Saturday morning we boarded the train bound for Amsterdam! During our short layover in Cologne, Germany we left the terminal to soak up the sun on the plaza. So far that is all that we have seen of Cologne but we may be headed there later this summer. We arrived at the Amsterdam Centraal Station around 4 pm and we were very confused. This was my first experience in a European Train Station outside of Germany. Nothing made sense and it ended up taking us over an hour to figure out which train we had to take 20 minutes north to the Koog Zaandijk stop. Our first experience in the station was stressful and the customer service desk for the regional trains charges you 50 Euro cents per transaction if they help you. We ended up paying for help. I now have a strong appreciation for the orderliness and efficiency of the German rail system.
Upon successfully exiting the train at our stop, we were overwhelmed by the smell of cocoa. There is a cocoa processing factory directly opposite the train station in Zaandijk. The smell was delicious and very strong but disappeared as soon as we walked a few blocks north. The owners of the B&B where we stayed said that sometimes the smell is a putrid waxy smell but it rarely makes it into the neighborhood. Something out the wind in this area has a great effect on the aromas. We walked down brick roads through apartment complexes to single family homes on the Zaan. I had reserved a room at a Bed and Breakfast in town for both nights and made the arrangement via email.
We arrived at the
B&B Zit aan de Zaan just when we were expected at 6 pm and the large green door in the alley was answered by a 10 year old boy. While it turns out that we had rented a large room in a family's home. The couple that owns the narrow and long house on the river were wonderful and had just finished having a casual boat race with friends in a huge 10 man boat when we arrived. They welcomed us into their home with a beer and gave us a tour of the lower level and patio. Their house used to be a restaurant and they had it converted to a living area years ago. The room we stayed in was at the front of the house and had a private shower and sink from the bedroom and the bathroom toilet was accessible just down the hallway. It was a wonderful first B&B experience for Ryan and I and I know the couple would have enjoyed sitting and chatting with us if we had more time in the area. But I had an itinerary...
After settling in, we headed back to the train station to head to the city for dinner and the busy Red Light District. We walked through the
Niewmarkt and took in the sights and sounds of Amerstdam. Here are a few things I noticed:
- The Dutch are TALL!
- Amsterdam is a huge tourist city. There are people everywhere.
- The language is similar to German and almost every word has a J in it.
- Everyone speaks English and many Dutch speak English, German, and Dutch.
- There is still some hostility among the locals towards Germany.
- The streets smell like pot. There is literally a street of "Coffee Shops" and it reeks of marijuana.
- Amsterdam is extremely bike friendly and there are bike lanes and highways. Bicyclists actually have the right of way over pedestrians and if you stand in their way you will get hit. Nobody wears a helmet and I was shocked to see people piled on bikes, riding while texting, smoking, drinking, and eating.
- The canals and bridges are awesome!
- Some of the buildings that are tall, narrow, and packed very close together lean. They either lean forwards or to the side and it is quite obvious that the floor is not level.
- There were too many bachelor and bachelorette parties to count. Amsterdam seems to be a popular party destination for young people from the UK.
We had dinner at the
De Bekeerde Suster, a brewery where nuns used to make beer. Ryan and I had two wonderful beers each, shared deliciously dense beer bread, and enjoyed entrees. I had a quiche and Ryan had pork with a mushroom sauce. The main courses on the menu were very similar to German dishes but the beer was incredibly different. We had a tripel, belgian style light and dark beer, and blonde. The beer here is similar to that in Belgium and served in smaller glasses. Germans are very good at hefeweizens and pilsers served in giant half liter glasses and the Dutch are very good at making a variety of beer but I do not feel that they have completely mastered some of them.
After dinner we walked through the busy Red Light District. There is definitely a touristy and mild Red Light District comprised of just sex toy shops, bars, and sex shows on one street. When you round the corner and cross a bridge the scene changes and the walls are windows bordered by a glowing red light. Many windows have the curtain drawn but many more are filled with scantily clad women hoping to get your attention. There really was a woman for everyone as there was young, old, thin, thick, black, white, and the list goes on. SEX!
We called it a night around midnight to get ready for our busy day in the morning.
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