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PrintMagic Amsterdam
Amsterdam is occupied by more than a million people who choose walking, railcars and bicycles over automobiles.
I wasn’t sure what my friend Chuck meant when he told me we were going to Amsterdam to get our brains scrubbed, but I figured a brain scrubbing would be a good thing. The scrub began with an escape from our work-a-day world to unfamiliar territory. Amsterdam is a great place to step away from the predictable and still be surrounded by people and places that stimulate, educate and intrigue in a way that an American can understand. The city’s amazing history and artful nature somehow makes you feel less significant but more alive at the same time. There is forward momentum in a place that has been primarily unchanged for 500 years. It is as if the Dutch know a secret about living life that they’re unwilling to share. It is an alchemy that you must discover on your own.
The citizens of Amsterdam move very quickly to and from their destinations with a certain intensity that is refreshing. They are friendly but in a very direct manner. They are casual but focused. Conversation heads in a direction and does not meander across topics. The Dutch have a unique penchant for fashion and boots are the predominant fashion statement for women. There are not big-box department stores in Amsterdam. Instead, most clothing is sold in boutiques scattered all over the city. 
The Dutch have been known as merchants and traders since the early 1500s. Their mercantile history is still reflected in Amsterdam with a broad cross section of nationalities and a native people that speak three or more languages fluently. One of the pleasures of traveling in the Netherlands is the ability to speak English and be understood in virtually every place you go. Although some of the Dutch were confused by Chuck’s Alabama accent.
There is a ribbon of humanity that weaves its way through all cultures and it is nowhere more evident than Amsterdam. As I looked over the 600 beautiful photos that Chuck shot during our seven-day stay, I was enchanted by the human quality of the city. Amsterdam is a place that recognizes the differences that exist in humanity and then celebrates and accepts the whole of us. It is a city that teams gothic Russian structures with contemporary discotheques. One of the largest Catholic churches in the city is literally surrounded by the red light district and coffeehouses that serve marijuana and hash to patrons. Despite its sordid reputation, it is a city that expects decorum from its citizens and its guests.
Built to last
The city fathers have a master plan that dates back (and forward) hundreds of years. The architecture of Amsterdam offers an aesthetic and complexity that creates a backdrop for one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The contrast from block to block and even building to building is stunning. Buildings from the 1400s commingle with modern architecture that sweeps the skyline. There is not a divide between commercial and residential areas; nearly every storefront has residences above. While some areas of the city are older and more residential than others, there doesn’t appear to be a great divide between the classes in the city. Some of the older structures have a decisive lean that give the appearance of a funhouse. Another architectural element on most of the older buildings in town is the stout beams that protrude from the eves of the building and house a pulley on the end of each of them. These beam and pulley systems are 
necessary to hoist furniture and appliances through the window openings of each floor because the stairwells are so narrow.
Amsterdam was a leader in modern architecture at the turn of the century with its Amsterdam School of Architecture. The photo on the opposite page top shows a building from the development called Het Schip (The Ship) in the Spaarndammerplansoen area of Amsterdam. The structure was built as social housing for the low-wage earning factory workers in the early 1900s as a statement that the poor deserved and appreciated great architectural spaces in which to live and work. The Amsterdam School of Architecture is a great source of pride to the Dutch because it is an ideology that empowered the lower class ranks towards upward mobility in the early 1900s and is still working today in much the same way. The Dutch continue to operate as a socialist state and believe that every citizen is entitled to housing and healthcare.
Brainscrub note
Architecture is an important aspect of American culture. Tearing down old buildings may be less expensive than preservation, but their destruction destroys part of the fabric and history of our culture. As we level inner cities and old towns to make way for new architecture and taller structures we lose a significant piece of who we are. The Dutch recognize their past as part of who they are now… and they seem enlightened for that understanding.
A city in motion
You can walk, bike, drive or ride, but you gotta keep moving in Amsterdam. The city is relatively small with a land mass of less than six square miles. It is occupied by more than a million people who choose walking, railcars and bicycles over automobiles. There are 65 miles of well designed canals weaving across the city that houses 2,500 houseboats occupied year round by residents and visitors.
Amsterdam’s amazing transportation efficiencies would be a roadmap to success for any American city that would be willing to adapt to such a radical departure from what we know or expect from transportation. I’ll have to admit that after a week of traversing the city on foot and on rail, even my bulky frame felt fairly accustomed to moving around without a car. One of the challenges of walking in Amsterdam is learning to gage the oncoming speed of walkers, bikers, cars and trams that are in constant motion day and night, rain or shine.
There are two bicycles for every citizen of Amsterdam. In America, bikes are primarily used for recreation. Bicycles are serious business in Amsterdam and are a no frills, one speed, low cost way to move around the city. Age, gender and social class are not a factor. Almost everyone rides a bike. Mothers with babies and shopping baskets occupy the bike lanes along with suit-wearing executives and bleary-eyed students. Bike traffic is a definite cultural aspect of the city and the riders move fast and deliberately. (Most appear to be in good shape too!) Bikes also tie the city together because the movement across the different boroughs makes shopping, dinning and social events a quick trip without the hassles of traffic jams, parking and gas. We walked six blocks from the houseboat in which we stayed in order to meet friends who lived four miles away. They made it to the restaurant on their bikes before we did.
The trams that run across the city link areas together. If you choose to travel several blocks and don’t have a bike, you can still comfortably get anywhere in greater Amsterdam within 20 minutes. Even though the city is horseshoe shaped, it became second nature to hop on and off a railcar to get across the city. The Central Station acts as a hub of travel to and from the airport and to outlying provinces in the Netherlands.
Brainscrub note
Unglamorous yet efficient is a good transportation methodology and may be the better way to travel through life.
A cradle for artists
Painters and sculptures get rock star status and art is celebrated in Holland. It is not just the recognition of Rembrandt and van Gogh’s genius; it’s an appreciation for those who create art. The other striking visual in Amsterdam is the varying degrees of art that exists everywhere you turn. Bronze gates with casts of old-world royalty open up to a wall of unencumbered new-world graffiti. There is a reverence for the old stone carvings on bridge abutments and over doorways, and an appreciation of the metal art and new bronze statues that adorn the front of boats in the canals.
Every neighborhood has galleries that display fine art from the area and surrounding countryside and villages. Nearly every square inch of these ancient buildings are filled with new and old art that make the city a fantastic art colony. Art enthusiasts could spend weeks looking through shops and galleries in the city.
Vincent van Gogh’s work is omnipresent in his homeland. The van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is an amazing tribute to the irascible Dutchman who was maligned as a painter in his time but revered today. Standing two feet from his spectacular coup de grace, Starry Night, is an experience that is moving and undeniable. The largest body of his collected works is permanently housed here. The Rijksmuseum is one block away and has a collection of Dutch native Rembrandt van Rijn and dozens of other Dutch masters. It is considered one of the finest art museums in the world. The Rijksmuseum has been undergoing a massive reconstruction that is due for completion in 2010.
Brainscrub note
Art is about the ability to create without restriction. The acceptance of all art forms and styles in Amsterdam fuels its growth. It is the judgement of art that limits it. A city can never have too much art or too many artists… only too many critics.
Afternoons and coffee spoons
The gathering places in Amsterdam are the street level cafés and coffeehouses. Cafés are an integral part of the social structure of the city. While the citizens are full speed ahead on the streets of Amsterdam, they shift gears when they hit the cafés and restaurants. The cafés (most with outdoor seating) bustle from the early afternoon until dark with crowds who know how to have fun. Service is slow at best.
People come to cafés and restaurants to socialize and relax. It took me a couple of days to get used to spending three hours to move through the process of an Amsterdam meal.
The coffeehouses are a different matter entirely. For the uninitiated, the coffeehouses in Amsterdam are businesses that serve marijuana and hash to their customers. The shops are filled primarily with younger folk who are from neighboring countries. Most of the shops are decorated as a throwback to the late 60s and early 70s with names like the Grasshopper, Mellow Yellow, Spirit, Rokery and Abraxas. A surprising aspect of these places is how uneventful they are. Other than the smell of burning hemp, they feel and look like a typical bar in America.
One of the most popular coffeehouses was the Damkring. Chuck and I sat at the table that George Clooney and Matt Damon schemed at in the 2004 movie Ocean’s Twelve. It was a surreal experience as we sat with an older German gentleman who had so many ethereal ideas that we were wondering if he was really there at all. He asked us what day it was and when we responded “Wednesday,” he replied, “There is no Wednesday. There is no day at all. Only now… as it should be.” We agreed it was possible that we had met God and were envisioning what kind of impression we made on him. The coffee was really good!
Brainscrub note
The Dutch are known as a progressive and liberal people. Their heritage is one of moderation. It is not marijuana, alcohol or food that wreaks havoc in our lives. It is the excessive way that we use those products that debilitates us.
The price of being Dutch
If the Dutch are known for one trait, it is their reputation as merchants. Sailors from the North Sea port of Amsterdam invented a “global” economy in the 1600s and they have never looked back. Holland is the world’s leading exporter of flowers with six gigantic flower markets (see one of the FloraHolland flower auctions on the following pages) that sell four-billion Euros worth of flowers and plants a year.
Most of the neighborhoods in Amsterdam have street markets. These open-air markets offer a maze of fresh produce and groceries, along with nearly anything else you may desire. Because there are many cultures gathered in the city, the plethora of food, clothing and decorative items is overwhelming. If you enjoy shopping, you’ll want to leave time to discover the deals that lurk around every corner. One can only imagine the vast amount of trinkets and treasures that have been sold to and from the four corners of the world from these markets over time.
I did bring back a suitcase of trinkets on my return trip to America, but the best treasure didn’t fit in the suitcase. A good brain scrub isn’t just about getting away from your own reality to learn new things… it’s about creating the room in your own head to explore and expand those new realities upon your return. Going Dutch isn’t about splitting the cost. It’s about taking care of yourself.
Brainscrub note
There are no large grocery carts in Holland. The general idea is to buy the fresh products you need for a day or two then come back when you need more. Quantities are smaller, food is fresher and you must bring your own sack. More taste and less waste.
