There's always something to do in Amsterdam

  Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Hey so I'm getting caught up. I write this from Amsterdam on a sunny day in October. It kinda seems like that's not a common occurrence but it will rain later I'm sure. I was in Munich for a few days. Did you know that Oktoberfest is in September? Yeah....it ends the first Sunday in October so I missed it by a bit. That's OK with me.....there's enough beer drinking there even without another excuse.
I saw Dachau concentration camp. Opened in 1933 by the Nazis for detaining political prisoners and other "undesirables", by 1944 it was used as a concentration camp for Jews, Czechs, Poles, homosexuals, Roma, criminals.....everyone the Nazis didn't want around. Over 30 thousand prisoners here at it's peak and it was built for 6000. This was a little depressing to spend the day here but at the same time it was interesting and I'm so glad I was able to see it in person. So much savagery and torture in this place. I got a chill while I was walking through one prison building where people were tortured and it wouldn't go away until I left the camp. It was really a warm day too.
I enjoyed Munich a lot! I went to a soccer game with 4 Irish students. Brilliant arena. Good game even though the home side lost. It was great fun for me cause I've always wanted to see professional soccer.
Munich is a very clean well organized place. Easy to get around and a fair bit to see. I went to the English Gardens which is a big park in town and happened across a few nude sunbathers. A little shocking since it's October and not hot by any stretch. Don't get excited fellas....it was 2 old men and a not terribly attractive woman. There's a river that runs throught the park and at one point the water is forced through a narrow opening so it speeds up and creates a standing wave. Very cool. Surfers will ride any wave they can find. It's really fun to watch these guys.....they do spins and tricks to the delight of the gathered crowd. I took some video too but I will have to show you later.
Took an overnight train to Amsterdam which was so much better than an overnight bus. I actually had a place to lay down and catch some decent sleep.
My first impression of Amsterdam was not good. It was Monday morning when I arrived and the streets were full of garbage accumulated over the weekend. Once the lads got out to clean the streets though my impression changed. It's a city that at first is chaos. Streets, canals, cars, trams and so many bikes. Once you've had a chance to settle in though, it all makes sense and it all works extremely well except for some of the stoned tourists wandering in front of a bike or tram. Hehe. Not me...honest ;-)
Saw the Red Light District of course and the inside of a couple Coffee shops. Not sure if you were all aware but they don't just serve coffee ;-)
A couple days in Amsterdam was enough for me. The city is full of museums but I don't love museums. There are quite a few galleries as well so I checked out the Van Gogh Museum (I know it's a museum but it's more like a gallery....) which showcases his work throughout his career so you can see his progression from his early days to his more famous works later in his career. I saw another VanGogh exibit in Edinburgh and I really like his work, especially his Impressionist before he cut his ear off. Crazy bugger shot himself in the chest. Sorry....no photos allowed in the museum so none for
me to post.
One of the more interesting things to me about Amsterdam is how many buildings over three stories high have a disconcerting lean to them by as much as a foot or two. It's very apparent and very troubling but they've been like that for years and the people of Amsterdam are so very tolerent of everything why should they get upset about a building that looks like it might topple over at any second.
And of course I went on a canal tour of the city to see a different perspective. A nice way to see the city and a great way to see the houseboats that line some parts of the canals. What a great place to live! I think it would be amazing to be able to ride your bike home to your boat on the canal.
Thats if for now but stay tuned....there's more to come.
D