke-free air.

Overall, I would say the city architecture and design is very interesting and picturesque, the food is very good but slightly expensive, the people are extremely friendly and helpful, the pedestrian life is tough if you're not on a bike, and the social atmosphere is very different than that of the U.S. That's it for now! From: The Expeditioner