A(nother) weekend in Amsterdam
I’m doing some work near Amsterdam on Monday, and due to KLM’s bizarre pricing policy, it’s actually cheaper for me to fly out, stay for two nights in a hotel and then come home than it is for a day return. I’m more than happy with this though, because it means another most-expenses-paid weekend away. I’m staying at the Radisson SAS Schiphol Airport as it had the best package price and it’s a nice place. It’s out of the centre though, so I need to take a shuttle bus and then a train to get anywhere. No big deal – it’s handy for work and the bus barely takes 10 minutes. One thing though, it’s no good if you are here to party; the last bus is 11.45pm and you really don’t want to be taking a taxi unless you have a LOT of money.
I dropped my bags off in my room (which is great apart from the outrageous minibar prices…€4.50 for a Diet Coke for example!), grabbed my camera and then jumped straight back onto the shuttle to head back to the station at Schiphol and then head into Amsterdam city centre. The weather was good, which is a real bonus because it was forecast to rain and be generally naff all weekend.
Out of the train station, I headed over the river and straight to Damrak, which is somewhat of a main street in Amsterdam. It’s lined with hostels & restaurants. Usually it’s full of people and street entertainers and this time was no exception. It’s a fairly short distance down Damrak before there is a left hand turn – you will see ‘The Grasshopper’ – that’s the start of the infamous Red Light District. At the bottom of Damrak, you will find Dam Square. Every time I’ve been to Amsterdam there has been something different going on here (such as carnivals). This time there was nothing really special on, apart from a few entertainers and a group of girls holding up signs saying “free hugs”. I’ve seen that in a few cities and it’s great…I was trying to get some pictures but after a few failed attempts I gave up through fear of being mobbed by women and hit with handbags and umbrellas.
From Dam Square, I crossed the road (which needs care due to bikes, cars AND trams…) and headed down Dam Straat. There are some great Argentinian restaurants down there. Gauchos is great if you are feeling flush. If you want to spend a bit less, then La Stego is great too – that’s right opposite Gauchos. Both have fantastic steaks – I recommend the Beef de Lomo (fillet). I stopped for a beer in one of the many bars down there, and got talking to the well travelled owner. I was trying to find out what to do on Sunday, as I was undecided about Utrecht, Rotterdam or The Hague. He recommended The Hague, which is also what my boss recommended. Now that that was settled I finished up and headed back out.
In my previous times in Amsterdam, mostly with a colleague, we usually ended up going to the bars around the Red Light District because we didn’t know where else to go. There are some good bars around there (and on Damrak, but watch out for the ‘Fake Hooter’s called Teasers), but things can get a little repetitive after a few visits. Last time I was there, we took advantage of the many Canal Buses that go around the city. We got off to visit the Ice Bar, which is worth a look, and then walked to Rembrandt Square (Rembrandtplein). It was only a brief visit though, so I went back there this time as it seemed a nice place. There are lots of bars and restaurants, and it makes a nice change to the many tourists around the Red Light District who have had far too much to drink and/or far too many Dutch brownies. It’s generally a cool area and well worth a look, It’s a shame I didn’t spend more time there on previous visits. There is a rather large nightclub there called Escape, as well as another Gauchos and a Cinema.
Also nearby is the Leidseplein, which is rather similar in terms of bars (there seem to be even more), but there was also an open-air ice rink and a comedy club which was offering discount. I was quite tempted, but decided not to bother. Just follow the signs from Rembrandt square (to Centraal Station via Leidseplein). Again, well worth a look – lively and vibrant. I popped into one of the many pan-Asian fast food places for something to eat.
At this point my feet were rather sore, so I opted to take a tram back to Dam Square, which costs around €1.60. From there I had a quick stroll back down Dam Straat and then back to the station via the Red Light District (it’s rude not to…) before heading back to the hotel.
Woke up yesterday feeling fresh, although still with sore feet! Stuffed myself with breakfast in the hotel (while trying not to laugh and a guy trying to explain to the staff what porridge was), and then made for The Hague. I hadn’t really looked at what to see and do, so outside the station, I looked at the map for a few minutes before being approached by one of the station staff who was friendly and told me where to go. Reminded me of Japan! On reflection, I don’t think Sunday was the best time to visit; lots of places were closed and it seemed very quiet. I don’t really have a great deal to say about it, although I did encounter a nice Oriental shop in Chinatown, while on my fruitless mission to find Tourist Information (which turned out to be closed). It’s a nice place, and I enjoyed the walk, but it’s mostly museums. There was one thing though; an ice sculpture of a Porsche had been made, although by the time I saw it it was almost all melted. “What’s so special about that?” I thought…”Why are so many people taking photos and crowding round?” Eventually, I realised why people were flocking round it so much…there was a competition, and from what I could read it seemed that you win a real Porsche if you guess the total time taken for it to melt! I also took a brief trip to Scheveningen on the tram for a view of the Dutch coast, but it seemed just like a British beach resort. I was speaking to one of the guys in the office this morning, and he was saying how it was actually based on a British beach, and is the only one of its kind in Holland. He also said that while it’s very nice, it’s a place to be avoided during July & August, on account of “hundreds of Germans in sandpits…just like Normandy 1943.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I opted to head back to the airport soon after, as it was getting very cold. I sat and had a few beers, and then went back to the hotel for something to eat and more Dutch TV.
Nice walk to work this morning, the sunrise makes for great views of Schiphol Airport!
So that’s all for now, next week I head off to Boston, then New York…so stay tuned.
