I walked with Glen to the RAI conference centre and he checked in. He wanted to attend a pre-meeting symposium so I left him and returned to the hotel to get my camera. I'd checked the local map and decided to walk down to the university which would give me a sense of distance for any further exploring.
Being Sunday, traffic was light so I got used to the bike lanes and tramways. Bikes are king in Amsterdam so it's up to pedestrians to be alert for they will mow you down. The road ran beside a small canal that supported a few aquatic birds like coots, ducks, and herons. Birds called Jackdaws, with a fringe of grey on their heads, competed with magpies that could have lived in Calgary.
Being in the suburban section of Amsterdam (population 800,000), I found myself walking beside buildings with unique architecture and the university itself was very modern despite being found in 1880. Vrije University (if my translation from Dutch is correct) is a protestant university with a student population of about 24000 and is one of two universities in Amsterdam. I also saw the university's medical centre but my sidewalk disappeared so I decided to retrace my steps.
I arrived back at the room to find Glen sitting there. Turns out he should have pre-registered for the symposium and the line-up to pay was so long, he eventually gave up. He tried calling me but I never received either his call or his text. Turns out I can text him but he can't text me. Not sure why since we're both on the same phone plan.
We then left the hotel to go downtown. I'd already asked about the price of the tram since as the #4 route begins at RAI station and ends at the central rail way station which is right downtown. I had planned out a walking tour based on one a tour company offered. Glen had a free transit pass while I about a 24 hour one (7.50 euros). You must scan the cards as you board and leave the tram.
The ride was 20 minutes as we wended our way from suburbia into downtown. We had thought to get off at Dam Square but ended up at Centraal Station which was a beautiful old station (opened in 1889) on the outside with a modern interior. As I took photos of the clock towers, a young woman asked us for help. We laughed and said we'd try but had never been in the city before. Turned out she wanted to know where to get tickets for the tram. Easy answer. You buy them directly from the tram driver.
We walked up the main street toward Dam Square, called Damrak. There were hordes of people out enjoying the cool Sunday afternoon. Many were bundled up in winter jackets and scarves. We came to the main square where we consulted our maps. Before us stood the Royal Palace of Amsterdam (still used for state functions) with the New Church (de Nieuwe Kerk--built in 1408, rebuilt in 1645 ) beside it. To our left was Madame Tussaud's wax Museum and behind us the National Monument build in 1956 as a memorial to World War II. There were wilting wreaths and tulips strewn at its base. I've since learned that May the 4th is Remembrance of the Dead day when the Netherlands remembers those who have sacrificed their lives in conflicts since the outbreak of WWII.
At the square, we had two choices. Go right to the famous red light district of Amsterdam or left to Anne Frank's house. Glen chose to see the Frank house so we discussed the best way to get there. An elderly Dutch woman stopped and asked if she could help us. She pointed the way which confirmed my plans and we were off. After crossing four canals, we came to signs showing us the way. There was no doubt we had found the place when we saw the line of people snaking down the street ahead of us. We had no desire to see the museum so viewed the outside of the house then crossed over the canal to have lunch.
The service at Café de Prins was slow and I had to finish up my mug of beer before they could pour another as they had too few glasses but the food was excellent. I had a huge Veggie club made with goat cheese (over an inch thick), roasted red peppers, tomatoes and avocado while Glen ate a tuna fish club (with no bacon). Originally a coffee shop, it became a cafe in 1967, and is a popular meeting spot for locals as well as tourists. We sat at an outside table and enjoyed the passing scene of bikes, horses, tour boats and small water craft.
Coffe shops in Amsterdam are actually places where you can get marijuana and hashish. We also passed shops that sold magic mushrooms. Recently, the government has decided selling cannabis to tourists should be outlawed but the coffee shop owners are vigorously opposed to this.
By the time we finished lunch, we realized if we were going to attend the opening ceremonies for the conference, we had best leave downtown. We heard two speakers during the session, one spoke about the E. coli outbreak in Germany last year and the other talked about the Netherlands system to cope with a similar outbreak. We then listened to a quintet of reed players called Calefax who were excellent playing Mozart, Debussy, and Duke Ellington. The classical pieces they had to rewrite for reeds.
The reception was held at the Sandy Beach which turned out to be a man-made beach area of the conference centre. It was too cold to really enjoy the deck so everyone was jammed into the beach house where a string quartet played folk music. After a couple of beers and some brief conversations with colleagues, we returned to the hotel to enjoy another beer and a plate of finger food before heading to bed.
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