Week Six: Dan Dun in the Dam

Holy travels, Batman! When I thought my 10 hour flight from LA to London was an ordeal, I certainly had no idea what was in store for me while I travel abroad. This past weekend, seven other CCAers and myself met at the Victoria Coach Station on a clear July Fourth evening (yay 'murica!) to hop on a 12 hour bus ride to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Now the bus ride on the way to the Dam was not too bad--we got to take a ferry across the channel, which was beautiful, and I slept for the 6 hour bus ride after the ferry (despite the fighting drunken blokes sitting behind me). And we arrived, at 7:30 in the morning, in a wonderful city that I had never been to, and even more wonderful than that, it was a city I had no idea I was going to be visiting when I came to London!
For the first hours in Amsterdam, we walked around killing time until we could check in to our hostel, and getting a feel for the city. The thing I noticed immediately, was that for the first time in my whole life, I was in a place where the primary language was not English. The signs were in Dutch, the announcements on the tram were in Dutch, and even though we found that most people spoke English, it was with a heavy Dutch accent. This was the first bit of culture shock I experienced.
We spent our first day roaming around the city, viewing the architecture and the canals. Culture Shock #2: I have never before seen so many people on bicycles. There were probably 20 bicycles for every one car. It was astounding. This definitely seems to be the primary mode of transportation for Amsterdamers, aside from casual canal transport too.
Amsterdam was probably the most visually distinct Western European city I've been too. The combination of the Dutch architecture, canals, and cobblestones, mixed with the rich, city feel was really refreshing, and it made me realize how different cities have evolved over the centuries. It was quite interesting to think about while I was walking around. This was complemented by our visit to the Anne Frank house, which was a standing testament to the city's history, and especially important for me, as a Jew, to stand in front of a house that (for a long time, anyway) withstood the Nazis and the oppression of WWII.
While in Amsterdam we took a canal tour and visited the Heineken factory, and enjoyed the gorgeous weather in the park outside of the I Amsterdam sign. Both nights in the Dam we spent bar hopping and having a good time, and I would say that Amsterdam was the most successful short trip I've ever taken as a traveler, and truly an experience I'll treasure.

Until next time,
Danny