EURO TRIP PART IV: AMSTERDAM

March 10^th 2018

Well, this is my last weekend on Europe. I’m a little bit confused to choose either going to Berlin or Amsterdam. I mean like both of them cost the same amount of time to go there. I have two considerations to choose a destination: to have at least a friend there and the place must be beautiful or well known. Life is gonna be easier if you have someone at your destination. They can guide you to good places, and maybe they can share you their room, even food! Unfortunately, my friend in Berlin is in Indonesia. So I have to choose Amsterdam as my final destination.

bicycle parking

This time, I’m staying at GPI until late intentionally, because my Flixbus will depart on 2 AM. We stop at several places. The first one, I don’t remember the name. The second one is Den Haag. It’s funny to pronounce the name, like “Denachh” (fun fact: in Dutch, you pronounce g as ch). The last before Amsterdam is Rotterdam.

Then, I arrived at Sloterdijk Station on 12 am (fun fact: in Dutch, the diphthong ij is pronounced as ei). With little instruction from my friend, Mila, I arrived at the student hotel by using metro. The hotel is located exactly beside the jan van Galenstraat station. She welcomed me and let me into her room. She said that I can use this room until Sunday and I can eat her food, while she will move to her friend’s room. She suggested me places to go. What a nice person.

Mila was my senior in Geophysical department. That girl is pretty smart and hard worker, she is the first graduate of her batch. Because the job vacancy for geophysicist in Indonesia is not in good shape now, she decided to continue her study to Netherland by gaining scholarship, she has been studying hydrology instead of geophysics. However, the scholarship is partial, it only provides accommodation and stuffs. Therefore, she has to cover the remaining by working a part time job. Amazing.

She had to go to mosque to do social service and left me with Samyang, indomie, and fried chicken. Then, I ate the 2 samyang. I was so hungry, last time I eat was on 2 am. Next, I started my journey on 3 pm. I arrived at the center of Amsterdam, it was so crowded there. Bicycles are very popular here. There is a joke that a lock for a bicycle is more expensive than the bicycle itself. First stereotype of Netherland is achieved. And there are so many coffeeshop. You have to differentiate the coffeeshop and coffee shop. Coffee shop sells coffee while coffeeshop mainly sells weed and coffee as an extra. And many people were smoking weed there, since it is legal.  Second stereotype of Netherland is accomplished.

View in front of Amsterdam Zentraal

It was raining on the evening, I was staring at the river near the floating Chinese restaurant(?), then suddenly two guys approached me. They gonna give me their weed because they wanna go to Germany. I rejected their offering. To keep myself warm, I kept walking until I reached the red light district. Where so many ladies are displayed in boxes. This area is sure for grown men. Then I visited the national monument of Netherland which lies exactly in front of the royal palace. It was Saturday, what do you expect Andre? Everywhere is crowded. I even crossed the river to the northern part of Amsterdam. It is free, but you can’t find anything special there, plus it was so silent. I decided to go back to the hotel.

Royal Palace

national monument

Floating Chinese restaurant(?)

March 11^th 2018

I woke up late, at 9 am. Mila told me to go to Zaanse Schans (ZS) because it describe the old Netherland perfectly. I took an intercity train from Sloterdijk to ZS, the name is sprinter. Sprinter is like Netherland version of ICE, it faster than local train, but more expensive of course.

The sprinter, costs you 8 euros for round trip from Sloterdijk to ZS

I didn’t recall the exact time when I arrived at ZS. The view was astonishing. I saw huge windmills from the distance. The people there still doing their family business like farming, making cheese, making wooden shoes, and selling stroopwaffel. And the girls were wearing the traditional dress. Suddenly I remember the postcard which I saw yesterday near the torture museum which describe the stereotype of Holland. The postcard portraits a young maiden riding a bicycle while wearing that blown-traditional dress due to wind, and smoking a crack under a giant windmills.  Maybe the blown traditional dress says that Holland is windy, and it is true. As the sun goes down I decided to buy some souvenirs, like stroopwaffels, chocolates, and nougat.

ZS

Tom and Jerry's cheese

Wines

the dress that I mentioned

Stroopwaffel

wooden shoes

Wheat field

Special Thanks to Mila Muthia! Without you I barely survive in Amsterdam.

Advice:

1.       If you gonna buy stroopwaffels, chocolates, and cheese, I recommend you to buy them at ZS. The reasons are: first, they give you tester. Second, the view is nice. Third, by buying their product, you have supported ZS. Because I heard the old industry is getting pushed out of big cities in early 20^th century. Fourth, they give you discount if you buy like 6 stroopwaffels or 10 chocolates for 15 euros. (note: 1 stroopwaffel consists of 10 waffels)

2.       Try weed while it is legal

If you wanna try weed, the coffeeshop will provide you weed, joint, lighter, and roll paper (of course coffee). You can buy joint for 5-10 euro per pcs and lighter for 1.5 euro.

3.       Zaandam

If you like to take a selfie in front of colorful photogenic houses visit this place. It is near ZS.