Unraveling the Ordered Chaos of Amsterdam through the Simplicity of a Walk in the Park

My first essential lesson that I’ve learned thus far from my studies and travel in Europe, I hate to say, did not take place during class at the chateau, nor did it take place while exploring a museum. It seemed like I ‘did it all’ in Amsterdam, but I know that that is far from the truth. I enjoyed a scenic canal tour, toured the Heineken museum, wandered around the Van Gogh museum, frolicked through a pub-crawl and dined at cafes located in the vibrant heart of the city. I sincerely loved each and every one of these adventures. However, the experiences through which I learned the most and truly soaked up the essence of this crazy city they call Amsterdam was strolling through the central park, Vondelpark located near our hostel. My friends and I used this park everyday as a gateway to our daily tourist activities and various destinations; but really, I viewed these strolls as my opportunities to experience the ‘real’ Amsterdam in its natural state, apart from the museums, restaurants and other tourist attractions. During my walks in the park I simply engaged in quite possibly the best people watching that I think this world has to offer. Businessmen and women dressed in suits sped down the pathway upon bicycles and beautiful women in sundresses sported children on ‘car seats’ suitable for bicycles.

The facts that we learn in class provide us with a foundation of knowledge that we can and should use while traveling throughout Europe. In order to build upon this knowledge I’ve begun to learn that I must remind myself to take a moment and just look around, note differences and attempt to soak in the culture of the city in which I am essentially an outsider. Strolling through the park and breathing in the beautiful scenery and observing the locals just living their lives allowed me to make comparisons while I traveled throughout Amsterdam to various tourist attractions. Initially, I was puzzled about the idea of culture pertaining to the people of Amsterdam. I was accustomed to thinking about culture in terms of community and thought that a culture was largely defined by the similarities shared by a group of individuals who may or may not reside in close proximity. Whether it is a common religion, shared moral values or even a traditional recipe, a specific culture shares some sort of common ground. However, I had never seen such an eclectic group of people living together in the same town, such as I did in Amsterdam. For instance, nervously walking around the red light district I noticed some of the most bizarre contrasts I had ever seen and probably that I ever will see. Middle-aged and elderly couples held hands eating fresh pastries as they strolled past prostitutes offering themselves through glaring panes of glass. Older ladies stopped for a coffee next-door to assorted sex toyshops and amidst the distinct aroma of marijuana.

It can be easy to see therefore, why at first I could not figure out any type of common ground that united this territory and brought together the bicyclists in the park with the nearby red light district. I clearly needed a fresh perspective. It became evident that people in Amsterdam took pride in their primary form of transportation, that of bicycles and also took pride in the beauty of their green parks colored by assorted flowers and their quaint canals rich in history and lined by narrow houses that date back centuries ago. A number of bicyclists in Vondelpark carried bags printed with the Amsterdam flag and I saw either this flag imprinted with three white X’s across a red and black background or the ‘I AMSTERDAM’ logo both in the park and throughout all of Amsterdam.

A separate flag exists for the Netherlands and this flag symbolizes Amsterdam itself. Anderson’s article about ‘imagined communities’ that we read for Geography discusses the fascinating subject of territory and reflects upon the idea that that no lines actually exist to separate the distinct cultures of European countries and cities, but clear cultural differences and nationalistic emotions literally create these cities and regions. This imagined territory exists to define Amsterdam as well. I now view the city of Amsterdam as ordered chaos. Amsterdam therefore may stand apart from other European cities because the ‘culture’ of its people is defined by a peaceful acceptance and fascinating blend of eclectic individuals all living, playing and working close together. While I soaked the in the beauty of Van Gogh and snapped photos at the Heineken brewery, I would never have come to my new conclusions about Amsterdam and my outlook on its community and culture had I not spent some time strolling through a beautiful park, taking in my surroundings and most importantly…. avoiding being hit by a businessman on a bicycle.

Click here to visit a tourist site that offers detail about the beautiful Vondelpark