When the trains finally started running, we followed the directions of our couchsurfing host, Theo, and hopped on the metro towards "Gazenhoef." He welcomed us at the station, fed us breakfast, and then suggested we take a nap for a while, we must be tired. We graciously accepted and crashed for a good couple hours, after which Theo offered to take us out and give us a tour of the city. We walked back to the station (had we really just been here this morning?? It felt like another lifetime) and caught another metro back into the city center. Theo took us all around, pointing out interesting locations and "showing us the ropes," along with a few of his favorite spots.
One of the places he took us to was called Begijhog and is one of the most beautiful parts of the city we've seen. It is one of the oldest inner courts in the city and used to be a Beguinage--a collection of buildings used to house women who sought to serve God but without retiring from the world and without taking oaths. Today it is still a beautiful courtyard area and contains two functioning churches as well as the oldest (c.1528) of only two remaining wooden houses in Amsterdam. The houses there are still only rented out to females, who often must wait as long as 20 years for a space to come up.
The following day, we set off on our own to explore more of the city. Amsterdam is famous across the globe for it's liberal atmosphere--in particular it's "coffee shops" and it's Red Light District-- but what we found was that it has so much more to offer. The city itself is stunning with it's concentric canals, charming Dutch style buildings, and floating houseboats and restaurants. It is as overrun with bicycles as with positive, friendly people, and feels generally lighthearted and fun. I can safely say that Amsterdam is the first city we've visited on our trip that comes close to tempting me away from Portland. Don't worry, we're far from putting down any roots here, but with it's mild climate, strong Montessori community, and overall good vibes, it's a place I could definitely see myself living down the road (or perhaps in some alternate universe).
Tuesday we got up and out (relatively) early in order to catch a free lunchtime rehearsal performance at the Muziektheater. We've gotten in the habit while traveling on our strict budget to Google 'free things to do' in each city we go to, which has provided us with some fantastic "off the beaten path" experiences. This was one of them. We arrived at the theater about 20 minutes before the 12:30 show to find a long line of people waiting in the lobby. When the doors opened, we found some seats in the quickly filling make-shift theater and then settled in to enjoy the show, which consisted of about 5 pieces played by a clarinetist backed by a piano. It was a lovely and extremely impressive performance. Afterward, I received a bit of a 'music theory' lesson from Sean who willingly (and patiently) answered the questions that had been raised for me-- Why didn't everyone clap between all of the songs? What's a "movement"? And what was that other guy sitting there for? Lately I've found myself learning a great deal more than I've ever known about music, and have been enjoying that 'extra bonus' information that I hadn't anticipated getting while traveling.
In the afternoon we found our way into a chess museum- another of the "free things to do" we had come across online. Upon our arrival, an exceptionally friendly older gentleman who spoke quite good English welcomed us enthusiastically and offered to give us a tour. The approximately forty minute private tour that followed was one of the quirkiest things we've experienced to date and the information it contained, perhaps some of the most obscure. That being said, we were overwhelmed by the kindness of our guide and amazed by his knowledge on the subject. When the tour ended, he insisted on giving us a rubber-banded set of postcards as a 'gift' for having visited the museum (we could tell not all that many people did) and offered us a hot drink. We declined but asked if it would be alright if we sat and played a game. I hadn't touched a chess set in years; Sean plays every now and again against the computer. There were some tense moments, but in the end, Sean was victorious. |
| Some guys playing on the "giant chess board" outside the museum. |
As it started getting dark, we headed for the public library, which we'd heard offered a great view from its tenth story balcony. Immediately on entering, we realized it wasn't your typical library. It was modern, almost futuristic, and downright massive. We rode the escalators up past floor after floor of bookshelves, computer desks, couches and displays. When we finally reached the top, we found there was a large cafe serving dinner in addition to warm drinks and snacks. The balcony, to our disappointment, was closed, and apparently only open during the summer season. We peered out the windows anyways and caught glimpses of the city skyline through the reflections. As we began our descent we noticed a variety of art exhibitions on display throughout the library.
There was a wall of different colored pieces of socks (guess which one I liked best) and a collection of nude photographs, as well as a room full of all different styles of felted wool art. I especially enjoyed this section as felting is something I was recently introduced to by my aunt. The exhibition showed the whole process of shearing, scouring, carding, and spinning, and contained many examples of wool through different stages of the process.
That evening, after returning to Theo's and enjoying a great meal with him, we went out to a Latin Jazz show at a local joint. It was a great time. The band sounded a lot like our friend's band (Melao de Cuba) back in Portland and the venue, coincidentally, reminded us a great deal of Mississippi Pizza-- a place where they often play. There were even a couple of people salsa dancing between the crowded tables.
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