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Amsterdam

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After dinner, and a chance to clean up and change, we headed out for our first Contiki "Optional Excursion," a night time tour of the canals. I had decided to pay for this, and I had also decided to enjoy it! It seemed like a good chance to get to chat with some of the others on the tour, and I thought it would be a nice way to see the city.

But before we could even make it into the city, there was an accident! Beaker, our bus driver, tried to make a tight turn underneath a bridge. Unfortunately, the bus was somewhat taller than he remembered, and we got stuck! Everything worked out all right, though, and we were able to trade buses the next morning with a group that was finishing their tour. And, fortunately, this was the only time Beaker made a mistake when he was driving!

I enjoyed the tour, and learned a few things, some of which I promptly forgot, and others of which are firmly embedded in my memory. The guide on the tour boat taught us how to say "Hey, baby," or its equivalent, in Dutch. I forgot this by the end of the next day. However, I still know that Australian backpackers apparently have a national cheer. It goes something like "Aussie Aussie Aussie." There was a group on my tour that did this cheer quite often, particularly that first night!

After the cruise, we headed back to the hotel. I went to bed pretty quickly. I'd gotten up at 5:30 that morning, and I hadn't slept on the bus, so I was exhausted. I put on my headphones, wrote a bit in my journal, and then went to sleep.

The next morning, we were up bright and early. We had breakfast in the hotel dining room--a real breakfast, which would become rare on the tour--and then headed out for our first "real" day with the tour. The first excursion was a bicycle ride in the country, along the canals. Ironically enough, the company was called "Bike-a-Dike." I was greatly amused. Here's a picture of me, next to the sign. (Unfortunately, the person taking the picture didn't realize that I wanted to get the sign in forcus!)

I hopped on the bike, and made it about ten feet before I realized two things. 1, that it's hard to ride a bicycle with coaster brakes if you're accustomed to hand brakes. 2, that my handlebars were misaligned, and would send me around in circles. I chuckled to myself, thinking, "I can't even bike straight!" Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone on the tour group with me who would get that joke.

We had a lovely bike ride through the Dutch countryside, even as I swerved from side to side getting used to the crick in my handlebars. Bicycling is a great way to see the Dutch countryside, and I hope to be able to return. My plans involve renting a bike and taking a picnic, so that I can take more time. Oh, yeah, and also getting a bike with hand brakes, so that I don't endanger my life trying to ride the silly thing!

After the bicycle ride, we hopped back onto the bus to visit the "Cheese Village." I have to admit, this was a disappointing stop. There was hardly any cheese, and they certainly hadn't made a village out of it! This was not the famed "Cheese Market," I discovered, but rather, one of those pitfalls of being with a tour group--the chance to buy things. But who was going to buy cheese to take home on the second day of an eighteen day tour?! I watched the cheese making demonstration, and then went to wait outside while other members of the group shopped (I hoped for clogs and postcards, and not for cheese!).

Finally, we made our way into Amsterdam. We were on our own, and I decided that I would rather spend the six hours I had just wandering the city, rather than visiting museums in a frenzy. I had decided to skip the optional Indonesian dinner, because it seemed expensive, and I wanted to have some time to myself, so I was on my own until the "Dutch Cultural Experience" later that evening.

Aaron had warned us that bicycles had the right of way, and that traffic would be hectic. I was careful to be aware, but it seemed no more dangerous than Philadelphia. Actually, since the cars and bikes respected traffic signals, I felt much safer. One of the first things I noticed was that there were a lot of bicycles. It seemed like everywhere I went, there were some bikes. I wandered the streets comfortably, just checking out the feel of the city.

Being who I am, I couldn't restrain myself from visiting a bookstore. I bought a book to read later on in the tour (having realized that only one novel was in no way going to last me through more than ten days on a tour bus!). I also got a copy of "New, Improved, Dykes to Watch Out For!" in German. I thought that would be a great souvenir from Amsterdam, and add an international flair to my Dykes to Watch Out For collection.

I continued to wander, and snacked on ice cream and pretzels as I walked. I made my way down to the train station, got a "dagkart," or day pass for the transit system. Then I gave myself an informal daylight tour of Amsterdam. I would hop onto a trolley, ride until I saw an interesting street, and then hop off to wander.

One of the things I came to enjoy about Europe in general, and Amsterdam in particular, was people's willingness to give their seats to people who needed them more. Walking with a cane at home, I've calculated, makes me about 10% more likely to get a seat. In Europe, I only had to stand on a train or bus twice in three weeks. In Amsterdam, there were signs painted on the windows (see above) that said something like, "Would you like to sit? I can stand."

In my wanderings, I found another branch of easyeverything, and checked my email and wrote to the people back home. I had gotten a bit over an hour for 2 guilders (about a dollar), so I had plenty of time. I posted a description of the day before, and the day so far, and then checked my email. I also paid about twenty-five cents to use the bathroom, which had a strange blue light inside.

journal entry
People watching. Seeing all the ways people are carried on bikes--behind, in front, on seats, etc. And all the different people on bikes. There is so much to observe in watching people. Small girl trying to coax pigeons to roost on her arms, people walking & eating, walking & talking on cell phones. People taking pictures. Tourists with maps and cameras, tourist with pot, tourists with heavy luggage. As the evening cools, it seems like more Dutch people are out, somewhat fewer tourists. More family groups, couples, people who look like they're heading home.

I watched a street perfomer, painted in silvery green body paint, and with some kind of body armor. She would hold a pose for several minutes, and then move again. I also enjoyed watching people's reactions to her, as they realized that she wasn't a statue.

Then I went for dinner. As I wandered, I found a restaurant that looked good, offering an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet. I took a table near the front, and then watched as the owners went to accost people walking by in the street. I couldn't understand everything they said, but it mostly sounded like "Come in, it's good." When people stopped to glance at the menu, but walked out, the owners would follow them down the street. Enjoyable entertainment to go with my dinner.

The day closed with the tour's optional outing to the "Dutch Cultural Evening." By this, they meant a visit to a club in the red light district. I went along, mostly because I suspected it would be the kind of thing the tour would continue to talk about for the rest of the trip. I'm sure there were classier venues, and I'm even more convinced that there is more arousing pornographic theater, but it was an amusing evening. First, waiting in line, we noticed that the tour group ahead of us consisted of Americans in their seventies. I smiled to think of what my grandparents would think of an activity like this! The show was pretty much done as comedy--acts to the Batman theme song, and ones that got participation from the audience.

Then we went back to the hotel. Most of us stayed in the lobby, drinking sodas and chatting. And that was it for Amsterdam.

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Travel Links� �Day One� �London on My Own
London to Amsterdam� �Amsterdam Photos �The Rhine Valley