This is what I have learned about Amsterdam so far

If you don't like the situation you are in... change it!

I was sitting on my bunk after publishing my blog post yesterday and thinking about what I had just written. Writing can be quite cathartic sometimes. I realized there was no need for me to remain in a hostel I wasn't happy in when there are literally hundreds of options in this city. So I went down to see the guy at the reception desk, passing the "no refunds" sign and after a few minutes I had the money from my last 3 nights at that hostel back in my hand. I stuck it out last night as it was too late to do anything about it then.

This morning I left the hostel and took a tram to the Oud Zuid (Old South) Neighbourhood. I booked myself in, left my bags and headed out into the city as they weren't going to have the room ready until 3pm. The hostel is 2 blocks from the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and Vondelpark—one of the largest parks in the city.

On my walk I passed through the Museumplein, the park between the Rijks and Van Gogh Museums. There they proudly display their tourism marketing slogan which looks suspiciously similar to our "I Am Canadian" slogan.

I found myself by the flower market that straddles one of the outer canal rings. It was a sea of colour attracting locals and tourists.

I used to think Vancouver was a great city for walking in, and it is, but Amsterdam was built for it! Amsterdam is perfect for walkers, bikers, and boaters... basically everything except automobiles. I am used to living and walking in a city that is not very compact. Vancouver is laid out over a huge area, compared to European standards. I walk across Amsterdam in a lot less time than I would have imagined.

Through one of my many walks ( I have been walking A LOT to orientate myself) I came across an English language bookstore. I headed back to it today and found that the plaza in front of the store, the Spui Plaza, has an exhibit of independent artists Sunday mornings. Some of the art was very good and well priced, so I may be coming home with some local Dutch pieces.

Around the corner from the Spui Plaza is one of the most infamous of all the "coffee shops" in amsterdam: de Dampkring. A scene from Ocean's 12 was filmed in it and they now sell a strain called Ocean's Haze. And no, I didn't go in. The cat out front is their cat, which is quite common to see. Almost all stores and cafes have a resident cat to keep the rodent population down.

I walked along Kalverstraat, one of the main shopping streets in Amsterdam. It stretches for a kilometer with name brand stores lining every square inch. I would liken it to Robson Street, except here they have it right as it is a pedestrian zone. It doesn't hurt the businesses, in fact, if anything it allows more people to walk through on a daily basis.

Just off from Kalverstraat I saw the entrance to the Amsterdam Historical Museum, which I visited last summer. As the majority of the city is on land reclaimed from the ocean, the ground tends to settle. Here you can see how the facade from the old orphanage has shifted and sits askew. Above it are the three XXX that are synonymous with Amsterdam. And Andrew, I can now answer your question as to why that is the city's symbol. There are three different stories: 1) Each "X" marks one of the tragedies the city has suffered; fire, flood and disease. 2) Amsterdam is a Protestant city and each "X" is actually a cross on its side. 3) Amsterdam was home to a lot of blue collar tradesmen who couldn't read or write. When asked where they were from they would mark "XXX" and it would be known they were from Amsterdam. This is thought to be the most likely answer.


This picture is not an optical illusion, the buildings really are leaning in all different ways. The soil beneath the city is essentially a bog and the buildings shift. In fact, if you look very closely at the gap between the two buildings on the extreme right side of the picture, you can see the gap tapers toward the top. A lot of the buildings in Amsterdam are purposely built to lean forward, but many lean sideways as well and that was not meant to happen. Steel ties are inserted into the sides of buildings to stabilize them and essentially hold them together.

As the stair cases in Dutch homes are so steep and narrow, people have been moving furniture in through the windows for centuries. That explains the piece of wood with the hook that sticks out of the tops of most apartments in Amsterdam. Keeping with that same theme, the buildings lean forward slightly to prevent the load from swinging into the lower windows as it is hauled up. This photo shows the front pitch of the facades. If you look at the three buildings at the right side of the photo in relation to each other, then in relation to the building on the left side (the first grey one) you can really see it.


As a large percentage of Holland is actually under sea level, what I am about to tell you shouldn't be too much of a shock. This cute little bridge is one of the highest points in Amsterdam.

As you can probably tell, I went on a city tour which I really enjoyed. I learned a lot more about the city's rich history and found little hidden secrets I likely wouldn't have found on my own. Then today I went back and revisited the sites that I found particularly interesting. Today was a beautiful sunny day, opposed to the rain storm that erupted halfway through the tour yesterday.

This little red building is the narrowest home in Holland at only 2 metres in width. It is actually inhabited which I found a little strange. I would think it might be a little awkward to live in a home like that, especially when it comes to passing someone in the hall or living room.

I have seen a lot of beauty in this city, especially when I have been walking down the smaller lanes in the residential neighbourhoods like Jordaan. I now see the charm that I missed when I was here last summer, and the contrast between the seedy red light district and the rest of the city.

Before I arrived I had heard that Amsterdam is referred to as "Venice of the North" and I can now see that. The oval canal rings that start at the centre of the city and fan out are the heart of what makes Amsterdam what it is. There are smaller canals everywhere and people are so dependent on the water here. It is widely used for transportation, housing and recreation. You might think it would get in the way, prevent the easy movement of people and goods, but it really doesn't. It's the price you pay for living below sea level and reclaiming your land from the sea.

So for the next three nights I am staying at a charming hostel with no smoking and on a quiet residential street. This picture is from the window at the foot of my bed. I will say, the room is a little crowded with 3 bunk beds stuffed into a room that should only hold 2. But at least there is a large common area downstairs and breakfast is included, so all in all, I feel like I have moved to a better situation than what I was in before.