Pickled Herring, Gorillas, and Bicycles

Our hosts were the driving force behind our visit to Amsterdam, and so they must be mentioned first. David and Effrat (whom we met on the Inca Trail) invited us to visit them when in Europe and we took them up on their offer (an excellent decision, although David may disagree after I burned my clothing into his space heater). During our 2 days and 3 nights there, they showed us virtually everything we could have wanted to see in the city and we took care of the leftovers on Sunday on our own.

Our impressions:

Of all the cities we’ve visited, Amsterdam is 2nd to Berlin. It looks much nicer (wow! on the canals and architecture), but isn’t as rough and exciting as Berlin (despite the red light district and hash bars). The natural beauty of the city and its canals-even under overcast skies was enchanting. We were also amazed by how quiet and peaceful it was for such a large city and how easily navigable by bike and public transport it was. The quality of the zoo (Sue loved the gorillas best because she says I look and smell like one) was a big surprise and a lot of fun. Overall, it’s a hell of a city and one we plan on visiting again (and one we could spend extended time in).

We were lucky enough to visit on Museum Night, a once a year event on which you buy a ticket to visit almost all of the city’s museum’s throughout the course of one night (and free transportation with your ticket). As a bonus, djs, bands, and other special events are happening at all these places, and drinks and food are also served. The amount of culture and the interest in it from inhabitants of all ages (26000 in total bought tickets for Museum night) was impressive and is a big reason for our very positive impression of the city. Every museum was interesting, but seeing Damien Hirst’s blinding diamond-encrusted skull was most impressive.
Sue and I came to a conclusion while in Amsterdam: Europe isn’t as exciting as South America, but I think it will have a more practical and lasting impact. I.E.-We think we will keep in touch with the people we met there, but even if we don’t, simply meeting them and being in Europe changed our worldview and plans for the future. And isn’t that what traveling is about?
Off to Turkey. Go Obama!