Amsterdam, The Netherlands

As we departed Antwerp by train, we anticipated our arrival in Amsterdam amidst a chaotic sea of backpackers and tourists. On our arrival, it was obvious to us that we had left the peace and tranquility of Antwerp behind, but Amsterdam seemed well able to handle the influx. Although the volume of travelers was large, the system hadn't been stretched beyond its capacity as it had been in Barçelona and Paris. There were lines to wait in as we booked our departure and our hotel room, but they were handled efficiently and soon enough we were aboard a streetcar heading from the Centraal Station to our hotel.

Our first stop after checking in was the Anne Frankhuis, possibly the most famous building in Amsterdam. Even though I have never read her book, the sight of those small rooms in which Anne and her family hid from the Nazis was deeply moving. Other than the removal of the furniture by the Nazis, the hidden rooms are still exactly as they were when occupied by the Frank family. In those surroundings I tried to imagine myself in the same circumstance, as surely everyone who visits does, and found myself wondering how long I could stand it. The fear must have been overwhelming, and the confinement stifling. The exhibit also continues the story of the Franks from the time they were captured through the discovery and publication of Anne's diary.

From our quiet little hotel near the Leidseplein we walked to a delicious rijstafel meal at a nearby Indonesian restaurant. This was a splendid little colonial era holdover; we had asked for "local" cuisine recommendations at our hotel, and been told that Indonesian was the best food in Amsterdam. After dinner we walked downtown for a look at Amsterdam's notorious Red Light District. The district comprises rows of houses on both sides of a canal, and is indeed lit up in red. We watched as groups of men goaded each other into approaching the "ladies," who were displaying their charms in the doorways and windows of their individual flats. Most of them looked quite bored. We quickly grew bored as well and made our way back to the hotel, passing one of Amsterdam's many "coffee shops" along the way. This one had several large cannabis plants on display in its front window, just in case we hadn't remembered that in Amsterdam, "coffee shop" is synonymous with "marijuana bar." In any case, while we were in Amsterdam, where marijuana use is not legal but is also not prosecuted, we didn't see much in the way of overindulgence. Then again, maybe that's because we were in bed before things really got going.

The next morning, we toured the Heineken brewery, which was also not far from our hotel. The tour is very inexpensive, only two Guilders (about US $1), so it fills up quickly. The Heineken building was built in 1867 and served as a brewery for 120 years, but it is no longer a working brewery. The fermentation tanks have been turned into walk-through multimedia presentation chambers with displays, videos, lights and all the bells and whistles. There was an interesting contrast between this tour and the Pilsner Urquell tour we'd taken previously. Here, the emphasis was not solely on the brewing process but on marketing, packaging and distribution as well. (Is the difference attributable to East vs. West, or Quality vs. Quantity? Hmmm.) The conclusion of the tour took us to a bar inside the building where we were welcome to taste the product. In fact, we were welcome to taste as much of the product as we wanted in half an hour.
Slightly tipsy, we wandered off to the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands' main historical and art museum. The historical part of the museum displayed a multitude of ship models and artifacts from the East India Company, as well as exhibits on the settling and cultural development of the Netherlands. The art gallery's most famous piece is Rembrandt's Nightwatch, but many other Dutch artists are also represented. The museum tied together the history and the art in such a way as to give a unique perspective and a better overall presentation than could be found at an exclusively art or history museum.

Amsterdam actually has more canals than Venice, so we decided to explore them from a glass-topped cruiser. The canals of Amsterdam are laid out concentrically, unlike the canals of Venice, but it remains a subject for debate which city's waterways are the more confusing. In Venice, the canals wander haphazardly about the city and each is unique; in Amsterdam, the straight, tree-lined canals all look exactly alike from the water level, so one must know the city very well to navigate.

Our last stop in Amsterdam was (I'm almost embarrassed to say) the Sexmuseum Venustempel. In the interests of keeping the internet a family-friendly place, I won't describe what was inside the museum. Use your imagination, but whatever you thought of, there's something more extreme inside. After a quick bite to eat we took our leave of Amsterdam and boarded our overnight train to Berlin.