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| But first, let me take a selfie |
For anyone considering seeing Amsterdam on a layover - DO IT! I had 12 hours until my next flight to Nairobi and had a blast exploring the city. First, some practicalities. There is no transit visa required to enter Amsterdam for Americans, so all you do is get off your flight. Find the airport exit. Exit. And hop on a 20 min train ride to Amsterdam Centraal. The train ticket kiosks won’t take American credit cards because we don’t use a pin, but you can either use cash (5,10 euros) or go to the ticket booth (5,70 euros) to easily get a ticket otherwise.
Quick user-centered design tangent here: I was so impressed by the transit system in Amsterdam. The train ticket kiosks were some of the easiest to use (which is great in a city of international noobs). It asks you where you’re going, which class of seating you prefer, when you want to use the ticket, and how many times. Each question presents a column of responses shown in selectable boxes. With each additional question, a new column of boxes appears, with my answers to previous questions remaining visible in the previous columns. Feeling jet-lagged and scatter-brained, I appreciated having this clear progression laid out in front of me - it definitely made getting my ticket a breeze. Compare this to the DC metro kiosks that require you looking up your destination on a table, seeing the price (both at times of low and high traffic), and then entering the dollar amount you want to put on your metro card (lots of memory and math required for what should be a quick transaction). Not a huge deal for the everyday users who likely have a smart card they just fill with money, but confusing for the newbies who don’t want to have a lot of excess money on the cards they will only be using for a day or two.
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| Train Kiosks at Schipol Airport |
My favorite system was on the actual train. Each car has an LCD screen that shows the current stop and, below, a sequential list of future stops. On unfamiliar transit systems in the US, I’m always worried I got on the wrong train or missed my stop because I’m primarily armed with a static map of the entire system or, at times, the current stop which again requires translation as I look at the static map to determine if this stop should be on my route. So basically, the train system in Amsterdam was an amazing, worry-free experience for a non-Dutch speaking American.
Ok, now back to the sight-seeing…
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| Amsterdam Centraal |
Amsterdam Centraal Station is magnificent, with gold trim highlighting the fine architecture that immediately impresses upon you Europe’s rich history. Right outside of the station, I hopped in line for a canal boat tour, quickly assessing others in line when I realized it was the “Lovers Canal Cruises.” I was surrounded mostly by elderly Japanese and Swedish tourists, so it seemed safe to assume this wouldn’t turn into a tunnel of love where I was stuck cuddling my backpack.
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| The Canals |
After the tour, I set off to find Anne Frank’s house, but was disappointed to hear there as a 3.5 hour wait (which would only leave me 30 min for the tour). I decided I would have to skip it (GIANT bummer) and went to grab coffee from a cafe down the street. I put a sugar cube in my little coffee, and stirred it with my little spoon while sitting across from a business man who was seated at the same table. I loved how the waiters sat single customers together to save table space. Who likes eating alone anyway? As I sipped I thought about how I might use all of this extra time I didn’t think I would have to explore.
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| My little coffee |
I decided to scope out the Red Light District since that is one of those “while in Amsterdam” items (without internet, it was hard to look up other things to do in the city). On my way, I stepped into a supermarket where they were prominently selling figs, fresh breads, dates, and passion fruit. As I walked down the street, avoiding zooming bikers and cars alike, I passed by one storefront, smelling yeast and cinnamon, and then passed into the next storefront’s … um, smellspace?, filled with the especially pungent smell of pot. I could tell I was getting nearer to the Red Light District as the tulip and fresh bread Amsterdam started to give way to the progressive drug culture Amsterdam.
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| Fresh bread for sale outside of Stach |
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| Just a couple of bikes |
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| Tulip bulb store |
But, honestly, I’m just more of a tulip/fresh bread kind of person, so I changed course and decided to check out the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, which lies along the waterfront on Prins Hendrikkade. I was already thinking of Boston, with Saint Nicholas being the patron saint of sailing, and when I walked inside of the church, I felt like I was in Trinity again. There were sacred gilded paintings on the walls, stained glass behind the pulpit that allowed the sun to shine onto the alter, and a towering dome ceiling. I put my things down on a pew and listened to the beautiful service, now smelling incense that pervaded the towering space.
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| Basilica of Saint Nicholas |
Later, I recalled hearing the tour guide point out a nanoscience museum with interactive exhibits right across the canal. I set off and was excited to hear so much laughing echoing through the halls of the museum as I stood in line for a ticket. On the map, I saw exhibits like “How science works” and “Exploring your body”… what? Not exactly what I’d name nanoscience exhibits, but ok. I went upstairs and saw kids EVERYWHERE. Must be some progressive, pro-science parenting. There were interactive displays where kids were seeing examples of static-electricity, kinetic energy… all very elementary. I went up another flight of stairs to find the body exhibits. “Let’s talk about sex” was one, right next to “Puberty.” Ok. What the heck? Where is the nanoscience? I found a brochure, and scanned it to find that I had actually walked into the “NEMO Science Museum for Children.” That explained a lot.
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| NEMO Science Center |
But in the end, it was actually pretty funny to explore from an anthropological standpoint. I couldn’t get over the sex-oriented exhibits for children (we’re talking six-year-olds). There was also a Cosmo-style personality test using iPads that asked kids to evaluate statements like, “You would like to try Cannabis or other hard-drugs,” alongside, “When you ski, you like to go as fast as possible down the mountain.” I usually think of America as one of the world’s more progressive societies, but these types of questions set a new standard. Given the effects of sexual repression that we’ve seen through the gay-pride movement, I loved seeing how Dutch children were raised with a mindset of acceptance. However, I thought it was strange to show that same level of acceptance towards drug culture. But in the end, I believe in “you do you” - I’ll just be sticking to the bread and tulips :)
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| Tulips Galore |
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