Sights and Sounds - Final Posting

Dam Square is located at the center of Old Amsterdam. Here you’ll find shopping plazas, buggy rides, a giant Ferris wheel and tons of excitement. This week is a holiday for school kids and you can hear the screams at the top of the wheel. If any square in Europe can be described as a circus, this is the one. With the swarms of crowds there is a heavy presence of police. They walk in groups or ride on horseback, keeping an eye out for pickpockets and scam artists.

Beyond Dam Square lies Amsterdam’s Red Light District. In this liberal-minded city, the come-ons from the scantily-dressed ladies standing in the windows are an accepted and legal practice. The neighborhood takes in several blocks and attracts as many tourists as clients. Tour guides, some of which are former Madams, walk through the narrow streets, conduct a little window shopping and give a local history of the oldest profession. The Dutch differ from the West in addressing their social challenges with sex and drugs. There is no conclusive evidence that either society is right.

The general population of Amsterdam is full of life and vigor. Here, we are in the midst of friendly, obliging people who can switch from Dutch to perfect English at the blink of an eye. On a number of occasions we were studying our city map and interrupted by “Can I help you?” On the tram, a young couple overhears us asking the attendant about our stop and says “That’s our stop, just follow us.” Any request for information was greeted with a warm smile and a helpful response.

Physical activity is an integral part of Amsterdam life. In the parks you can see parents playing with their kids or teens engaged in a game of soccer or volleyball. Everywhere people are biking. There are 750,000 people in Amsterdam and 600,000 bikes. The bike is the most widely-used form of transportation. Men in suits, and women in dresses and high heels pedal to and from work, go shopping or run errands. They may be riding their bike while talking on the cell phone or holding an umbrella. The bikers have their own path throughout the city and ride in harmony with the trams, buses and cars. Surprisingly, there is no mandatory law for helmets.

Monica and I have been well-received everywhere we visited. It reinforces our view that people are basically good wherever you go. Amsterdam is a large city with a small-town ambiance. The people here are smart, friendly and witty. It has a down-home Newfoundland feel - a feeling we'll get lots of as we prepare for our flight back to St. John's.

Here ends our trip and our Eurospace Blog. Thank-you for allowing us to share our experiences with you.

Starry Night

One can’t visit Holland without exposure to the world of art. The Rijks Museum is currently under a major renovation. Because of their restricted space they are only exhibiting the crème de la crème of the Dutch Masters. These paintings represent Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer, artists from the Golden Age. Of particular interest is Rembrandt’s most famous painting, ‘The Night Watch’. In this large piece Rembrandt displays his skill with creating light and movement.

Across the square there is another Art Museum dedicated to one painter. The Van Gogh Museum displays the art, letters, and influences of this amazing Neo-impressionist. Vincent Van Gogh was 27 years old when he decided to devote his life to art. In 10 short years he produced more than 800 paintings, and more than 1000 drawings and sketches. His mood-creating brush strokes and use of vivid colours set him apart from artists of his period.

Van Gogh suffered from mental illness and his changing moods can be depicted in his work. In a state of depression he painted crows hovering below a dark sky and paths that led nowhere. In better times he painted sunflowers, wheat fields and bright blue skies. I can’t help but think of American singer/song-writer, Don McLean. His classic 1971 hit ‘Vincent’ captured Van Gogh’s life and moods remarkably well. You can go to McLean’s website (http://www.don-mclean.com/vincent/asp) and play a slideshow of Van Gogh’s paintings to the lyrics of this beautiful song.

Van Gogh is considered the father of modern art. Unfortunately his distinctive style and value as an artist gained appreciation after his suffering finally ended in 1890. Van Gogh died at 37.

The Secret Annex by Monica Sampson

The building on Prinsengracht looked like any other canal house in Amsterdam in 1942. But, in it was penned the book whose readership is second only to the Bible. Of course, I speak of The Diary of Anne Frank.

The sky was grey and dull as visitors queued for the museum tour. We walked behind the infamous bookcase and up the steep staircase to the place where eight people hid for two years, in an effort to escape Nazi persecution. Several family friends supplied food, despite the risks involved. The Dutch had a strong underground movement during World War II, supporting the numerous repressed Jews.

The rooms were void of furniture, removed in August, 1944 by the Nazis after the hideout was reported. But the faded cut-out magazines that Anne placed to cheer up the space, and the pencil marks on the wall, which measured the children’s heights during their seclusion, are still evident.

The original red plaid diary was displayed in a special case. Otto Frank thought it was miraculous that it was saved. The diary was first published in 1947, and has now been translated into 65 languages with 25 million copies sold.

Shopping definitely felt too frivolous after such a tour. For us, eating is always timely!! We went to Amsterdam’s most famous pancake house, serving monster crepes with a variety of fillings. The Indonesian chicken with peanut sauce was delish. Indonesian cuisine is popular in Holland, the blending of cultures a throwback from the Dutch East Indies days of expanding empires.

A tram ride back to the hotel, and a commitment to another morning workout rounds out the day.

Canal Tour

The final leg of our journey through Europe begins with a pleasant train ride. We pass old wooden windmills and new steel ones; we pass fields of greenery and fenced livestock. Finally, we arrive at the Netherlands largest and most vibrant city, Amsterdam. A taxi brings us to the modern Fashion Hotel, just 4 months old. We are pleased to find a great room with access to a mini-gym and large swimming pool.

It is early afternoon, and to acquaint ourselves with the city, we take a canal tour. Amsterdam has nearly 200 canals and over 1000 bridges. We are told that Amsterdam started out as a fishing village, and was given city status in 1275. In the 17th Century, at the peak of Dutch exploration and colonization, Amsterdam was the center of world commerce. Today, it is a major center of commerce, trade, industry and air traffic. The canals are lined with rows of tall houses. Though the houses were owned by wealthy merchants, they were built intentionally narrow. This was to avoid excessive city taxes which were based on the width of your living space. Behind the smaller doors leading to the basement were the servants’ quarters.

Off to the right, we see the Mint Tower, a defence tower built in the 15-Century to spot would-be invaders. In the distance, St. Nicholas Church stands above Old Amsterdam. Beside the saint’s association with Christmas, St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of sailors.

We pass under a bridge and into the Amstel River, for which the Amsterdam is named. This large canal leads us into the main harbour. Here we pass two floating hotels and a floating Chinese restaurant, the Sea Palace. It is a copy of Jumbo Restaurant in Hong Kong. However, the Hong Kong restaurant can seat 5000 patrons, while the diminutive Amsterdam Sea Palace can barely seat 700!

In the early 1970’s, the city installed steel rails along the canals to prevent automobiles from inadvertently entering the water. Even still, today an average of one car per week ends up in the waterways. We cruise pass the elaborate Hotel de l’Europe, owned by the Heineken family. Our captain and tour guide tells us the kitchen of this hotel is partly below water level. I can picture the cooks scurrying around in their rubber boots, boning fish or dicing vegetables for the evening meal.

A Day in the Life

Our apartment at Thon Parnasse entitles us to full use of a modern gym. We seize this opportunity to do morning workouts. The facility is well-equipped, including a friendly staff. The nautilus treadmills are fully programmable and come with individual television monitors. We opt for BBC, one of a few English, non-American channels.

Today, Monica is off to the Museum of Fine Arts for a display of modern art with a focus on Belgian artists in the 19th and 20th Centuries. I’m much too shallow for this and take time to look around and take pictures. The museum is housed in the meeting place of Brussels, La Place de l’Albertine. It includes a public garden and a number of other museums including one of a Chinese Tea House.

La Place de l’Albertine leads to the Palais de Justice. This UNESCO cultural site is the main courthouse of Belgium, and is considered the largest building built in the 19th Century. Ironically, in the Middle Ages, the building was constructed on a hill where convicted criminals were hanged.

Monica and I meet again in the public garden beside the Chinese Tea House. We take the subway to ‘Place du Luxembourg’, headquarters for the European Union. This powerful confederation has grown steadily from a 1950 agreement between France and Germany to pool coal and steel resources. It now includes 27 countries (2007) sharing a common market. At this writing, the Euro is worth 1.6 U.S. Dollars – tough tomatoes for die-hard Canadian tourists.

Despite the currency exchange, we treat ourselves to a neighborhood restaurant, ‘Poivre et Sel’. The Chef presents us with an assortment of bread and a black olive tapenade which goes nicely with our Chianti. We both decide on pasta for a main course, served from an open kitchen concept. Their unwritten motto appears to be ‘The job belongs to whoever isn’t busy’. The Chef, sous-chef and waitress work efficiently, providing quality food and service for the 36-seat eatery.

Our day isn’t quite finished. With extended travel comes the weekly chore of laundry. We are fortunate our apartment has laundry facilities. All we have to do is decipher the German instructions. For the most part, we use trial and error. However, we are stumped by the instruction ‘verlaagd centrifugeertoerental’. After revving up the washer drum a few notches, we come to the conclusion it stands for ‘adjust spinning level’.

Stroll through Brussels

We have stocked our kitchen for breakfasts, snacks and cocktail parties. Nearby, we find a café house for tea, coffee and dessert. Many of the café houses have communal tables – large tables that will seat 10-12 people. Everyone fits in; nobody minds.

Our subway takes us back to the Grand Place where there is a tourist information center. We gather a map and some brochures of interest. With no particular agenda, we stroll through the streets, past cafés, restaurants, street vendors and chocolatiers. Chocolate is to Belgium as maple syrup is to Canada. There are large outlets, Chocopolis and Planète Chocolat with many brand names: Côte d’Or, Godiva, and Galler. We are advised that local chocolatiers produce as good a product and better priced than many of the popular brand names. A well-liked local treat is a waffle overflowing with rich hot chocolate. We can’t resist.

Our walk takes us past the infamous Manneken-Pis. This little bronze statuette was created in the 17th Century and gives us a glimpse of the bold Brussels humor. Commonly referred to as “Little Julian”, the statuette has been kidnapped and vandalized on a number of occasions. He even has an extensive wardrobe of 760 items, dress for all seasons and special events. We are amazed at the popularity of this public fountain. Visitors cheerfully line up to take pictures or have their pics taken with the legendary figure.

With its parks, flowers, shrubs and trees, Brussels is considered one of the greenest cities in Europe. We find our way to Le Jardin Botanique, the National Botanical Garden of Belgium. The garden includes a 12th Century castle that has been turned into a museum and concert venue.

Today, there is an interesting photographic exhibition, “Controversies”. Each of the photos on display has stirred personal or public debate. There is a staged photograph of a Russian soldier waving his flag over a burning Berlin in 1945. Another depicts a sensuous kiss by a young nun and priest that ruffled feathers in the Catholic Church. The most poignant of all was a Kevin Carter photograph of a starving Sudanese child and a vulture. Carter was so haunted by the photograph, he later committed suicide.

La Grand Place

The Vollmer family has owned Im Malerwinkel for several generations. You get a good sense of a small family run business when you are offered a ride to the train station. We are leaving Bacharach and the Rhine Valley on a five-hour trip to Brussels.

Everything goes smoothly as we queue up for a taxi outside the Brussels midi train station. We showed the driver the paper on which our Hotel Thon and address was written. “Yes, Hotel Thon, I know it,” he says. After a harrowing drive through heavy city traffic and €25.00 later, we are dropped off at the wrong hotel. By the time we discover this, the driver was long gone. Worse still, I have no one to whom I can complain, except my lovely wife who is much calmer about the miscommunication. We hail another taxi driver who brings us across town to our correct hotel, the Thon Parnasse. Unknown to us, there are 3 Thon hotels in Brussels. A nice apartment with a balcony softens the frustration.

Our concierge is pleasant and gives us directions and a map for our subway station. We head to La Grand Place, yet another UNESCO World Heritage site and the hottest tourist attraction in Belgium. The UNESCO designation states “The Grand-Place is an outstanding example of the eclectic and highly successful blending of architectural and artistic styles that characterizes the culture and society of this region.”

The large square and its wall of buildings were created in the 1400’s. In 1695, French troops under the direction of the Sun King, Louis XIV, destroyed the square. The only surviving building was the Town Hall. The Hall was initiated by local craftsmen in 1421 who wanted to see more control over public funds. The square was rebuilt entirely a few years after its destruction. Today it is bustling with cafés, musicians, artists and flower markets.

As we leave the Grand-Place we stroke the statue of Brussels’s hero, Everard t’Serclaces. In the 14th Century, Everard successfully led a group of patriots in defense of an invasion from Flanders. Local superstition has it that stroking the statue brings you luck. The luck, we hope, will make it easier to get to our hotel the second time.