Woman on Her Way

Why is Amsterdam so noisy. Its 4:30 A.M. and the city is keeping me awake. Does the din have to do with the low altitude, the tall stone buildings, the long wide streets?

People’s voices are amplified; someone talking on a cell phone appears as if they were speaking into a megaphone. The tapping of a cane is an offensive rat-tat-tat on my eardrums. Cars rumble by for what seems like ages.

Friday night party-goers yell and giggle, but when I look out the window, I can’t see them; they are so far away, and yet so loud.

Add the underlying city din and the noise level is excruciating–I don’t even hear Dennis’ snoring. I long to be back in a quiet locale.

This is the West Tower, the tallest tower in Amsterdam, 85 meters (279 feet). The West Church was purposely built by Protestants in 1620. Rembrandt is buried here. In her diary,  Anne Frank mentions listening to this church’s bells while she was hiding in a storage building across the street.

As I write, the clock tower on the Rijksmuseum near the hotel where we are staying plays Fur Elise to announce 3:45. It plays different songs each time it rings. Luckily it does not chime during the night.

Amsterdam has 165 canals — with a combined length of 100 km (60 mi.) On this morning’s tour of the canals, I learned that 15,000 bikes are fished our of the canal annually, along with 10 cars and 51 dead bodies–mostly men who urinate in the canal, fall in, and cannot get out. Of interest, is that 50% of Amsterdam’s population is under 34 years of age and that 75% of the homes are owned by singles, maybe because they are so narrow.

The tour guides discussed Amsterdam’s architecture several times.Various forms of gables helped distinguish the old narrow buildings, as did various decorations. To the right is an example of a step gable. Other styles include spout, step, neck, bell, and cornice. Some gables include scrolls and ornamentation; others have markings that indicate what was stored in the warehouse, such as coffee, beer, meat, etc.

The red brick portion of  the tower on the left  is part of the old protective wall, Montelbaanstoren. The decorative tower and clocks were added in 1606. Since each of the four clocks did not keep accurate time, which caused the bells to ring indiscriminately–or not at all– the tower became known as “Silly Jack.” The tower now houses Amsterdam’s Department of Sewage and Water Management.

In Amsterdam, taxes are based on the width of the property, not the height. According to Iamsterdam.com “The narrowest house in the world is located at Singel 7. The house is a meter (about 40 inches) wide — barely wider than its front door. But appearances can be deceiving! The Singel-facing side is actually the back of the house, and the front is much wider.”

This is a masthead from the replica of the 19th century merchant ship, the Amsterdam, now located at the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. Each year Amsterdam has a theme to attract tourist. Next year, there will be a Tall Ships Race.

Amsterdam is the second largest port in the Netherlands.  It is located on the bank of a former bay named the IJ and the North Sea Canal.

Returning from the port, the tour boat took us on a canal where you can see seven bridges. We also traveled up the Gentleman’s canal. Here the wealthy would purchase two land plots and build one home, often with two front doors. The Herengracht is a museum depicting the homes and lifestyle of Amsterdam’s rich.

There are approximately 2500 houseboats on Amsterdam’s canal, some are made of concrete, some are slabs with what looks like a modular building, others are more elaborate. Imagine having a home where tour boats drive by all day and people are constantly peering in your windows.

After the tour, we browsed through the tulip market. Too bad these flowers don’t grow in Sarasota, they are lovely. I would love to plant some of the giant varieties.

We snacked near the market and watched as people strolled by. It seems almost every nationality was represented; Amsterdam is really an international city.

 

 

The Netherlands is the most densely populated country in the world, and Amsterdam is its capital and most populous city. In addition there are the tourists. According to Wikipedia, “Amsterdam is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, receiving more than 4.63 million international visitors annually, this is excluding the 16 million day trippers visiting the city every year.” As you can imagine, there are people everywhere. As we sat having dinner and people watched, we concluded that this has to be the city with the tallest people. A  Google search confirms our suspicions: the average height for all adults in the Netherlands is 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), making them the nation with the tallest citizens. I wonder how they navigate the almost perpendicular stairs.

We walked about 9 miles around the city. First we went to the Verzetsmuseum (the Resistance Museum), spending hours reading all the information and personal stories. After dinner, we strolled over to the Red Light District (RLD). On the way, the setting sun illuminated the architecture and canals (right). Once in the RLD, women clad in skimpy outfits (but nothing that could not be seen on Florida beaches) stood like mannequins or moved suggestively in large-paned window. The area smelled of hash, booze, and men. There were peep shows, strip bars, and adult toy shops. Surprisingly, the area was replete with bars and international eateries where men and women sat sipping a drink or eating dinner. There were tour groups with guides explaining the area sites. Since they spoke a language I did not understand, I could not tell what they were describing, but I am pretty sure it had nothing to do with the women, since people were looking at buildings and statues.

 

As we approached the Nijmegen train station, we saw bicyclists looking for vacant spots in the multi-floor bike park. Imagine how much energy is saved in the Netherlands just with bike use.

It is strange for me to look for bike traffic; several times, Dennis had to yank me off the bicycle path. Unless riding for sport, most commute riders (and their children) do not wear helmets. Most bikes are older models equipped with baskets or panniers. Only a few have lights or reflectors.

We arrived at the Amsterdam Central Train Station around noon. The town’s cafe-lined streets are full of pedestrians (many tourists), trolly cars, and bicyclists. We passed several museums such as the Medieval Museum of Torture, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Sexmuseum, Van Gogh, and others. We also walked by several Ben & Jerry’s; somehow I managed to resist the call of Double Fudge Brownie, thinking that there must be a Dutch delight in my future.

Maureen at the Tourists Office was very helpful in finding us a room and telling us about the various “must see” tours. We plan to visit Anne Frank’s house, the canals, the Red Light District (for Dennis’ sake), and take a walking tour, which we enjoyed doing in Galway and London.

We are staying at the Hotel Museumzicht in the Museum and Fashion District. To access the lobby of this ancient hotel, you need to climb what is probably the world’s most steep interior stairway–10 risers to the front door, and then another 52 to our room. We are staying on the “first” floor overlooking trees below. (See right below.)

After a delightful Indonesian dinner, we schlepped over to Anne Frank’s house. I cannot imagine living in the annex attic for two years, as she did. At thirteen, when she went into hiding, her friends recall that she was a leader, vivacious, bubbly. Once in hiding, she had to sit still and not make any noise. We are lucky her diary and writings were saved and that her father had the courage to publish them.

For the first time in about six weeks, I am warm; it is about 80 F and sunny. Perhaps this is why I love Amsterdam so much.