The Lowland Where People Go To Get High
Being a Disney and a Bollywood girl, I have always been able to instinctively find a song for every situation. In Amsterdam, however, my musical antenna caught on to a poorly modified version of a nursery rhyme instead -
“Rain rain go away, come again another day, For all I want, is to vacay!”
We landed in Schiphol airport in the darkness of the night after being pelted with rain midair. The day we were to head out for sightseeing, the sky was overcast. There was a constant drizzle, accompanied by icy winds. The roads glistened with water. So far, our trip was a bummer.
When it rains in India, especially in Bangalore, we are wont to staying indoors to avoid the traffic snarls, the potholes and the general irritation that comes from dealing with the above situations. But life goes on here despite these hiccups. Amsterdam, however, doesn’t seem to be aware of such rain-related hiccups. People rush around to their schools, colleges and workplaces in trams and cars and on bicycles without the slightest trace of irritation on their faces.
Seeing bicycles speeding across roads in rush hour in an orderly manner is one of my favourite memories of Amsterdam. We spotted everybody, from young boys to old women pedalling away in the rain. Even mothers pedalled away, with their babies comfortably dozing in bike strollers or trailers (a cycle with a stroller attached).
The sight of activity all around gave us hope, and we decided to "go Dutch" in our own way, by picking up a few umbrellas for ourselves from a store and braving the rain to explore the city. The cold, to quote Elsa, never bothered us anyway!
Cycling in the Dutch capital began in the 1970s, when the government decided to build infrastructure for cyclists in order to provide them a safe path. Today, the city boasts of nearly 400 kms of red bicycle paths, with brightly coloured bicycles offsetting the city's grey background.
In a place where it rains nearly five days in a week (according to a local), riding a bicycle to commute to work might not seem a pleasant task. But that’s where the ingenuity of the Dutch comes into play - there are rain accessories for every possible type of cycle. There are the usual umbrellas and raincoats, the slightly unusual rain poncho and rain suits, and the quite unusual but necessary rain covers for bike strollers and trailers! Needless to add, it is the best place for all bicycle related stuff - you get cutesy cycle bells, cycle seats, baskets and the most important, a variety of cycle locks, for Amsterdam is as known for its bicycle thieves as much as it is known for its marijuana.
You can’t really escape the smell of marijuana, so don’t even try. The city reeks of marijuana the minute one steps out of the airport, and the smell (or fragrance, depending on preference) just gets intense as one nears the main city. After a while, you get used to the smell, and even begin to miss the spicy, fruity smell when you leave the country!
Despite numerous cycle rental services, jet lag and absolutely zero acclimatisation with cycling in the recent past led us to choose the city tram for the two days we spent in Amsterdam. The 48-hour pass, available for about 12.50 euros per person at I Amsterdam counters, is valid for unlimited rides on trams, metros and even certain ferries operated by GVB. Totally worth it, as each tram ride on an average costs about 2 euros, and we certainly went back and forth more than 6 times in 2 days!
The best part of the trams was not only its connectivity and frequency, but also strategically located information counters in the middle compartment. The conductor who sits behind this counter not only helps one out with the best routes to get to one’s destination, but also slyly looks out for the ticketless. Plus, it feels really good to see a friendly, smiling face every time one steps into the tram!
The people of the Netherlands deserve a whole blog post to themselves. Not only do they speak fluent English (with a slight American twang that was delightful to hear!), but also they possess a cheerful disposition, a willingness to help and a terrific sense of humour! And thanks to all the cycling, the locals are in top shape, despite the country's massive consumption of cheese and other dairy products!
Frankly, if I had a month to stay in The Netherlands, I probably would cover every nook and corner of the country. Sadly, we had about four days to spare with the Dutch, so we had just enough time to visit two more places to get a feel of the place. We chose Rotterdam, for its modern architecture, and Delft, for its serene canals. We had no idea how much more we’d discover about these cities as we’d visit them.
To be fair to these cities and all the other places we visited, I’ve decided to chronicle my experiences of them in a series of posts, (beginning with this one) that I *ideally* hope to publish every week. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe relive your experiences of the city as well. Coming up next week - Madam, I'm Your Only Amsterdam
“Rain rain go away, come again another day, For all I want, is to vacay!”
We landed in Schiphol airport in the darkness of the night after being pelted with rain midair. The day we were to head out for sightseeing, the sky was overcast. There was a constant drizzle, accompanied by icy winds. The roads glistened with water. So far, our trip was a bummer.
 |
| The view from our hostel on our first morning in Amsterdam |
When it rains in India, especially in Bangalore, we are wont to staying indoors to avoid the traffic snarls, the potholes and the general irritation that comes from dealing with the above situations. But life goes on here despite these hiccups. Amsterdam, however, doesn’t seem to be aware of such rain-related hiccups. People rush around to their schools, colleges and workplaces in trams and cars and on bicycles without the slightest trace of irritation on their faces.
Seeing bicycles speeding across roads in rush hour in an orderly manner is one of my favourite memories of Amsterdam. We spotted everybody, from young boys to old women pedalling away in the rain. Even mothers pedalled away, with their babies comfortably dozing in bike strollers or trailers (a cycle with a stroller attached).
The sight of activity all around gave us hope, and we decided to "go Dutch" in our own way, by picking up a few umbrellas for ourselves from a store and braving the rain to explore the city. The cold, to quote Elsa, never bothered us anyway!
 |
| The best way of going around the city |
Cycling in the Dutch capital began in the 1970s, when the government decided to build infrastructure for cyclists in order to provide them a safe path. Today, the city boasts of nearly 400 kms of red bicycle paths, with brightly coloured bicycles offsetting the city's grey background.
In a place where it rains nearly five days in a week (according to a local), riding a bicycle to commute to work might not seem a pleasant task. But that’s where the ingenuity of the Dutch comes into play - there are rain accessories for every possible type of cycle. There are the usual umbrellas and raincoats, the slightly unusual rain poncho and rain suits, and the quite unusual but necessary rain covers for bike strollers and trailers! Needless to add, it is the best place for all bicycle related stuff - you get cutesy cycle bells, cycle seats, baskets and the most important, a variety of cycle locks, for Amsterdam is as known for its bicycle thieves as much as it is known for its marijuana.
 |
| A common sight |
You can’t really escape the smell of marijuana, so don’t even try. The city reeks of marijuana the minute one steps out of the airport, and the smell (or fragrance, depending on preference) just gets intense as one nears the main city. After a while, you get used to the smell, and even begin to miss the spicy, fruity smell when you leave the country!
Despite numerous cycle rental services, jet lag and absolutely zero acclimatisation with cycling in the recent past led us to choose the city tram for the two days we spent in Amsterdam. The 48-hour pass, available for about 12.50 euros per person at I Amsterdam counters, is valid for unlimited rides on trams, metros and even certain ferries operated by GVB. Totally worth it, as each tram ride on an average costs about 2 euros, and we certainly went back and forth more than 6 times in 2 days!
 |
| My tattered pass after two days of use! |
The best part of the trams was not only its connectivity and frequency, but also strategically located information counters in the middle compartment. The conductor who sits behind this counter not only helps one out with the best routes to get to one’s destination, but also slyly looks out for the ticketless. Plus, it feels really good to see a friendly, smiling face every time one steps into the tram!
 |
| The information counter (in white) |
 |
| 'Dam' good name, dude! |
Frankly, if I had a month to stay in The Netherlands, I probably would cover every nook and corner of the country. Sadly, we had about four days to spare with the Dutch, so we had just enough time to visit two more places to get a feel of the place. We chose Rotterdam, for its modern architecture, and Delft, for its serene canals. We had no idea how much more we’d discover about these cities as we’d visit them.
To be fair to these cities and all the other places we visited, I’ve decided to chronicle my experiences of them in a series of posts, (beginning with this one) that I *ideally* hope to publish every week. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe relive your experiences of the city as well. Coming up next week - Madam, I'm Your Only Amsterdam
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