The Netherlands – canals to cows; ice bars to Anne Frank
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To go or not to go to a city where pot and prostitution are legal?
We didn’t know what to expect from Amsterdam. It was a couple of hours drive out of our way, and the kids and I were not sure they wanted to visit a place where marijuana and prostitution are legal. So I asked around and several people who had been there recommended it, even for families, so we decided to go ahead and give it a try.
Driving in Amsterdam
We stayed outside the city and made the mistake of driving into it rather than taking the tram. We were excited about having a car and didn’t understand the tram line that well – plus the person in charge at the hostel said that since there were five of us, parking would cost about the same as tram tickets.
When I rented the car, I chose the Gare du Nord station for pick up in Paris. I then read horror stories from people saying how difficult it was to drive in Paris and to navigate out of the city…obviously, those people have never driven in Amsterdam! In fact, I think every city we drove through in Europe was fine (including Paris) with the exception of Amsterdam.
Bikes, trams, and feet are the way to go…although even walking was sometimes tough with so many bikes. We sometimes mistook the bike lanes that were on the sidewalk for sidewalks and were almost run down by cyclists. Driving was even worse…hitting a biker or getting hit by a tram would be equally horrible, and in both cases, I would be the one at fault. It’s easy to drive where you shouldn’t – sometimes the tram is on the right and you drive on the left – and bikes are all around you – not always following the rules for bikes.
Navigating wasn’t bad. Finding parking was tough and cost about 5 Euro per hour. But, we did it, and didn’t end up hitting anyone or anything!
A city with many facets
Of course, all cities have many facets to their feel and culture, but in Amsterdam, we found this to be extreme. It was both a place where people go to party and a beautiful city with a rich history, an amazing square of historic buildings of incredible architecture, quaint narrow streets, canals everywhere and a paradise for people who like to travel by bicycle.
I think the way we spent our short stay is a microcosm of the city itself…
When we checked in, the ice bar in Amsterdam was highly recommended by the hotel clerk. We told him we really wanted to see the Anne Frank house, to which he made a face and said that it was very poorly rated and there was not much to see at all. He recommended we get tickets for Madame Trousseaus instead.
The Anne Frank House
We passed on Madame Trousseaus and headed out to the Anne Frank house, which was AMAZING. It was very nicely presented and they explained the broader context of Anne Frank’s diary and her time in hiding at the house very well. They were somehow able to convey they horrifying events of the holocaust and the effect it had on one family at the same time they showcased the beauty and playfulness of a child growing up and wanting to experience the world.
We were very touched to read the passage where she spoke of her father bringing home magazines so she could cut them up and paste pictures of things she loved on the walls – pictures we could still see on those very walls. What a way to look back and directly into the thoughts, hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a young person who happened to be caught in the midst of such ugliness. I was brought to tears when one of Anne Frank’s dearest friends said that if only Anne had known that her father was still alive, she would have had the will to live on. As it was, she died about one month before the liberation.
Again I cried when Anne’s father said that upon reading her diary he got to know a different Anne – there were so many thoughts and feelings she kept to herself – he said that it made him realize that most parents do not truly know their children as they think they do. I am certain that is true and very grateful that I am spending this year with the my children and hoping that I will know them just a bit better for having shared experiences like this one with them.
How does one shift from Anne Frank house to ice bar?
As we left the Anne Frank house, and slowly drifted back to reality and the present day after such an emotional experience, we thought about our tickets to the ice bar that evening. Who wants to go to an ice bar after the Anne Frank house? But that is the kind of day one can have in Amsterdam…you can be immersed in a powerful historical event one moment, and drinking from a glass made out of ice the next…so off we went.
Wearing skirts and flip flops in a freezer!
As I mentioned in my last post, Bella, Meagan and I had bought new presto change-o dress/skirt wear-them-15-ways outfits in Brussels and were trying them out in Amsterdam, and so it came to be that we were entering a bar made completely out of ice in dresses and flip flops 
Frozen juice drinks for the kids – in a edible glass of ice
But we had a surprisingly good time at the ice bar. They make it fun even for kids making them fruit juice cocktails in ice glasses, which the kids happily munched on after finishing the drink. They give you big, puffy jackets and gloves so you don’t freeze to death inside of the bar, which is inside of a giant freezer, so only our legs and feet were really cold. The drinking age is 18 (about which they could seem to care less as nobody’s id was checked anywhere), so Jennifer had her first bar experience and drink with me, which I think is pretty cool. Meagan is 17 – just missing the legal drinking age – but she had an awesome time as well. Alex thought it was so “cool” that he used some of his savings to buy the molds for making ice glasses at home. They had a 4-D movie in the bar (3D plus freezing cold air, snow, etc blown in our faces), which was a surprisingly dumb movie considering the thought they seemed to put into everything else. Sorry – no pics were allowed in the ice bar.
Beautiful canals and GPS in the Netherlands
The next day we took a beautiful canal cruise. Although it rained for most of our time in Amsterdam, it cleared up and became sunny and beautiful during our cruise. We learned about some of the history of the city and saw some of its most gorgeous homes and canals. It was interesting to see that there is a canal-oriented GPS system that the captain used on his laptop.
From pot to cows – are you starting to see what I mean about a diverse city?
We also went into many touristy shops looking for post cards and patches for our backpacks. We didn’t like that the shops really emphasized the legality of pot and a party atmosphere. We walked passed tons of places you where one could buy and smoke pot – called “coffee houses”, and the sex museum. On the other hand – Holland is known for windmills and cows and Alex got a great cow (his favorite animal) shirt.
Where are the farms and windmills – the Holland we see in pictures?
After seeing all of this, we wondered where the beautiful country of Holland could be found. We had seen just a few windmills and farms on our way into town – but nothing like we imagined when we thought of Holland.
As luck would have it, we got lost on the way from Amsterdam to Bonn, Germany. We saw an “IKEA” off the highway and I thought it would be a fun place to have dinner – and interesting to see one near where the chain originated. I got off the highway, but got dumped onto another. When I tried to turn around, construction blocked the way onto the highway back in the direction we came.
The heart of Holland was to be found only once we were lost
As a result, we got to see sight that I would not have wanted to miss! …great little neighborhoods, with people walking and biking on paths that ran in front of their houses to parks and along waterways. Meticulously kept houses and lawns and very friendly people, some of whom stopped what they were doing to help us with directions – in English as best they could, all with smiles and well wishes. They looked so happy to be out enjoying each other and the wonderful scenery.
After getting lost and finding the heart of suburban Holland, many of us said that we could definitely enjoy living there if the opportunity ever presented itself. It’s hard to believe we almost cut the Netherlands out of our trip. In just a couple of days we saw so many sides of one country.
The more I look back on the Netherlands, the more I appreciate the short time we spent there. Even though I prefer a quite atmosphere to one known for parties, Amsterdam and the Netherlands (or Holland, which seems a more fitting name for the rural and suburban areas) offers tons of great experiences for everyone.
Posted on: September 12, 2010 | Categories: Fun Facts - Cultures and Countries, Netherlands
The thumbnail photo on this page is so cool – it reminds me of an impressionist painting!