A quiet weekend in Amsterdam

So if you haven’t figured it out by the title, I went to Amsterdam over the weekend with my fraternity brother. A relatively short flight away from Britain, the price of the ticket was right and we were able to find a hotel (NOT a hostel!) in a very central location for a more than reasonable price, so there was little reason not to head to the Netherlands. So many things I want to say about Amsterdam... where to start…

Amsterdam is kind of a two-faceted city in terms of why people visit. For one, its old town is packed with canals (explaining the nickname ‘Venice of the North’), historical architecture, and a charm unique even in Europe. There is also the matter of it being a vaguely Las Vegas-eque place, where prostitution, marijuana, and many other things are either completely legal or technically illegal but fully tolerated. What happens in Amsterdam stays there more or less. But I wouldn’t know anything about that stuff.

View from our hotel onto the Rembrandtplein

Typical Amsterdam Scenery

Amsterdam is a tourist destination no doubt, but there aren’t a ton of ‘sights’ to see per se. The city’s main asset is its atmosphere. We flew in early Friday morning, and after checking into our hotel on the Rembrandtplein we spent most of the day just kind of wandering around. Like I said before, the city is really unique and definitely unlike any place I’ve been before. The canals, row houses, brick streets and narrow alleyways, cafes… one can walk for hours just enjoying the vibe that the city gives off. The same thing goes for at night when the street lamps and Christmas lights (I thought we started early in the states) glisten off the water making for some serious ambiance. Almost made me regret being single… but not really. As a side note, evening strolls are a legitimate pastime as the city is apparently one of the safest in Europe.  You might not believe that after the tenth or eleventh time being asked if you want to buy some coke, but a polite ‘no’ or a request for a comically harder and more dangerous drug will send these businessmen on their way no questions asked.

See what I mean?

If I remember correctly, that first night we hit up De Wallen (Amsterdam’s much ballyhooed red light district) to see what all the fuss was about. That was something else… it was like being in some alternate reality. I don’t know whether to describe the prostitution situation there as a marker of a more progressive society, or a marker of social decadence and degradation… maybe a little of both. It’s a legitimate industry though, to be sure, and the workers get regulated wages and benefits like everyone else. I guess what I took away from it was that prostitution is going to happen no matter what laws are on the books; there is a reason why it’s called the oldest profession in the world. Given that fact, I see no reason not to regulate it and turn it into a tourist destination… still weird though. Oh and you can't take pictures in the RLD, sorry. 

Wheatfield with Crows, possibly Van Gogh's last work

Saturday broke fairly gloomily, so it was a perfect day to explore the depressing life of one of the most famous painters in history, Vincent Van Gogh. Right near the Rijksmuseum, which had a 20 euro price tag I wasn’t trying to pay, Van Gogh’s place is a more modest affair but still sports four stories and an impressive collection considering how it seems like I’ve seen at least a few of his works in every major art museum I’ve ever been to.  The audio tour was useful but not as comprehensive as one might expect. Still, Van Gogh is a fascinating figure and it was definitely worth learning a bit more about him.

Next day we went to the Anne Frank Museum, which consists of the house the diarist called home during the Nazi occupation as well as a conjoining space for more exhibits. I read the diary for class when I was in elementary school so it was definitely a little surreal walking up to the real thing. I was expecting the house to be set up like it had been during the war, but instead the rooms were mostly bare, with information and exhibits on the walls. Various excerpts from the diary were scattered throughout, and the museum did a good job of presenting the chronology of the affair as well as the people involved.

The Anne Frank House is in the middle

Monday, our last full day in Amsterdam, we walked out to the ‘Heineken Experience’, an interactive exploration of everything involving Heineken beer. This particular attraction I was less than impressed with. For starters, I don’t care for Heineken. Fraternity life has conditioned my palette to appreciate brews of a more cost-efficient variety. Secondly, there just wasn’t much to the place, mostly just fluff. They don’t actually brew the beer there anymore, and although they give you a rundown of the brewing and bottling process, it’s not like you’re really seeing it. Most of the ‘experience’ consisted of watching beefed-up Heineken commercials and hearing about how wonderful the brand and its patriarchs are. You do get some free beer, but like I said, I’m not a fan.

So, you may be wondering what I did in Amsterdam the rest of the time, seeing as I was there for a little over four days and I wasn’t in museums for the whole trip. Well, you’ll just have to go to Amsterdam and find out for yourself. I said at the beginning of this post that there are two main reasons people visit Amsterdam, and I really believe that the combination is what makes it such a cool place. As an added bonus, the Dutch culture is definitely a distinct entity...but literally everyone speaks English, which makes getting around pretty seamless. I’ll look back on my weekend with fond memories for sure, and I would definitely be down to visit again- if only to continue reenacting my favorite scenes from Oceans 12.

Becoming a Highlander

The entire time I’ve been in Scotland people have been telling me I needed to visit the Highlands, and I agreed. Not only did their descriptions of breathtaking beauty compel me to go, but my satirical fascination with the movie Highlander was also a significant factor. I had made no plans up until a couple weeks ago, but interest by my flatmates and my fraternity brother studying in London convinced me that now was the time. A few days of planning later and the trip was set. Here is the route we followed over three days (which was obviously a lot more windy than those red lines):

After some initial setbacks in getting our rental car, we headed to St. Andrews on the East coast and arrived just before running out of daylight. Although our original plan was to hit Dundee and Aberdeen on the way up as well, we were fortunate to be in St. Andrews for the sunset as the view looking out to sea was gorgeous. Just beforehand we had a look around the ruins of the once-mighty St. Andrews Cathedral, and after dusk had fallen we made our way to the famed golf course as well as the university before grabbing some dinner and beginning for Inverness.

Inverness is the capital of the Highlands (which is an actual political entity as well as the general name for the region) and quite a charming city when you venture into the center along the River Ness.  Although a few hours north of Edinburgh and higher in elevation, Inverness wasn’t noticeably colder.  This would change once we ventured into the Cairngorm Mountains just South of the city (the big green section on the map) for our hike the morning after arrival. We had planned to take a trail around a couple of the mountains for a scenic view of a nearby loch, but with less daylight than we had anticipated and misty conditions, we decided a ways in just to climb one of the nearby mountains instead. It wasn’t the most difficult endeavor of my life, but I will say that the mountain definitely looked shorter from the valley. About halfway up we began to get pelted by tiny water molecules from the surrounding clouds until, by the summit, we were fairly wet. The top afforded little in the way of views, but a convenient wind shelter made from boulders allowed for some rest before the descent.

For whatever reason on the way down, the beauty and enormity of the landscape really started to hit us. We hadn’t seen much on the drive up due to the darkness, but here right out in the middle of the wilderness with not another soul around but us, there really was a feeling of mystique that eludes any proper description. In one moment I understood what has brought master painters and movie directors alike to the Highlands- they’re just beautiful. The mountains looked like hills because of their gradual rise and lack of trees or the typical rocky façade, but a more thoughtful gaze revealed that they were far bigger than any hill I had ever seen. If you don’t really focus, the scale of the place can be lost on you. 

That night, after the hike, we returned to Inverness where I tried haggis for the first time. I’d been waiting to eat it in the Highlands as I thought that would be most appropriate, and I’ve got to say it tasted pretty good. It was served on top of mashed potatoes, and in that fashion it reminded me a lot of ground beef.

After another night in Inverness, we set a course for home down the West coast of the famed Loch Ness. Just as in Burma when I saw the Kayan women with the gold rings around their necks, Loch Ness was definitely a watershed moment for me in terms of realizing that I was actually seeing some of these famous and remote things with my own eyes. After watching countless TV documentaries about Loch Ness, standing on the shore was pretty awesome and I made sure to grab a rock to bring back with me. The scenery looks a lot different than it does on TV, more mountainous with less rolling hills than one might expect, but the view was still amazing to put it lightly. We stopped at Urquhart Castle halfway down the length of the loch, but settled for taking pictures from above because of the high price of admission (which I hadn’t expected).

Luckily, our last stop provided a much better opportunity to explore a medieval castle, this one situated near the base of the tallest peak in Britain, Ben Nevis. Inverlochy Castle in Fort Williams, circa 1270’s, is mostly ruined now, but that only added to its romantic allure. Watching part of Braveheart before the trip didn’t hurt either.  According to one of the info-placards outside the castle, Queen Victoria once visited and was not impressed, saying something to the effect that there wasn’t much left to see. I have to disagree, as I found the ruin nothing short of fascinating. Walking along the ramparts I couldn’t help but be impressed by the authenticity of it. It’s a real castle, and real battles were fought over it for hundreds of years. You just don’t get that sense of the distant past in America.

After leaving Fort Williams we headed home and returned the rental without incident, thankfully. Although the trip ended up costing almost double what we had estimated, it was definitely worth it for me. The scenery without a doubt lived up to expectations, and a road trip with friends  beats sitting around on the weekend any day. I apologize if this post seems a little rushed, but I’ve got a flight leaving Edinburgh in few hours to... somewhere. You’ll have to check my next post to find out, but suffice to say I’m highly enthused.

Anyway, here are some additional pictures.