Amsterdam, Netherlands - Part III

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Houses in Amsterdam - Notice the medal posts to keep people from driving into the canals.

There were advantages to working versus being on vacation. You have the opportunity to interact with the people more and see them in work situations. Just little things like going to the lunchroom at work are interesting.

The Dutch love their bicycles.

One of my clients in Amsterdam told me that the bikes in Amsterdam don't always look good, but the bikes are always in good working order. He also said the the Dutch often let the air out of the tires of their bikes when they park them at the train station to prevent them from being stolen.

Bicycles and canals in Amsterdam.

After the first day of work I felt more adjusted to the time change and more energetic. I enjoyed a walk around downtown that night. I went to Dinner at a Dutch restaurant that night and had steak with peppers and apple pie with cream. It was another windy rainy night. I was told by people at work that it was an unusually warm February, but it still felt chilly at night to me.

Notice the pulleys at the top of the buildings. They are used to bring in furniture through the windows because the stairs are too narrow.

After a couple of days I walked along the canals at night. I didn’t get lost anymore. My favorite things were the canals and houses. I just walked along the canals and looked at the houses.

Houses on canals.

House Boat on an Amsterdam canal

I got off work at 4:00 pm on Friday, so I was able to walk around Amsterdam some in the daylight. It was an interesting time in Amsterdam, but I was looking forward to going to Japan because Catherine, my wife, was flying from San Francisco to meet me there.

View from the canal boat tour

On my last Saturday morning I took an early canal tour and then quickly left for the airport. At the airport the security seemed even tighter then when I arrived. There were armed guards with automatic weapons everywhere. There was security screening before you arrived at the ticket counter. Then another screening with security, that included the most complete body pat downs I have ever experienced, before you entered the airport gates. Then a third ring of security screening before you went down to the boarding gate.

Boat I took on my canal tour.



View from the canal boat tour

View from the canal boat tour

During this period of my life I was traveling extensively for business and as a result I was a premier traveler on American Airlines. Therefore, I was often bumped to first class on flights, but I wasn’t able to get first class on the leg from Amsterdam to Tokyo. While waiting at the airport, I was reading a book and not paying much attention. It was the last place I expected to hear my name called. Then I suddenly became aware that my name was being called over the announcement system. When I arrived at the desk, I was told that my ticket was upgraded to first class. I was very happy because this was a long flight. I flew on a 747 and was seated on the upper deck with a chair that fully reclined and was provided pajamas and slippers.

After I left Amsterdam I flew to Hong Kong by flying over Russia and China, a twelve hour flight. I had a layover in Hong Kong and then flew for another eight hours to Tokyo.


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Amsterdam, Netherlands - Part II

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The Netherlands Royal Palace.

I arrived at my hotel the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. This hotel is situated in the heart of Amsterdam at Dam square, opposite the Royal Palace. It is surrounded by department stores, boutiques and shopping alleys. The back of the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky has its own landing dock for boats. Behind the facade of Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky there are several restaurants. There is the Wintertuin, the glass palace dating from 1879 where breakfast and lunch is served. This is where I had breakfast during mornings I had to go to work. In the lounge you can overlook Dam Square with the Royal Palace while drinking coffee or enjoying high tea. I later saw photographs of German troops in formation in the Dam Square and I wondered if they stayed at my hotel.

The Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky.

View from my room at the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky.

My first day in Amsterdam was a Saturday. I started the day by finding a small restaurant that served Dutch pancakes that reminded me of ones my mother sometimes made. They are thin and served with powered sugar and various jams. The menu was in Dutch, but with the little German I knew from High School and College classes, I was able to guess at what the English equivalent was. I could never understand spoken Dutch, but I could sometimes guess at written Dutch because of its similarity with German. However one night I went to a grocery store to find some snacks and chocolate milk. I found something in a milk carton that said “chocolade” and I assumed it was chocolate milk. When I arrived back at my hotel room, I discovered it wasn’t chocolate milk, but chocolate pudding. Oh well, not what I was looking for, but not bad.

Residential street in Amsterdam

The above is a canal in the middle of Amsterdam.

That same Saturday I then went to the Van Gogh museum. The museum had a special exhibit of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Then later that day I went to the Rijksmuseum. Outside the Rijksmuseum there was an outdoor skating ring with kids skating.

A view of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Outdoor skating ring near the Rijksmuseum

It was sprinkling during the day, but I walked around the city and then caught a taxi to the Anne Frank museum. It was a very interesting but sad experience. When I left the Anne Frank museum, I discovered that her house was only a few blocks from my hotel. So sometimes after work I would walk around the canals and then find the benches outside the Anne Frank house and just sit for a while.

Outside of the Anne Frank house.

In her book she mentions hearing the bells from the nearby church. As I sat on the bench outside of her house, I could hear the same church bells.

Street where Anne Frank lived

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Houses on a canal street in Amsterdam

A canal in the middle of Amsterdam.

My first trip to Europe was a business trip that included stops in Amsterdam and Tokyo. I took one day of vacation and left for the trip one day early so I could enjoy the weekend in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam houses on a canal street

It was a long flight from San Francisco to my first stop in London. As the plane was approaching London, we were put into a holding pattern over the city for five minutes. As a result, for the first time I could see the city of London; including the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, etc. from the air.

On the ground at London Heathrow, I caught a bus to go from one terminal to another. It was my first time to ride in one of the famous London buses and to ride in a vehicle on the left side of the road. Even though I was tired from the long flight, I still enjoyed this short trip between terminals for my first time in Europe.

My next flight was on a British Air flight to Amsterdam. I sat next to an Australian gentleman who was originally from the Netherlands and had an interesting conversation with him.  

Amsterdam houses on a canal

Another canal in Amsterdam.

When I arrived at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, security was tight with security guards with automatic weapons. All the signs were in Dutch and English and I easily navigated the process to pick up my luggage and proceed through customs. I immediately went to an ATM in the airport and picked up some Euros. So far things were very easy.

Businesses on an Amsterdam street

House boats on an Amsterdam canal

Bike rush hour in Amsterdam.

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