12 posts tagged “amsterdam”
Queen's Day or "Koninginnedag" is a national holiday in the Netherlands celebrated on April 30th in honour of the monarchy. It's basically the equivalent of Canada Day. Although today is the official holiday, the party seems to have started on Saturday. It many ways it was what I expected and in others it was not. For instance, there was a sea of orange clad people today, but most of the obnoxiously orange ones were tourists. As far as I can tell, the tradition in Amsterdam goes like this: 1. Start drinking on Saturday in preparation of the festivities (though that night I was saying goodbye to some fellow Canadians). 2. While things are being set up on Sunday wander the streets and the fair set up in Dam square, making sure to eat a sugary pastry. 3. Either buy an overpriced ticket to a private bar party for Sunday night, or buy some wine and carry your backpack around all night. 4. Stay up until the vendors begin setting up shop. 5. If you have something worth selling, April 30th is the day to do it, when anyone can set up anywhere and sell anything (a concept I like very much). 6. Visit the major squares for live music and activities all day, or just as easily spend hours trying to navigate through the hords with your bicycle. 7. Go home and sleep for two days.
It was fun to see and experience. But, after not so much time in an overly aggressive crowd, I tend to get irritable.
Especially if someone tries to pull me off my bike. Or say, throws a
beer can at my head. But overall, the weekend was fun in a crazy
celebratory kind of way. I wish I had pictures to show you. Most of the time I was trying to protect my camera from the free
flying beer, but the pics I did take will have to wait because my MAc has decided to be adolescent and moody. Happy Koninginnedag!
ps. I'm going to Paris tomorrow to meet MOM and John. EEE!
Last weekend I went to Turkey. And then Finland. And then to a park BBQ and a beach party. OK, so I didn't officially leave the country, but I did partake in some "cultural activities" which are common occurrences when you live with 50 people from all over the world. There are a lot of Turkish students here and they happen to be some of my favorite people. A few of them invited me to a dinner on Friday night. They made 'Manti', a typical Turkish dumpling dish and some dessert that was soaked in sugar (and therefore very good). We drank wine and laughed and discussed the world.
On Saturday (after the big flower trip) I went to another party. This one was hosted by two of the cutest Finnish girls you will ever meet. They're both kindergarten teachers! More wine, laughter and world discussion was had. We even listened to every kind of Finnish music you can imagine! Finnish hip-hop, Finnish rock, Finnish heavy metal. Who knew? I also decided that I need to go to Mexico someday soon. It's very difficult to argue with a guy named Diego.
Sunday was BEAutiful. A bunch of us went to the nearby park with a portable BBQ, some blankets and a frisbee. I surprised myself by being able to throw and catch it like I had just played yesterday. We later played some strange monkey in the middle game which we quickly realized was cruelly unfair. We ate meat on white bread with French mustard and garlic mayo and listened to Dutch radio as we sat in the sun.
Later we packed up our stuff and began an adventure to find a beach party. It can only be described as insane. It began by taking the tram to a bus stop, then waiting half an hour for a bus that took us to Haarlem, where we got on another bus that took us to a beach town that was supposedly a 20 minute walk to the beach we were trying to get to. What seemed like two days later, we finally arrived to a club on the beach that was full and charging 10 euros to get in. So we sat on the beach instead. A few hours later we decided to begin the journey home. The journey that would require a bus back down the beach, a train to Amsterdam central, the last metro of the night that we missed by about 10 seconds, the last tram of the night that we just made it on. When I got home it was only 12:30am but I could have sworn it was 7am. I slept very well that night.
Dozens of people told me I'd have the time of my life. I would have more fun on exchange than I'd ever had before. I would meet incredible people and do incredible things and be very sad to leave at the end of it all. For a while I wasn't so sure about this. It rained a lot and the city was confusing. People were nice, but I couldn't seem to get past the pleasantries. I spent more time looking for distractions than having real fun. But then I made a decision. I decided that I had to stop highlighting the negatives and take advantage of this. I had to get out of my room more often and explore. I had to say yes to every opportunity that presented itself. It has been one of my better choices.
I have a hard time expressing how happy I am with my current situation. Few people have a chance to live like I am living right now. I have relatively few responsibilities aside from school. I have the time and the freedom to do the things that are important to me (i.e. paint, run, read) without feeling like I'm wasting time. Because it's only 6 months I feel able to justify my lifestyle as a once in a lifetime experience. I certainly couldn't do it forever, if only because at some point I will want to feel more productive. But for now, I can't think of anything more productive than finding peace in my life.
The past few weeks have been very good, sublime even. Or as Patrick mistakenly described them last night "subliminal". That kid cracks me up. Since we returned from our trip it seems to have a been a non-stop party. I will now attempt to tell the story through pictures...
It all started on Friday when Patrick and I were eating lunch outside and we lost our minds. He did my hair, twice, and we admired his talent. He thought he might like to have long hair too, so we tested out the possibility. After the laughter had subsided, we decided to make dinner for some good polish and german girls we know. Something involving chicken, potatoes, yogurt, basil and feta cheese was thrown together. Wine was consumed and Ella provided the background music.
I love my life. It's charmed.
These are the things that made me happy today:
AND...
May you all find such pleasure. Kisses from Amsterdam!
I spent yesterday browsing through two of Amsterdam's most famous outdoor markets. I've been meaning to do this for a while, so I was looking forward to seeing (and possibly buying) a lot of cheap stuff. Outdoor markets seem to be a big deal here and there are different choices depending on what you're looking for.
The first one we went to (Albert Cuyp) is a great place to get cheap food. I bought 16 kiwis and four oranges for 1.50 euros. Insane! There is also a lot of cheap meat, cheese, fruits, veggies, flowers and fries. Speaking of which, "belgian" frites are very popular here. Everyone eats them with mayonnaise though, which I find kind of off putting. You can always find a snack bar open selling frites. The other thing they sell at snack bars is meat. You can't really be sure what kind of meat it is, but pick one sausage type looking thing and they will throw it in some oil and sell it to you for 2 euros.
The other market we went to was Waterlooplein (there are many "pleins" to keep straight). This market is better for clothes (vintage and second hand mostly), shoes, and knick knacks. I didn't buy anything at this market, but I considered buying some shoes (which I've been looking for). It turned out my wallet wasn't interested in paying 69 euros once my brain converted that to Cdn. dollars. But I will definitely return to browse again in the near future, since this is my kind of place.
I lied. I did buy something at Waterlooplein. As we were heading towards the metro station I saw a booth that was selling bicycles. I made a spontaneous decision to ask how much the cheapest one cost. It turns out it was well within my self imposed price range, so... I bought a bike!!! Yay! It's a beautiful sky blue with orange writing and zebra print handle bars (pictures will come soon). Now I feel like a true Amsterdam resident. I even took my bike home on the metro, because THAT is allowed here.
All in all it was a good day. There was quite a bit of rain, but I did see some blue sky for a few fleeting minutes. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday and (as usual) I have pictures to prove it.
I think meeting people from different places and backgrounds than your own is an essential part of figuring out how you fit into the world. It's one of the reasons an international exchange appeals to me. It's also one of the reasons I like to travel. I have been lucky enough to meet people from all over the world. Some have been assholes. But mostly, people (especially travelers) like to meet each other and share their differences while learning about how things work in other parts of the world.
In the last week I've answered many questions about "how they do it in Canada." I'm starting to feel like an expert. How cold is it in Canada? How much do you pay for university? Why don't you have an accent? It's been fun to represent a whole country. Well, Patrick represents the "French Canadians", but I get everything else!
The only time it's been annoying is when people ask me where I'm from and I say "Ottawa". They kind of get this glazed look on their face and nod politely. I continue with "the capital of Canada"... still with the nodding and a pained look like they are trying to place the name. Yesterday I found out why. A girl at a pub asked where I was from and after I answered, she said "You mean OttAwa." I said, "Yes, Ottawa." But she insisted that it's called "OttAwa". She tried to correct me on the pronuniciation of the city I live in. Apparently many Europeans do know that Ottawa is Canada's capital. They just say it differently. And by differently, I mean in the way which is wrong.
Trust me new friends, I'm an expert Canadian.
I tried to post some photos with commentary, but I had a lot of trouble getting them to appear in the post as I wanted them to. So, instead I will direct you to "my photos" where you can look through the new uploads. I will add my commentary to each individual photo. Start at the "Mint Tea" picture and work your way back. Sorry for the inconvenience folks! I hope next time I'll get it working.
:)
The center of Amsterdam is how I think most people imagine it. The cobblestone and leaning houses have that romantic charm that comes from being old (or "rustic"). Every building has huge glass windows and shutters looking in on bohemian lofts that anyone would dream of living in. When you're walking down the street by the canals its easy to slip into a daydream that the big blue house on the corner is yours. That you just slipped out to stock up on wine, brie, and fruit for your dinner party later that evening.
The bicycles are lined up (and locked up) anywhere that provides a place to secure them. There are people riding them everywhere, and they all sit up perfectly straight. It must be a European thing. There are no rules or official laws for bicycling in the city, so the cyclists do as they please while trying to avoid pedestrains and cars. In certain areas the traffic can get a bit confusing, but there are often specific "roads" or lanes for bicycles. If it is your prefered way to move about, this city is built for you.
There are all sorts of people in the centre. Business men, fashionable women, children, old women, university students, protitutes, dealers, bike stealers (note: those were not listed in order of quantity or quality). People here seem a little more laid back than other Europens (not that I have a lot to go on). They have style, but it seems that less effort is put into it. They are going places, but they are not rushing like maniacs. There is laughter and conversation even though it's a dull rainy day.
There is so much more to the city and I will make a point of describing other parts of it in the future (especially the red light district and my ghetto suburb), but these are the things that first caught my attention. It's really a lovely place, so you should all come visit me and see it for yourself!
Although the climate here is warmer, when it is cold it stays inside you for hours. I've had my heat cranked up and hoodies on for the last few days. But there is something about this city that exudes warmth. I've really settled into my room and am starting to feel at home. My next step is to take every opportunity I can to explore the city and meet new people.
Today was the first day I really felt like I was here.
This is probably because I ventured to the city center on my own to meet up with a new friend and find myself a bike. We searched valiently for many hours, weaving through streets, pedestrian streets and bicycle streets. Amsterdam has all three! For a city that contains almost as many bicycles as it does residents, one would think there would be bike shops everywhere. There aren't. We did find some bicycles, but they were either expensive or stolen... neither of which I can afford. I will ask around the university for some tips on finding the right one for me. In the meantime, I bought TWO locks at an outdoor market, so I'm prepared for the theives who want to steal the bike I don't have.
Yesterday I took some pictures of my room and surrounding living area. It isn't much, but I have everything I need. And I've recently added some touches of my own. Welcome to my new home!
