Breaking it Up: Amsterdam

there was something about

that city, though

it didn't let me feel guilty

that I had no feeling for the

things so many others

needed.

it let me alone.

--Charles Bukowski, "Young in New Orleans" 

Amsterdam is a great city. I enjoyed it the last time I was here, which was a very different kind of visit from this one. But both times I found it a romantic, interesting place. It's got a history full of tragedy and beauty. Most places do, I suppose, but there's something about Amsterdam's that captures my imagination. Although the Netherlands (like Germany and Belgium) feels like a very well-organized, well-funded place there is an element of chaos in Amsterdam that promises something more than other cities. It feels like a city for oddballs. Who knows what will happen? Maybe I'll wake up and visit a house re-purposed into a shrine for cats. Maybe I'll wander around, dodging trams and bicyclists. Maybe I'll buy an armful of tulip bulbs. Maybe I'll stumble through one of the parks, drinking as much of the incredible beer and eating as many waffles as I can get my hands on. Who's to say?

Taking in the night scenes after arriving on our train (the night-bus we had taken was not allowed within the city limits but thankfully it dropped us at a train station only about 15 minutes away). It was all beautiful and charming and then, suddenly! Whoa! Sexy... Santa lingerie? What?

We walked through the red light district as well, as our hostel was located essentially inside of it. You can't take photos there which I am 100% in agreement with. I found it fascinating but also sad and pretty creepy. I don't know what was worse, looking through the glass-paned doors at the red and pink lit women sitting in their underwear, winking and preening for the gaping passers-by or the understanding of what was happening behind the doors whose curtains had been pulled close. It's kind of overwhelming.

Then there were windows that made me not at ALL uncomfortable because they were selling me dutch cheese. And gouda and prima donna are things we should all be able to love without shame.

Approaching the tulip markets, from the other side of the canal.

Later, inside:

This building on the corner is most certainly standing aslant. Or all the other ones are. SOMETHING is askew in this picture.

Our first full day was utterly gorgeous and later I was grateful we'd chosen to spend it mostly walking around, enjoying the weather and relaxing. Our weather would take a turn after the first day but at least we were able to enjoy some sun for a while...

I'm not sure if these pictures are arranged in chronological order but they are organized by things we saw so here we go:

Cait and I visited a street that's known for its antique shops and their elaborate, ornate window displays.

We spent a LONG time drifting slowly through the Museum of Bags and Purses as it was not only fascinating but we obviously had the important task of deciding which ones we would be taking home with us.

This was terrifying. Cheetah face purse.

Literal crocodile/alligator bag. Not just skin. The whole dang shebang.

Other exotic animal wares. Unfortunately besides the obvious peacock I don't remember what these were made from, but they were definitely not PC leather choices.

I don't remember which were our favorites but I'm pretty sure Cait or I would have been happy with basically any of these.

Or this.

Enamel.

Medieval chatelaines, or uber-keychains, the modern purse's predecessor. Medieval ladies would just hang these from their belts with all the tools they might need for household tasks.

Obviously, for me, the coup d'grace. I was ready to break several laws to make this purse my own.

Next up, Katten Kabinet, the museum that started because some guy had a cat he really liked and when it died he started collecting cat memorabilia that somehow snowballed into this incredibly odd shrine:

Cats. Everywhere.

The sacred...

...AND the profane.

Floating cat face in the sky sees all.

Next, the Torture Museum (this one is not worth the money and I don't recommend it. It's gimmicky and consists of mostly woodcut illustrations of torture):

We ended up moving through this one pretty quickly as it was somehow both unsettling and cheesy.

The second/third days in Amsterdam did not gift us with weather anywhere NEAR as nice as the first day, but it was a damn fine atmosphere for someone considering giving up on their dreams of the last decade.

Anne Frank House. I saw this on my last visit and did not elect to stand in the half-day long line to see it again, although I'm very glad I had that experience and would recommend it to anyone.

We skipped the tulip museum but we did venture into the Cheese Museum, which besides this very silly display in their tiny basement was actually just a cheese shop. No complaints here. They had samples out for literally ever flavor of cheese they were selling. I know this because I tried them all.

I will take that car tire of Prima Donna, though.

On one of our afternoons we split up for a while and I visited the Oude Kerk, the oldest building/church in Amsterdam, which has been transformed into a modern art exhibition space. It was really interesting to see how the artist had chosen to make his pieces interact with both the philosophical and aesthetic elements of the church. I dug it.

The works inside the church are from Dutch artist Marinus Boezem, the shattered glass pieces are from a series called "meteorieten". As in, meteors, I assume. Which felt appropriate since they were reflecting the star-strewn ceiling of the cathedral. The slivered pieces kind of resemble the meteor's tale but also because of how they distort the image the ceiling looks like it's moving as you walk around the pieces.

This part was called "labyrinth" and to get to the column you had to walk into this white curtain spiral that was waving gently from a couple of strategically placed fans' air currents. I guess there was not a lot of elements involved, the fan and the spiraling, draped sheet but the effect was ethereal and beautiful.

That does not look particularly restful.

On our last day we wandered over to one of the city parks. We dropped in at the Diamond "Museum" which, although free, I do not think deserves the title of museum. It's like one room of displays with some placards and a few recreations of famous diamonds and then in order to exit you have to walk through this complicated, multi-floor tunnel of high high HIGH end jewelry stores while salespeople eyeball you expectantly. That experience was negative fun, it was the opposite of Batman. 

  

Finally, we ended up at the "i amsterdam" sign and to our delight, the Christmas market behind it where we had one last indulgent Dutch meal and enjoyed the kids playing a game of pick-up ice hockey before heading back to the hostel to pick up our bags and head to catch our night bus to Copenhagen.