Mile 28: Amsterdam, my love.

On our second day in Belgium, I had decided to take the SAS day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands. I had always wanted to go, having heard great things from friends back home, and so we made the 2-hour journey there. I was chosen to be a trip liaison (awesome!) and a bunch of friends – Megan, Dani, Debra, Josh, Andrew – were going along too. We chatted about our Antwerp experiences on the way over and then I gave the bus a short spiel about SAS rules before we set off. Immediately, I was in love. Amsterdam was filled with smooth reflective waterways, worn greystone bridges and tons of bicyclists. The day, around 75 degrees, could not have been more postcard perfect. Our first stop was a canal ride through Amsterdam in a glass top boat (there are over 100kms of canals there!). All of the students and I piled into one boat and clicked photos of houseboats, historic house facades, and striking gables. We were very close to the water in this boat and I could here the sloshing of the waves as the boat cut through the canal. Such a treat!

After the canal tour, some went into the Anne Frank house while a few others (myself included) opted to have some lunch at the legendary Pancake Bakery (my sweet streak continues, or so I thought!). The “pancake” menu consisted of both sweet and savory crepe-like plates the size of a large pizza. Mine, filled with cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms, was so fluffy and good. The pancake was light but rich in flavor and the compliment of the toppings made for a really fulfilling meal (the coffee helped too!). I had no idea Amsterdam was known for its pancakes, but I definitely recommend a visit there.

Then, we met up some Anne Frank visitors and decided to head to Amsterdam museum area that also included the famous IAMSTERDAM sign. We walked down the tree-lined streets made of cobblestones and I immediately got to talking with Debra about living there. I could picture myself bicycling to work along the canal streets and eating meals at small roadside cafes in the evenings. I could grade papers in a café and taking long walks around the train station area. I really liked that one could see the city from such different vantage points – on the water, by bicycle, by foot, or just sitting and people watching. I imagined my life there and I couldn’t shake the feeling that one day, this would be home to me. I threw the wish out into the universe and kept on walking.

We didn’t have a ton of time so we were not able to head into the Van Gogh museum (or any of the other ones) but we did take a ton of pictures with the Amsterdam sign. The surrounding park area has nice man-made pools of water, baskets filled with flowers, lots of mosaics and tons of people lounging around. On our way back to the bus, we hopped on a train and then walked past (and into!) a “green” café, aka a cannabis shop. It offered brownies, coffee, ice cream and other treats all laced with MJ. I had heard that such places existed in Amsterdam, but found it so odd that they were so clearly avoiding the marijuana label on any of the doors, signs, or windows. Instead, everything was called “green” and there were pictures of the plant everywhere.

Our final walk through town also included a quick paced jaunt through the famous red-light district, where business was ongoing even at 3pm in the afternoon. SAS people told us, very sternly, not to take any photos so we hid our cameras but it was interesting to see the red neon lights above all the windows and doors along the street. Finally, we grabbed coffee (and some free wifi) at a corner store before walking back to the bus. I took a slight tumble (must pay better attention) and twisted my ankle but the long ride back gave it a good rest.

That night, I dreamt of Amsterdam, of a life lived simply and with little need for more than waterways, famous architecture and a good walk. Maybe I loved the city because it was a beautiful day, maybe I loved it because of the great people I got to hang out with, maybe it was the need to spend time near the water again after living in Seattle for so long. All I knew was that I could be really inspired by Amsterdam, feel like myself there more often, really write something great maybe. Maybe soon?