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.