Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom that was spotted with towns and cities cozily betwixt tulip and daffodil fields. Among the wooden mills and dairy farms, lived the long, lean, Lords of the Amstel. Their long legs and broad shoulders made them tower over others. They settled on the river from which they are named, and there they built a large wall to fence back the ocean's might, channeling the run offs into small aqueous paths that sliced their city. They built their dwellings, long and lean just like themselves, stretching far back from the streets, only a sliver visible from the roads. As time grew longer, the houses shifted and changed, settling further into the underground reserves or slightly inching forward in the foundations. The long, lean, Amstel Lords fly through the city on their two-wheeled wings, gliding and maneuvering the glossy streets. In this city they live and keep, enjoying the long, lean, life of the Amstel Lords.
Sometimes when I travel, actually, most times when I travel, I get inspired to write. I hardly ever have a pen and paper so I just compose these little paragraphs or mini-poem episodes in my head with the full intention of writing them down later. Most of the time, they never make it down on paper, but sometimes, when they do, they turn out well. This was one of my inspirations while I was in Amsterdam this weekend.
XXX is the city "motto" sort of like, NO8DO (no me dejado) is for Sevilla. Yes, yes, I know, it seems a bit ironic with all the infamous components they city has (weed, prostitution etc). But it is actually for the ancient family of Persijn who once ruled the area. There is also a belief that each "X" stood for each of the three dangers that haunted the ancient city of Amsterdam; fire, flood and the Black Plague. In any case, this symbol is dotted throughout the city and therefore made me curious about the origin.
This trip was a big European reunion. My roommate (Carmen) and I traveled to Amsterdam where we met up with our friend Laura who is Dutch. We have another friend, Kaylie, who is a student from App State, studying and living in Amsterdam as well. Maria, our lovely German friend, drove up from her home town for the weekend. And, my little Michelle ("Hip," roommate for next year), who I visited back in January in France, came up from Angers. It was so lovely seeing all of them and being together. Maria and I have now been to three European cities together (she wins the prize!); Sevilla, Berlin and Amsterdam. We'll add to the list in June when I'm in Luxembourg.
We spent our time in Amsterdam sight seeing, biking (like the locals), walking and eating. Phew, I ate so much this weekend.... but it was all so good! The Dutch make fantastic sandwiches and the gouda, oh, don't even get me started. Top it off with the stroopwafels and pastries, uff! But with the walking and biking, I think I came back the same way I went, at least I hope so, ha!
Wednesday we spent traveling and Thursday, Laura, Carmen, Kaylie and I walked the city and saw some of the sights. Michelle and Maria arrived later that night and we met up in the city for a few drinks at a bar called, "Chupitos" (Spanish for shots) and popped into a few other places before calling it a night. Friday we got up and took a canal tour on the river which was quite fascinating. The tour boats were so short and wide, we looked like little beetles scooting along the river. We visited the Anne Frank House after the tour. That was an incredible feeling. I had read the story in middle school and it had always stuck with me, as I'm sure it does for everyone who reads it. I admire Otto Frank for being willing to open up that space for the world to see, it was powerful being in that house and knowing their fates.
We did a few of the other touristy things of Amsterdam before heading to the Red Light District. Before going, my notion of this part of town was not a positive one... I was expecting tacky and tasteless. Ok, I will say that there were lots of sex shops, lots of sex shows and all that jazz, but I was surprised at how "undirty" I felt. The six of us just wandered up and down the streets, looking at the life sized Barbie dolls. Some of them were beautiful, some of them were not. Some of them were definitely female, others were a little ambiguous. Some of them were skinny, some of them were not. Some of them were scared and sad, others were not. Most were drinking Red Bulls and smoking cigarettes, probably doing a couple of other things in the back too.
Here's the skinny on how things work in the Red Light District; the girls are in small rooms with glass doors located off the sidewalks, they can refuse your offer or they can accept, they set their prices and they rent their door (150 euro a night, on average). Typically, a "service" costs 50 euro and consists of two things in particular. A session lasts about 15-20 minutes and on average one girl will take home 500-600 euro a shift. Crazy, eh? When we were walking, most of the people there where men (as I expected) and I definitely felt a little objectified. Its hard not to feel that way in an area like that. I scolded a few creepers with my glares as they watched us walk by. It was definitely an experience. I'm glad I went, to know what it was like, but now, I'm good.
Saturday we went to the "Iamsterdam" sign and took lots of pictures before going to a few markets and doing some more city browsing. We ate at a cafe called, "Hansel & Gretel" and had a nice long afternoon in the city. Once night came, we went out on the town! Got all dressed up and went to this Australian karaoke bar. Phew! What a night that was! Maria and I ended up being the last ones out (we always have such good nights together), we made friends with three Dutch guys and had a great time hanging out and dancing until we were too tired and took a taxi back to Laura's. Sunday morning Maria left early to go back to Germany, the rest of us met up for lunch before going our separate ways. Carmen and I made a stop in Malaga for the night after our flight got in late (around 11:30) and were back in Sevilla before lunch on Monday.
It was a beautiful weekend with beautiful friends. Definitely one of my favorite trips. The city was incredible, it had such a personality about it. From the crooked buildings to the quirkiness, it was quite the experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment