Thursday, June 28, 2012
Coffee shops, Cafes, Art, and Bicycles
Amsterdam is to the Netherlands what New York is to the U.S. with a few differences. Coffee shops are where you go if you are looking for marijuana rolled, in a tea, or in a brownie, etc. Cafes are where you go for coffee. The Rijks museum is where they display the creme de la creme of Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer. And bicycles - well just watch out! Bicycles are a main mode of transportation, pedestrians beware. I have been on trains, planes, buses and boats in the first two days. There are several options for public transportation and they are quite efficient.
A short train ride from our hotel in Haarlem and we arrived at the Anne Frank house. I stood at the original entrance knowing that this was where Nazi soldiers entered and arrested Anne and her family. I read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, the age Anne was when she started writing in her diary. At that time I could relate to her young adolescent emotions. But as I stood in the rooms they hid in for two years and tried to imagine what that might have been like, I found myself looking at it from a parents perspective. I found myself admiring her parents and their courage in deciding to go into hiding to protect their family.
They say that Amsterdam is known for their live and let live attitude. That they are known for their tolerance. Tolerance for things like drugs, prostitution, and gay rights. More recently their tolerance is being tested. With an increase in immigration and multiculturalism there are some who are of extreme opinions about what this means to their tidy, well organized lifestyle (especially in the current world economy.) Amsterdam has a history of great wealth and success. But what happens when you are presented with new and different people and lifestyles? Hmm, we are still navigating much of this in the U.S.
So far I have enjoyed a lovely Indonesian feast and dutch pancakes served in three courses for lunch. The dutch love their waffles and french fries with mayonaise. Next stop Germany.
Tot ziens!
A short train ride from our hotel in Haarlem and we arrived at the Anne Frank house. I stood at the original entrance knowing that this was where Nazi soldiers entered and arrested Anne and her family. I read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, the age Anne was when she started writing in her diary. At that time I could relate to her young adolescent emotions. But as I stood in the rooms they hid in for two years and tried to imagine what that might have been like, I found myself looking at it from a parents perspective. I found myself admiring her parents and their courage in deciding to go into hiding to protect their family.
They say that Amsterdam is known for their live and let live attitude. That they are known for their tolerance. Tolerance for things like drugs, prostitution, and gay rights. More recently their tolerance is being tested. With an increase in immigration and multiculturalism there are some who are of extreme opinions about what this means to their tidy, well organized lifestyle (especially in the current world economy.) Amsterdam has a history of great wealth and success. But what happens when you are presented with new and different people and lifestyles? Hmm, we are still navigating much of this in the U.S.
So far I have enjoyed a lovely Indonesian feast and dutch pancakes served in three courses for lunch. The dutch love their waffles and french fries with mayonaise. Next stop Germany.
Tot ziens!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Seven days to take off!
Seven days to take off! I have always been fascinated by everything Italian. The book Eat, Pray, Love described the joy of Italy that I always imagined. Like the simple joy of saying a word in Italian because you love the way it sounds, in the book the main character loves the word “attraversiamo” meaning let’s cross over, she also identifies with this word for what is happening in her life. My favorite phrase is “Tutto va bene”, everything is fine. I believe everything in my life is as it should be. That’s not to say it’s perfect but that every experience gives me an opportunity for growth and makes me who I am at this moment.
I’ve known I wanted to go to Italy and I thought I would do it sometime soon. Last fall, out of the blue, Irene called and wanted to see Europe, so we booked a trip taking us through the best of Europe with a third of it in Italy, yay! We didn’t want to rough it (no hostels for us, we’ll leave that experience to our 20-something-year-old children) so we are taking a Rick Steve’s tour. It will give us just the guidance we want with an equal amount of freedom to explore on our own, every other day is guided and the second day in each city is completely up to us.
Blogging sounded like a fun idea. I really enjoyed Celina’s blog when she traveled. This blog is experimental. I don’t know if I will actually get around to posting regularly but here goes.
Arrivederci for now.
I’ve known I wanted to go to Italy and I thought I would do it sometime soon. Last fall, out of the blue, Irene called and wanted to see Europe, so we booked a trip taking us through the best of Europe with a third of it in Italy, yay! We didn’t want to rough it (no hostels for us, we’ll leave that experience to our 20-something-year-old children) so we are taking a Rick Steve’s tour. It will give us just the guidance we want with an equal amount of freedom to explore on our own, every other day is guided and the second day in each city is completely up to us.
Blogging sounded like a fun idea. I really enjoyed Celina’s blog when she traveled. This blog is experimental. I don’t know if I will actually get around to posting regularly but here goes.
Arrivederci for now.
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