An Underground World

To the average tourist, like me, the hustle and bustle of the French lifestyle can be overwhelming at first. Foot traffic is everywhere, and people whizz by speaking rapidly in foreign languages that are not easily distinguishable. Automobiles are not popular above ground, but in its place exists an entirely different world underground.

Below the congested city of Paris lies the metropolitan, a complicated bus system that can be navigated by maps consisting of lines of different colors that represent buses that take people to various places. Upon arriving to Paris, France on the fast speed train from Mets, we were immediately thrust into this crazy underground world. We went to the tourist information desk first thing and were told to take line 2 to line 4 and get off at Place de Clichy. To us, it sounded like the man was speaking a foreign language, ‘the metro language’, but to him he was simply trying to help us find our way to Hotel Darcet. The metropolitan existed as early as 1845, but the first line was not completed until July 1900. Since then the metro has become one of the main means of transportation in Paris and the various colored lines on maps are just a way of life for those that live in this beautiful city. In fact, this transportation system is seen as a model of efficient public transportation. The metropolitan consists of 14 lines, 300 stations, and over 3,500 cars. It is said that every building in Paris is within 500 meters of a metropolitan and from my experience this weekend this holds true. Our hotel was a mere two minute walk from the station and anywhere we needed to go we could get to via connecting metro trains. Sometimes, like in our trip to the Louvre, it was a one stop shot on Line 1, but other times, we had to take as many as 3 connecting buses to reach our final destination.
Upon jumping onto the train station for the first time, I found myself extremely overwhelmed. A few of the people I was with were instant naturals at navigating the various colored lines of the buses, while others just sat there helplessly waiting for others to figure it out for them. I found myself in the middle. Sometimes I was able to quickly decipher where we were headed and how we needed to get there and other times the environment around me was too overwhelming for me to concentrate. The underground atmosphere was filled with scents of body odor and old perfume that made my nose wrinkle, hundreds of people dashing from one line to another that moved faster than I could blink, and dirty railings that forced me to keep my hands in my pockets. To some, this underground world created natural boundaries that helped people easily get from one place to another. To me, it was an unknown confusing world that left me feeling less confident than my usual self.
After a few minutes of waiting, the horn blew and the metro came to a screeching stop. Instantaneously, herds of people started pouring in and out of the various sliding doors. People pushed and shoved to get to where they needed to be before the doors closed and as soon as they did I felt trapped. People were standing shoulder to shoulder on all sides of me and I could barely see my feet, let alone try and protect my belongings from being taken from me. This is the first time I realized how overpopulated Paris truly is. Since 2005, inequality in France has been evident, especially in Paris. The 11.7 million inhabitants form one of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas, but (http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/01/19/paris-officials-push-huge-suburban-transit-investment-to-increase-metropolitan-mobility/) much of the population lives hours away from the city center via public transportation. This fact, along with many others, is one of the main reasons why so many people are forced to take public transportation and why the metropolitan world underground seems to be a territory of its own.

After our first time navigating the city alone we realized that the metropolitan in France truly can be considered a model of efficient public transportation. We were able to find our way the entire weekend without getting lost. Surprising, right? We thought so, too, but we learned quickly that as long as you know where you are, where you’re going, and how to read the map then travelling shouldn’t be hard. This is easier than it sounds. For our first trip, we decided that we would meet our friends at the Louvre at 10:00 sharp. To make this happen we decided to leave at 9:15 which gave us plenty of time to figure out where we were going without getting overwhelmed. To get there, we had to take line 1, which I learned after some research was the first line completed and has been called line 1 ever since. The line used to run from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot but has since been extended to run from Château de Vincennes to La Défense, which is what we used it for on our first trip. (http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Paris_metro.shtml ) .

After leaving Paris, I now feel confident about navigating the metropolitan world and would willingly accept the challenge to take on the fast paced, claustrophobic lifestyle that exists under the streets of France.

XXX-Amsterdam By Kimberly Mehan

On Thursday May 20, 2010, eight of us traveled from the Chateau to Amsterdam for our first weekend together. The excitement was indescribable. It was my first time ever traveling through Europe and I was headed to Amsterdam out of all places. I heard that if you plan your first weekend to Amsterdam, then you are setting the bar high for the rest of the weekends. If this is true, then the other weekends will keep getting better.
After traveling seven or so hours, Amy and I were very anxious to get off the train. All eight of us gathered together and followed the herd out of the station and into the city. When I first saw the city, I thought that this is like all other cities I have been to in the states. That initial thought did not stay true once we started walking to our hotel, which was located in the Red Light District. It was around 7:30 when we approached the area and a cloud of smoke filled the area around us. It was from all the cigarette and pot smoking that everyone was doing.
Everywhere I turned was a different bar and coffee shop that contributed to the reputation of the Red Light District. This area represents a part of Amsterdam because the people there are proud that they have something so well known. This area has been going on since the 14th Century when sailors would arrive for some female attention. This link gives tourists a heads up before walking into it without knowing much about it http://amsterdam-red-light-district.info/.
Searching for food was a bit of a struggle. Even though we were traveling in a bigger group and we had a difficult time deciding where to eat, there weren’t as many food places as expected. As we walked around, I realized that people wandering in the Red Light District aren’t interested in a sit down, traditional meal that you could find outside of the area. We ended up eating at a place that I thought was a step up from McDonalds. I don’t even remember the name because it wasn’t something that memorable.
I was a little overwhelmed at how the night was going to go, but as the night went on, I realized that this is considered normal. Around 10:00 pm is when I realized that the area was filling up a lot quicker with men in particular. In bars, coffee shops, or walking the streets, women are clearly the minority and some may feel a little unsafe at times. I traveled with three guys the whole trip, so I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as others may have felt. Walking down the alleys, I could see the red glowing light from far away and I prepared myself for it. When I walked by one window, one woman gave me the finger so I decided after that to just pay attention to what I was doing and not what they were doing. I was not used to walking down the street and seeing men walk in and out of the places. It was a very different scene but thought of as normal to others. In some ways, I think the Red Light District marks a certain territory of Amsterdam because it is a known area of drinking, smoking, and prostitutes.
Through my weekend travel in Amsterdam, I saw so much that I was able to relate to in class. It is important for each country to have something meaningful to them and even though I only discussed about the Red Light District, there are many other monuments and statues that represent nationalism throughout Amsterdam.

Amsterdam!

MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010

And it Begins: Amsterdam

Lets just say, we started off our first weekend in Europe with a bang. Traveling to Amsterdam surpassed my expectations in every possible way. I actually went into this weekend of travel with much apprehension and fear about what troubles we would encounter on our first trip away from our new home, Differdange. As I expected we were faced with some dilemmas such as finding our way around a new city, living in a below average hostel, and communicating in different languages. All of these put us out of our comfort zone, however they also gave us the opportunity to fully immerse ourselves in the culture of Amsterdam.

Unfortunately I do think that I came to Amsterdam with many preconceived notions about what the city and is people would be like. I had heard many stories from friends and family and was just so excited to experience it all on my own. I wanted to loose the judgment I had already created in my mind and travel with a clean slate to build on. So visiting the Red Light District on Friday was one of the more memorable moments for me. I can honestly say that I first walked through the Red Light District scared to death, and tried to stay as close to my friends as possible. However, I soon realized that the Red Light District really seemed safer than I had imagined because the streets were filled with tourists just like myself. Although I had no idea who any of these people are I felt comfort in the fact that I heard English being spoken down the streets and many people were wearing fanny packs and carrying cameras just like myself. This was my “imagined community”. All of these people, although we did not have a specific label that madde us a community, we shared an “imaginary” bond because we were all tourists in an unknown city.

Encountering the Red Light District made me further understand what Carl Sauer stated in 1925, “Culture is the agent, natural area the medium, and the cultural landscape the result.” The Red Light District was shaped and formed by the culture, the people and their beliefs, attitudes and values. As humans we have the ability to shape our landscapes, and the Red Light District was fashioned into a bounded area with many landscapes that reflect and reinforce their cultural systems. For example, as I walked down the streets, looked into the windows and saw women in lingerie posing and selling their bodies, part of Amsterdam’s culture was reinforced in my mind just as when every corner I turned there was a coffee shop with people of all ages smoking pot. This was a city where anything and everything seemed to be allowed. The many symbols we saw in the signs on the streets or the names of the bars communicated a message to us that The Red Light District is a city of sex, drugs, and sin. The fact that these women clearly are finding some success in the prostitution industry since the district continues to live on demonstrates to us the politics of the territory. However, it seemed to be bounded by the differing politics of the regions around it.

Something that both the Red Light District and the other areas of the city shared was the difficulty to label or find the definite territory of Amsterdam. As we spent the days walking around we noticed that the city and people were extremely international. There were several languages being spoken and several ethnicities of people being represented. Even in the windows of the Red Light District I remember commenting to my friend Annie, “Wow, these are all women of color.” We did not see one blonde European looking woman in a window, and that was somewhat surprising to us. So in a way I felt that Amsterdam was lacking nationalism. However, next on our list of sights to see was the IAMsterdam monument. This monument screamed nationalism. It stood as large red and white letters, which happen to be the colors of their very own city flag, in the center of a beautiful plaza. This monument along with the flag, which could be spotted all around the city, flaunted the pride that people felt for their city. As I stood looking at the letters I felt proud to be experiencing a city like this. Although many people come and just snap photos sitting on the letters that mean nothing to them, to the people of Amsterdam these letters mark their territory. Although it is a very international tourist location, Amsterdam embodies culture and homeland for several people.

It was once said that, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel only have read a page.” After my first weekend traveling I truly believe this quote. I have learned more in the last three days than I have ever learned from any school course. By engrossing myself in the culture of Amsterdam I feel I have really opened a new page in this astonishing world book.

Hotel, Motel, Anne Marie

Amsterdam

I have never had many apprehensions about traveling. I enjoy trying new food, meeting new people, and even find getting lost to be exciting (to a certain extent). But, I encountered a new unease when the search for hostels was a necessary step in planning our weekend travels. I knew Amsterdam was going to be an entirely new adventure for many reasons: my friends and I planned every last detail including train times, food, living arrangements, and site seeing; the easy-going, everything and anything is legal lifestyle; language barriers; and even geographical landscaping- all of which I was ready and excited to witness and experience, all except the hostel.

Kelsey, Jenna, Kristina, a few new friends, and I all sat around our laptops for several days discussing and researching potential weekend living arrangements. “This one is only fifteen euros a night”, “This is thirty minutes from the Van Gogh museum”, “Free linen! Free breakfast!”, all were great candidates, but because we were a bunch of girls traveling together, we wanted to ensure safety first. Finally, we chose to book the Anne Marie Hotel (which was really a hostel) because it had one of the higher safety ratings (68% is now considered high) and it was a decent location. So now this task was over, and I had three full days to stew on my thoughts and create what I hoped to be preposterous situations in my head.

After two days of anticipation, and seven hours of traveling, we arrived at the Anne Marie Hotel (but again, don’t let ‘hotel’ fool you). Upon entering the small building across from the Chinese restaurant and next door to the super market, I immediately felt out of my element. The Dutch man sitting behind the counter was less than pleased with our large group of giggling nervous girls, and the three 45-year old men sitting at the old wooden table to our left would not stop staring. To our surprise we were given a mixed ten-person room for the eight of us girls. Visions of creepy, drugged out men came flying through my head. After climbing two flights of extremely narrow teal painted stairs, we entered the room to find five sets of bunk beds with blue and green comforters, huge red curtains, and brown carpet. It was quite the combination. Also, two of the beds were claimed, and the possessions clearly belonged to men. Thankfully we were all so hungry that we didn’t stay in our room too long or else I think my curiosity would have lead me to investigate these mens’ things.

Several hours passed of eating a fast food Chinese dinner and exploring Amsterdam and we were ready to head back to Anne Marie. My friends are surprisingly have a knack for finding their way through foreign cities, so we didn’t encounter any problems with the 250 bridges Amsterdam has to offer, or the fact that we were illiterate due to the Dutch street names. We rang the doorbell to be let into the hostel (one of the more attractive features of our living situation) and the same unfriendly Dutch man answered the door. Once we got to our room I was both relieved and even more concerned that the two men (or boys?) weren’t back yet. To me this meant that they were out taking full advantage of Amsterdam’s culture. I was on the bottom bunk closest to the door and was laying on top of the comforter in hopes to avoid any potential bugs or diseases, this left me completely vulnerable to the two crazed men that were going to be home any moment. “Kristina, can I please sleep with you?” thank goodness for friends. I relocated to a different bottom bunk, slightly closer to the unknown men, but further from the door.

Needless to say I didn’t sleep a wink until our roommates got home. Not only because I was paranoid of the possible situations that may occur, but also because of how cramped and hot I was sharing a twin bed with my snoring friend. At 3:12 (yes, I looked at the clock) the long awaited roommates opened the door to our room, room seven. They turned on all of the lights and were stumbling around the room; I was literally holding my breath. The first words out of the guy’s mouth were “God, I love Miami”. I could see each boy plain as day, clearly American, and the taller boy’s t-shirt said “Miami Redhawks”. That was all I needed to see, I had never seen these boys before, and had no idea what their names were; but they are Miami students, so they must be safe, right? My weekend in Amsterdam and three nights in a hostel confirmed that it is not really the hostels that concern me, but the apprehension of what I perceive to be unknown. If it weren’t for the boy’s outspoken love of Miami or the other boy’s Tshirt, I wouldn’t have been capable of sleeping. But because these two were in my imagined community, I felt safe. This weekend taught me more than I expected about not only a foreign culture, but also the comfort of what I perceive to be my own.

Amsterdam Free Tours

A Wandering Journey completes my Check-List

As soon as I stepped foot into Amsterdam for the first time, I could not wait to experience the Red Light District, the Van Gogh Museum, the Heineken Brewery, and everything else the city is famously known for. I viewed these popular attractions that are visited by thousands of tourists every year as a check-list or a to-do-list of what I wanted to accomplish in Amsterdam so that I can say I really experienced the city. However, little did I know that I would actually “truly” experience the city on a Friday afternoon when my friends and I wandered around the city for almost two and a half hours trying to rendezvous with other Miami students at The Grasshopper, a rather large coffee shop that consists of a disco bar, café, and coffee shop on three separate floors. For more information on The Grasshopper go to www.thegrasshopper.nl/

After my friends and I ate lunch at one of the local donor kebab restaurants in order to save money for the weekend’s festivities, we began our long and winding adventure to The Grasshopper. With our stomach’s full and our well-rested legs, we headed towards the direction of the Grasshopper not knowing exactly how to get there and having only a slight idea of its location. This is when I finally began to see the true landscape, lifestyle, architecture, and means of transportation in the great city of Amsterdam.

When we took to the streets right outside the center of the city, I found streets bustling with cars, bikes, trams, buses, people walking, and mopeds whizzing by. I became really intrigued by the organized chaos of the public transportation in Amsterdam. The further you walk away from the city, the wider the streets are and the more accessible the streets are for cars. Closer to the center of the city, the “streets” were usually nothing more than a narrow sidewalk and bike path that lined all of the hundreds of canals that ran through the city. Every time I stepped off the sidewalk or tried to cross the street, I was abruptly warned by a ringing bell that came from the handbrake of a biker passing by. A tall, middle-aged man wearing jeans and a black long sleeved shirt muttered something to me in Dutch as I walked along one of the bike paths and almost got hit by a collection of bikers. I thought to myself, “Wow do I look like an American.”

However, as we continued on our journey, I learned to keep my eyes peeled for bikes, trams, buses, and cars that were always passing by and almost began to feel that I was beginning to understand the logistics of the transportation system in Amsterdam. I realized that every mode of transportation has its own territory and other people that don’t belong to that territory should not impede on it. As for my case when I was walking along the bike path and almost got hit, I should have realized that this is not my territory. Although this is only a small scale example of territory and how it works, large scale boundaries and territories work in a very similar way.

Nearer the center of the city, coffee shops lined every street and gave a distinct smell of marijuana as we walked past them. They were packed neatly and tightly in between hostels of low to medium quality, bars packed with locals and tourists from all around the world, and restaurants that consisted of all types of cuisine that cater to whatever your craving may be. Everywhere I turned I found a new alleyway, a new canal that I had not previously seen, a new square that I never knew existed, or an architectural wonder straight out of a magazine. After finally arriving at our destination, the friends we were planning to meet up with already left for other plans because our journey lasted so long. Even though we had been hopelessly wandering around the city for the past couple hours and had walked all over the city to find The Grasshopper, I realized that I had just seen and experienced much of what Amsterdam has to offer. I felt as though I was really able to get a good feeling of what the city was like by walking up and down along the canals and streets of Amsterdam. Prior to this endeavor of ours, we didn’t get to take a long walk around the city and we hadn’t taken a canal tour or rented a bike in order to see the beautiful city. Now since I took such a long walk through almost every major part of the city and got to take everything in first hand as I walked along the streets, I felt as though I had accomplished something even though I hadn’t yet been to the Van Gogh Museum, Heineken Brewery, and other major attractions of Amsterdam. I felt as though my check-list was complete.

Museumplein

 The first tourist attraction that my friends and I stumbled upon on our weekend trip to Amsterdam was the Museumplein, also known as the heart of the museum quarter. It is a pleasant region in Amsterdam that is separate from the stereotypical drugs and prostitution scene that many people associate all of Amsterdam with. After being overwhelmed by all of the people, sites, and fun activities in the park, we ventured in to see the Van Gogh Museum, the Ravensbruck Memorial, and the famous “I Amsterdam” letters, a few of the many historical figures that represent Amsterdam.

            The Van Gogh Museum was our first stop of the day. The museum houses the most Van Gogh paintings in the world and is something that Amsterdam is very proud to represent. While touring through the museum with our headsets, I not only captured a sense of history and appreciation for the artwork, but I also recognized the different nationalities of the people touring the Van Gogh Museum. There were many people from all over Europe at the museum to view Van Gogh’s work along with other significant 19^th century artwork. The headsets that we purchased were available in multiple languages to accommodate the many different tourists.  This showed Amsterdam’s pride in sharing their artifacts and history that is popularly known all around the world.

            After spending time at the Van Gogh Museum, my friends and I headed over to the Ravensbruck Memorial. It consisted of stainless-steel panels surrounding a tall cylinder shaped statue. This memorial was significant because it was dedicated to the women that were held Prisoner in the Ravensbruck Nazi concentration camp during World War II. This monument is a great example of Amsterdam’s nationalism. Because Jews made up ten percent of Amsterdam’s population before World War II, it is important to the city to remember and honor the Jewish people that were tragically killed.

            Finally our last stop in Museumplein for the morning was the well-known “I Amsterdam” giant letters. It was crucial that my group of traveling friends and I got our picture taken in front of the letters so that we could have photo-documentation of our trip to Amsterdam, just like all of the other foreigners. The “I Amsterdam” logo is not only letters. It is the symbolization of Amsterdam as a European melting pot. Minority groups primarily populate Amsterdam and therefore, the phrase “I Amsterdam” is devoted to all of the different ethnic groups of people and cultures that cultivate into one. I also found it interesting that the letters are written in the English language. This displays Amsterdam’s pride in them because it is written in a language that is commonly understood by people from all over the world, indicating their efforts for people to recognize the meaning. Amsterdam’s strong belief in a culture with freedom to be who you are ultimately symbolizes their unity among differences.

            After a long morning of viewing historical and symbolic sites in Amsterdam, my friends and I sat down for lunch at the edge of the Museumplein to take it all in. The different languages spoken, ethnic differences, and historical figures represented Amsterdam as a state, yet containing many different nations (ethnic groups) within its borders. Overall, I saw that Amsterdam had a lot of pride regarding its history and current multi-cultural way of life.

Amsterdam: Bike Taxi's

This past weekend I traveled to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. After stepping off the train I instantly noticed how much was going on in the city, and the first obstacle was finding our hostel in an unknown place. I rode on the train with 90 percent of our class, but it was up to just Katie and I to find where we were staying, the Flying Pig. Getting off the train Katie claimed she knew where she was going, when in reality she had NO idea. This became a little overwhelming because we were two American girls with large backpacks lost in the city, especially when we were grabbing unwanted attention of the foreign men. We quickly decided to take the easy way out and hop on a bike taxi (something I highly recommend if you are ever lost in the city, it’s five Euros for anywhere you need to go at any hour of the day). Little did we know Katie and I would end up taking this same bike taxi two more times that same night to get around the city due to us being directionally challenged, which should make future weekends very interesting. Our first ride on the bike I started to notice the different territories within Amsterdam. There are three different lanes on the streets of the city, a lane for bikers, trams and cars. This creates a lot of competition for space once you add people into the equation. With all three lanes of traffic it makes the city seem like it is in constant motion and almost made me want to be doing something every second I was in Amsterdam. With all the biking and trams it seemed everyone always had somewhere important to be. The first night we were in and out of our hostel in minutes ready to explore the city, however, our friends were staying way on the other side of town, which resulted in another bike ride. We took the bike up to the red light district and we got to experience the stereotypical Amsterdam: naked girls in windows and coffee shops. This district is a complete territory of its own within the city. The red light district itself is only about a street long, but I think a must see when traveling to the city. But at night it can be kind of a scary place for girls so naturally Katie and I took the first bike taxi we saw and got home safely. A total of three bike taxi's in one night. If you are ever lost in Amsterdam or are just as directionally challenged as Katie and I, I highly recommend asking someone for directions because the majority of people we ran into spoke English or hop on a taxi bike. Otherwise you might end up leading your friends around the city aimlessly for an hour trying to get to “your cooler side” of town, which happened to Katie and I. One thing I learned from the weekend is I should never lead a group around Amsterdam again and I’ll never believe Katie when she claims she knows where she is going.

I'm On A Boat!

When my friends and I first arrived in Amsterdam we decided to explore the town on foot. We were quickly reminded why the city has the nickname, the bike capital of the world. One wrong step into the bike lane would have you out of service for the entire trip. Bikers in Amsterdam were very protective over their bike lane territory. After successfully surviving the walk to the town square I found myself admiring the picturesque canals that lined the city.

On Saturday afternoon the sun was shining and we decided a canal cruise would be a perfect way to spend our afternoon. We were all exhausted from dodging bikers and had seen all the historical sites we wanted to see while in Amsterdam. We walked up and down the canals searching for the cheapest boat cruise we could find. Yes, saving three dollars meant we could afford an ice-cold beer to wash down dinner. After buying our ten-dollar tickets, my friends and I patiently waited for our boat to arrive. We were excited to finally sit on a boat and explore the town from a different perspective. We also were excited to finally rest our legs before they fell off as a result of the immense amount of walking we had done over the previous two days in Amsterdam.

Before taking the canal ride I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised because I learned so much about Amsterdam on the two-hour canal ride. Canal rides first began when the Queen of Bohemia, Queen Elisabeth, came to the city in the 1600’s. She was welcomed to the city by people cheering on the banks and bridges of the canals. This became a tradition of welcoming well-known people into the city by greeting them with a parade on a canal cruise. My tour guide informed my friends and me that today canal rides are the most desired attraction in the city, with over three million people taking canal cruises a year. I couldn’t believe that after two hours of exploring the canals by boat we still hadn’t seen half of the canals that lined the city.

The canals were breathtaking and I snapped several pictures when exploring the town on foot. After taking the canal cruise I realized the canals were a great way to travel and see the city. The canal system offers several different routes that gives locals and visitors of this city an easy way of transportation to get to work, popular tourist sites, museums, and restaurants that are located all over the city. The canals provide several opportunities for businesses, recreation, and a home for hundreds of locals. Amsterdam is one of the most successful countries in the world because of the thoughtful planning during the golden age of the 17th century city, which developed the canal system. The location of Amsterdam with her waterways has been the heart and origin of wealth. I will always remember the canal cruise in Amsterdam and if I had the opportunity to do it again, I would do it in an instant!

If you are ever are in Amsterdam use this website to book your canal cruise!
http://www.amsterdamcitytours.com/boat-tours.html?gclid=CJfe5YDD66ECFVOY2AodOkrPJw

Museumplein

            The first tourist attraction that my friends and I stumbled upon on our weekend trip to Amsterdam was the Museumplein, also known as the heart of the museum quarter. It is a pleasant region in Amsterdam that is separate from the stereotypical drugs and prostitution scene that many people associate all of Amsterdam with. After being overwhelmed by all of the people, sites, and fun activities in the park, we ventured in to see the Van Gogh Museum, the Ravensbruck Memorial, and the famous “I Amsterdam” letters, a few of the many historical figures that represent Amsterdam.

            The Van Gogh Museum was our first stop of the day. The museum houses the most Van Gogh paintings in the world and is something that Amsterdam is very proud to represent. While touring through the museum with our headsets, I not only captured a sense of history and appreciation for the artwork, but I also recognized the different nationalities of the people touring the Van Gogh Museum. There were many people from all over Europe at the museum to view Van Gogh’s work along with other significant 19^th century artwork. The headsets that we purchased were available in multiple languages to accommodate the many different tourists.  This showed Amsterdam’s pride in sharing their artifacts and history that is popularly known all around the world.

            After spending time at the Van Gogh Museum, my friends and I headed over to the Ravensbruck Memorial. It consisted of stainless-steel panels surrounding a tall cylinder shaped statue. This memorial was significant because it was dedicated to the women that were held Prisoner in the Ravensbruck Nazi concentration camp during World War II. This monument is a great example of Amsterdam’s nationalism. Because Jews made up ten percent of Amsterdam’s population before World War II, it is important to the city to remember and honor the Jewish people that were tragically killed.

            Finally our last stop in Museumplein for the morning was the well-known “I Amsterdam” giant letters. It was crucial that my group of traveling friends and I got our picture taken in front of the letters so that we could have photo-documentation of our trip to Amsterdam, just like all of the other foreigners. The “I Amsterdam” logo is not only letters. It is the symbolization of Amsterdam as a European melting pot. Minority groups primarily populate Amsterdam and therefore, the phrase “I Amsterdam” is devoted to all of the different ethnic groups of people and cultures that cultivate into one. I also found it interesting that the letters are written in the English language. This displays Amsterdam’s pride in them because it is written in a language that is commonly understood by people from all over the world, indicating their efforts for people to recognize the meaning. Amsterdam’s strong belief in a culture with freedom to be who you are ultimately symbolizes their unity among differences.

            After a long morning of viewing historical and symbolic sites in Amsterdam, my friends and I sat down for lunch at the edge of the Museumplein to take it all in. The different languages spoken, ethnic differences, and historical figures represented Amsterdam as a state, yet containing many different nations (ethnic groups) within its borders. Overall, I saw that Amsterdam had a lot of pride regarding its history and current multi-cultural way of life.

Adventure in the Venice of the north..

Before leaving for Amsterdam, I honestly didn’t know anything about the city. I knew that there’s a song called Amsterdam, and I knew that Marijuana was legal there. That was really it though. I had no idea what else made this place the amazing place that everyone made it out to be.
After arriving to Amsterdam around 7PM, my group and I had to really get ourselves together. Not knowing the train would actually take 2 more hours than expected, we had planned to tour the home of Anne Frank. Running out of the train station we had no idea what to do next. The first thing that I noticed about the city was that not only did it wreak of marijuana, but it had the same feel as another major city I was used to, New York City.
As we frantically tried to move through this unfamiliar city, we dodged bicycles and cars coming in all directions. Something that I also noticed was the fact that more people tend to ride their bikes in Amsterdam. This is a great way to stay green, but also a good way to almost knock over tourists such as myself. It is also a much cheaper way to go about the city than having a car and paying for gas. Seeing people riding bikes made me realize how much they try to cut back on certain things. As we have learned in class, every region and every culture is different. This is definitely something different than you would see in the US because Americans tend to use bikes as a physical activity. While many Europeans, especially the people of Amsterdam, use it for transportation.
Making it to the Anne Frank house a little after our scheduled time, my group was admitted into the building. The home looked just like the other buildings on the same street, we were unsure about which house was the right one at first. Covered with security monitors and brochures in all types of languages, we were advised to put our backpacks in front of us, to avoid any damages to the home. They also asked us to not take pictures, and if we did, there would be a security man to remove us from the museum. This shows how much they want to preserve this monument and keep it as real as they can. This reminded me of our reading on monuments because they are symbolic figures used to depict the events realness. This monument is not only a historic piece of land; it is also a reality for the people to go in it. I think that it was smart for the city of Amsterdam to keep this monumental home because it holds so much history that will constantly remind its visitors of the dangers and hate that came from the Holocaust.
The more time we spend touring Amsterdam the more fascinated I became by the canals that separate the city. These are beautiful and really add to the city’s environment. This set up the city in a different way geographically because you can tell that they canals were once used as transportation. I really enjoyed them because they made the city more beautiful.
These canals were mainly used for pleasure while I was there. People drinking, and relaxing with friends is what I mainly saw from the civilians. These canals are also used for tourism, as well as the rest of the city’s perks.
Since this city is generated a lot by its tourists, I am sure that they have seen their fair share of diverse people come to visit. Something that I have observed since being in Europe is that we look and act 100% American. I am not really surprised by this, but the more places we travel, the more of an impression I get. We really don’t look like we blend in the environment that we are in. It’s a weird feeling, but people’s reactions to our “accents” are always enjoyable. This shows that every culture is different. It relates to our class discussion on how different borders can change a lot about the culture you are in.
When dealing with different regions and cultures, I noticed that mostly when you change regions the language also changes. In Amsterdam I did notice that they spoke Dutch, but they also spoke more English than the people in Luxembourg do. I enjoyed this aspect.
Some first hand experiences that reminded me of the ideas we’ve discussed in class were that it really made me think of how different regions are different every where you go. This also is the same for cultures. This made me think about how this city shares a lot of the things that Luxembourg has. One similarity is how they conserve energy by riding their bikes around, like I mention in my photo response.
Geographically, the streets of Amsterdam are quite confusing. As I stated, it has the feel of New York City. Lots of cars, lots of people and lots of buildings. This type of environment made me think of class because it showed some of the cities history as well as architecture.
While walking around Amsterdam I found that it had a wide variety of restaurants in the city. I observed the fact that they had a street just for Argentinean foods. This was really interesting to me, and made me wonder how diverse this city really is.
The different types of foods show that there are different kinds of people that live in that city. That is something that I noticed about this culture. There are many different types of people within this urban city. This was much different from what we have seen in Lux. After Mondays reading about why people tend to live in more urban areas, this became more clear to me.
Although it is located closer to a body of water, I found that Amsterdam was a lot warmer in Amsterdam than in Luxembourg. This could deal with geographic location, but that was really surprising to me, especially because it is surrounded by canals that can create wind to make it a little chillier.
Overall, I had a great weekend and learned a great amount about Amsterdam. So now I know its not only known for its legalization of weed and prostitution, it has a lot more about its culture and history. It was overall a successful trip!

A Different Type of City

This weekend was, for me, a time where I actually had very little idea what to expect. In traveling to Amsterdam, I was going to a city whose historical significance I wasn’t particularly familiar with, but whose modern perception is quite well known. This was also our first weekend traveling in the MUDEC program, and my first experience traveling without any real “supervision” or pre-planned itinerary. In a way, this was intended to be a very experimental weekend for me. I wanted to use my time to obviously see one of the world’s most famous cities, but also to get to know some of my fellow classmates and learn a little bit about traveling on my own.

My first impressions about Amsterdam were, perhaps obviously, an overwhelming awe of my surroundings. The city is certainly one of the most picturesque locations I have ever visited, and it will certainly be difficult for many other European cities to top. One of the things that I find so refreshing about Amsterdam, as well as some other European cities, is their lack of modernity in areas such as architecture. That’s not to say that the cities aren’t modern, they are in absolutely every way, but cities in the United States tend to be identified by their skylines or how many skyscrapers are located downtown. When I was in Amsterdam this past weekend, I was able to feel in many ways like I was visiting a small town as opposed to one of the largest and most famous urban areas in the world. The small shops and pubs give a small town feel, while the abundance of history and entertainment, along with the locals bustling around quickly on their bicycles, remind travelers that they really are still in a large city. I think the fact that I come from a small town probably makes this feel more appealing to me, but whatever the reason, I found Amsterdam to be a very comfortable and intriguing locale.

Obviously, one of Amsterdam’s main attractions is what I characterize as somewhat of a “sin city” environment. The city’s party scene is legendary, and places like the Red Light District and abundant “coffee” shops allow people to take part in activities that are forbidden almost everywhere else in Western civilization. While drugs and prostitution aren’t personally an appeal for me, it is very interesting to see an area that is much more liberal in some of its ways and also to see how inhabitants deal with such a vast array of guilty pleasures from which to choose. While I don’t know any crime rate statistics about Amsterdam right off hand, it seemed to me like most were fairly responsible in their use of things like marijuana. It’s interesting because in the United States there is such a fear of abuse of some of the activities that are commonplace in Amsterdam, but in a culture where this has become quite normal activity, the novel effect perhaps wears off a bit. Not that I’m promoting legalized prostitution and drug use in the United States, I’m certainly not, but it’s intriguing to me that I actually felt quite safe in an area where all these things that we typically view as taboo are permitted. I suppose it’s simply a different perspective.

While I spent most of my time walking around Amsterdam and taking in the city as a whole, I did visit two of the typical tourist attractions: The Heineken Brewery and the Van Gogh Museum. I definitely found the brewery to be interesting, which wasn’t much of a surprise because I usually enjoy learning about how different products are manufactured and how they came to prominence. What was surprising to me was that I actually quite enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum. I’m not really much of an art buff, and frankly I usually have no idea what I’m looking at, but the way the museum was laid out and the sequence in which the works were displayed kept me intrigued, and it really allowed even an art idiot like me to see the progressions in Van Gogh’s work, as well as how he evolved as an artist. I was also intrigued to learn that he didn’t become an artist until only ten years before his death in 1890. It’s amazing to me how someone with such a short career could have such a major impact on the art world, and I’m very glad that I took the time to visit the museum and learn a little bit more about it.

From little to no expectations, to gaining confidence as a world traveler, this weekend was certainly an adventure and a success for me. It was a wonderful experience to just explore a new city and interact with some of the people living there. It was refreshing that everyone I spoke with seemed very kind and helpful, always taking the time to help us out when we were completely lost. I was very impressed with Amsterdam’s people and beauty, and it certainly sets the bar high for my future travels on this trip.

Amsterdam!

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Amsterdam, everyone I talked to either say they loved it or it was a disappointment so I figured I had to find out for myself. My first reaction was it was an extremely confusing city to get around in. Between all the cars, trams, bikes and crowds of people I found myself very overwhelmed. I am not sure if I can say that I was more comfortable getting around even by the end of the third day. There were things in Amsterdam that I knew I was going to see like the canals, coffee shops and the Red Light District, but I wasn’t expecting to see so many bikes! Because bikes are Amsterdam’s primary choice of transportation they owned the streets almost as equally as cars and trams since they had their own lanes and obeyed the same street laws. My first experience with a bike was about 30 minutes after getting off the train. My roommate an

d I got lost looking for our hostel and finally decided to ask directions. Looking around, the first person we thought to ask was a man on a bike taxi. When he told us our hostel was a 25-minute walked we hoped on. For 5 Euros each to anywhere you wanted to go it was a pretty good deal. I was nice we discovered this in the beginning because I came in handy two more times just that night!

The following day I encountered another issue with bikes. The bike lanes look a lot like the sidewalks and for someone new to Amsterdam it was very easy to forget which was which. The people riding the bikes weren’t exactly helpful either. If I was waking in the bike lane and someone came up behind me instead of slowing down they just ring a bell until you realize it and jump out of the way. I am convinced that a biker would have no problem running someone over.

The popularity of public transportation really defines a sense on territory and a little bit of nationalism. In America cars are the main form of transportation and pedestrians understand the territory created between them. However, in Amsterdam the bikes and trams define the territory and pedestrians come second. The public transportation can also represent nationality because it is so unique to Amsterdam culture.

Overall, the trip was amazing. Since it was my first weekend away I feel like it holds a lot of significance. Getting on the trains a

nd trying to figure out the stations for the first time and actually seeing such a unique city was extremely exciting. There was so much to see and do in Amsterdam. The architecture is beautiful and the museums are very interesting especially the Heineken Experience. Everyone seemed to have different opinions about where to stay. Having stayed in the Leidseplein area I would say it is the best. There was a great square in the middle with great food and live music all the time. There was pretty good shopping for during the day (including a very convenient H&M) and the bars and clubs were fun and stayed open later then ones in the Red Light District. I would definitely recommend doing a pub-crawl the first or second night so you see the fun bars.

Like I said before, I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be really amazing or a disappointment. I am happy to come back and tell others about the amazingly fun trip I had in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, The City of Orange

Arriving on a Friday evening in Amsterdam it was still bright outside to experience the city for a couple hours before it became night. Walking out of the train station, I attempted to take in as much as possible. Feeling like a lost puppy, not knowing where to go, I immediately began to notice my surroundings. The sounds of passing bikes and the buses, the smell of the city, and the plethora of buildings that stood before me.

Walking from the train station to my hostel I saw many interesting buildings. Some were churches others were town homes. Though, many of them were different from each other, one thing they had in common was a hint of the color orange somewhere on the outside of the house. Whether it was as small as the blinds or shades or the paint of the house, most of the buildings had an accent of bright orange. This made me more curious every street I walked down because to me it made no sense.

After arriving at my hostel I sought out to explore the city. Walking on the streets of Amsterdam I looked into several souvenirs shops and realized that many of the shirts were bright orange too. I also noticed that one of the Netherlands soccer jersey's was orange, which confused me because the colors on the national flag are red, white, and blue.

The more I walked around the city the more I began to notice the color in every place I went, from the coffee shops off the red-light district to the shopping mall outside of the center. Also, a lot of the bars had the color in the form of a flag or a jersey. Therefore I assumed that it could possibly be apart of the local soccer team of Amsterdam.

After ignoring my curiosity I decided to ask one of the locals what orange symbolized to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Initially I was hesitant to ask because I did not know how he or she would react. Luckily, he was enthusiastic by my curiosity he explained, that the color orange represented the color of the Dutch royal family. Upon further research I discovered that the lineage of the royal family, the House of Oranje-Nassau, dates back to William Van Orange.

The Dutch are famous for wearing the color orange at their soccer games too. If you are watching the World Cup make sure to notice the large amount of orange present at their games.

Even thought the color orange represents the royal family of the Netherlands, today it symbolizes a broader pride in the country and being Dutch. I think that this is very special because rarely does a color, not on the national flag, represent a nation. This also shows the respect the people of Netherlands have for the royal family.

I eventually asked more locals about their customs and was surprised how friendly they were to Americans, only because of the stories I’ve heard from other Americans who have traveled throughout Europe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evYQmyjelf8&feature=related - Dutch Soccer

All of Amsterdam's Attitudes

After a day of acclimating to our surroundings my travel group and I set out on a journey from our hostel, located in the red light district to the Van Gogh museum, located all the way on the opposite edge of the city. This venture led us through many of the varying regions of Amsterdam. Within Amsterdam, different areas present different cultural aspects, such as types of food, entertainment and people in general. I found that this journey gave a wide range of what the city of Amsterdam can offer. The regions are not physically bound in any way however, things like spatial distributions, monuments and other landmarks can give you a good idea of what zone of the city you are in or entering.

The Red Light District was everything that can said about it and even yet you find yourself surprised. Walking down these narrow winding streets, you notice the clutter of coffeehouse expelling small waves of pungent smelling smoke, the cafes sporting all of the different beers offered on the sides of their entrance, and the red lights gleaming from the even narrower alleys on either side. Here it was obvious to me that there was limited space here, all shared by people with a lot of activity going on at once.

After winding through these narrow streets, we found ourselves in the midst of The Dam, the square that houses the National Monument, the New Church and the Palace, which at the time was being renovated. This square is so open and people are dispersed throughout, either taking pictures, sitting on the steps of the monument or taking part in the open-mic performance that was going on. Here all of the hustle and bustle of the red light district was focused in one area. This place gave me an overwhelming feeling of ‘wow, this is Europe, this is what Amsterdam is all about’. These large open squares cannot even be grasped in a photograph. This specific area was a hotspot for culture with live music, the national monument casting a looming shadow reminding the visitors of the victims of WWII, and the dark spires of the New Church (Learn more about Dam Square, and a 360 View of Dam Square).

Next, passing through the Dam and up towards the Van Gogh Museum, we came to the Muntplein. Here, on one side of you is the Amstel River winding through the various colored, peaked houses and hotels, with all of their awnings and symmetric windows detailed with white. If you look another way, it leads down to the flower market with numerous booths of tulips and bulbs just waiting to be smuggled into foreign countries. The Muntplein is a vast open junction where all modes of transportation and people with all different purposes are crosses. I noticed tourists, business people, families and vendors all spread out where it seems chaotic yet harmonious. Geographically this was one of the largest centers for movement and activity in the city. If you were not eating lunch outside at a café here, you are either headed to the Museumplein, the business district or the Leidseplein. (360 View of the Muntplein).

Finally, after crossing over the four major canals and the Rijksmuseum was in sight, we had reached the Museumplein. This area of town was littered with art galleries and shops. The area with the I Amsterdam sign was different to me because in part it is all covered in stones instead of grass, which does extend on the opposite end of the open area, but I found this landscape choice interesting. The cluster of museums are tucked back into this cozy residential looking area, which begins to confine some space just as the Red Light District did, however, with high bushes, fences and homes. The quietness of this part of the city on a Friday evening was comforting yet a bit eerie. (360 View of the Museumplein)

This journey across town with a geographical perspective helped me to notice the boundaries and the different areas of culture and space. I can appreciate the differences this city has in comparison to others in Europe with the canals, coffee shops and the large prominent monuments that cannot be seen anywhere else. Also, the layout of the city which radiates outward from the train station makes navigating difficult yet wandering fun. My final advice for maneuvering the streets of Amsterdam, is get a map with major landmarks on it and use the canals as a way of always know where you are and where you are going.

Amsterdam and the Red Light District: the European Las Vegas

While I was sitting on the train on my way to Amsterdam, Holland my hands were literally shaking with excitement. With my travel friend Chris sitting across from me, we were accompanied by a young man who was obviously European. He was wearing tight black pants, a white t-shirt, a gray blazer, a bright red scarf which resembled a rose, and had long curly brown hair about shoulder length. Chris and I were chatting about the weekend when this boy suddenly asked us if we were Americans. Obviously we responded by saying yes and that we were traveling to Amsterdam for the weekend. After a few introductions, we found out his name was Michael (pronounced Michelle) and was from the city of Amsterdam. This opportunity to gain more insight about the place I thought to be very laid-back was too good to give up. Chris and I asked him to describe Amsterdam to us. To sum it up, Michael told us that “Amsterdam is very similar America”. After asking what he meant he had trouble explaining how they were similar, most likely because the only place in America he had traveled to was Maine. For the rest of the weekend I made it my job to see the ways which Amsterdam was similar and different to America. The only conclusion I could come up with: Amsterdam, specifically the Red Light District, is the Las Vegas of Europe with of course with a few differences here and there.

Once we arrived in Amsterdam after a painstakingly anxious six hour train ride from Luxembourg, I was immediately overwhelmed by how fast the city moved. Chris and I along with the 6 others we were traveling with had to walk the streets to find our hotel. As we were making our trek to Hotel Traveler, bumping into people and avoiding the bike lanes along the way, I couldn’t help but get my first smell of the overwhelming musty, spicy aroma of an herb; it was a coffeeshop.

Two stores down from the first coffeeshop, I saw a large sign with yellow lights all around it reading “Casino”, immediately making me think of Las Vegas.

After we checked into our hotel, it was time to roam the busy, people infested streets of the Red Light District. The first thing that I noticed was the abundance of sex shops, sex shows, and strip clubs.

Again, this gave me the feeling like I was in sin city, except for fewer skyscrapers, amazingly old history, and the thousands of miles between the two cities. As the night went on I realized that the city of Amsterdam was a very tolerant and open minded place, similar to Las Vegas. Along with the sex shops, coffeeshops (where it’s legal to consume and possess marijuana), and casinos, there is also legalized prostitution. Even though the only institution in Amsterdam which resembles America is the legalized gambling, it was the lights of the Red Light District which allowed me to see that it could be compared similarly to Las Vegas. At night the Red Light District had distinct neon pink lights above the doors in alleys and along the street sides where prostitutes solicited. This combined with the vast bright-neon green, blue, red, and yellow lights above sex shops and coffeeshops gave Amsterdam the appearance of a European Las Vegas.

After a night of roaming the streets on Thursday, I felt much more relaxed about being in Amsterdam for the following two days. On Thursday I was so overwhelmed with all the lights, smells, and sights I was not able to pinpoint the major differences between America (specifically Las Vegas) and Amsterdam. One major difference was the use of bikes. Amsterdam was built on four main canals which run through the city. As a result, the city was built off of these canals and not built on a grid like American cities. Since the city was built to fit to the canals, many streets are narrow and not used for car transportation. Since these narrow streets are even crowded to walk around on foot, bikes are the best mode of transportation. Instead of roads for cars, there are bike lanes specifically for bikers. Another difference between a place such as Las Vegas and Amsterdam is the climate. Las Vegas is in the desert and gets very hot during the day. Amsterdam is as far north as Canada and is located right on the North Sea. As a result, the temperature didn’t get above 70 all week :)















All in all I had a great weekend. I got to see and in some cases experience new things such as sex shops, coffeeshops, and legal prostitution which I may never be able to see again in my life. Even though Amsterdam was not just like America as Michael described, it shares many similarities and differences to certain places in America such as Las Vegas. It is the similarities and differences together in Amsterdam which make it such a unique place. With that being said, it is my goal one day to make it back to my bizarro European Las Vegas.