Exploring Amsterdam

The boys wanted to check out Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum this morning. The girls opted to spend their day walking the city. So we split. Talinn stayed with the girls and loved loved loved his day. I carried him on the bjorn, Pedi pushed Anoushka in the stroller, and we followed Rick Steve's walk from Dam Square to the Jordaan district.Amsterdam is a city of canals, cobbled streets, bikes, cafes, and very narrow homes. It's quaint, ultra chic, and charming. The people are warm, helpful, and not grouchy about speaking in English. The weather was sunny and perfect for the walk. We started out by passing a Saturday flea market at Waterlooplein. Unfortunately we had no Euros on us to spend here. From Rembrandtplein, our path wove through Kalverstraat - a shopping lane with fun clothing and shoe stores. Pedi should've bought some boots that day! Flat leather boots in delicious colors are all the rage in Amsterdam. If only we didn't have the memory of luggage struggle from the previous evening so fresh in our minds!

Oh well, dreaming of shoes, we arrived at the Dam Square carnival. The riot of color and ultra scary rides thrilled the kids... and ladies. We walked through the stalls of donut heaven. Fried dough in all kinds of shapes, sprinkled with every kind of sugary topping. Pedi picked out a plain donut for Anoushka, while mom and I shared one filled with cream and strawberries.

We walked from canal to canal and square to square enjoying the local sights. Although the matchbox homes are stuck together, they each have characteristic roof shapes. And we noticed (thanks to R.S.) the pulleys on top of each home used to externally hoist up sofas that are too large to go through the narrow staircases. The mailboxes have Nee/Ja signs indicating the type of junk mail the homes will not accept. I'd like to put a large Nee list on my mailbox back home. At each square, we saw the locals enjoying a leisurely afternoon at neighborhood cafes and bars. I could live here :-)Too lazy to brave the long line, we checked off Anne Frank's house from the outside and made our way into the artsy Jordaan neighborhood. We grabbed lunch at a small cafe and let the kids enjoy their lunches. A lot of homes in this neighborhood (and other parts of the city) are on the ground or American first floor. The living room windows open right onto the street and no one bothers to cover them up. We peeked into many adorably furnished homes that were inadvertently open for display.Everyone in this city is so fit. Thats because everyone bikes everywhere. Better to fall into the canal while on your bike than in your car (it's true! apparently lots of cars fall into the canals!) The afternoon was getting warm. The boys were still at the museum. I popped my head into a cute cheese shop and bought the spiciest gouda in store. It was delicious! The shop owner suggested we walk to nearby Leidseplein - a very happening square with lots of people, action, and souvenir stores. This is where I picked up a hashish pop for Nagulu. But more on that later. We'd been promising Anoushka a tram ride for a long time, so we hopped on one headed to Musuemplein to join the boys (who were by then enjoying some Amstel beers).

The green lawns at Museumplein were an invitation to let the kids loose. Anoushka ran around for joy and Talinn didn't have to work hard to find junk on the ground. We hadn't expected Amsterdam to be this warm! Next, we made our way back to Leidseplein, walked through the shops, bought shoe-shaped christmas hangs, and grabbed some falafels and bread to go with the spicy gouda. The street ends at the floating (but permanent) flower market. This was almost shutting down by now but we realized that the only thing less expensive (than the U.S.) in Amsterdam are Tulips! (50/5 euros). Amsterdam is steeply expensive (not withstanding the dollar pounding). Add on ketchup, mustard, and onions to your hot dog only if you're willing to pay an extra euro for it.

We hopped on an hour long twilight canal cruise next. The commentary was boring and most juicy tidbits had already been delivered by R.S. The cruise is totally skippable unless you're not planning to walk and explore the city. For us, it was a relaxing break from all the walking with kids. I'd read somewhere that the dutch don't believe in curtains, so you can look inside the homes if you're cruising after dark. Not entirely true, but the houses are utterly charming and those you can look into are worth the peek. For dinner, we sat at an outdoor cafe by the canal, Amsterdam-style, and enjoyed famous dutch pancakes. Anoushka got pofrtjes (mini pancakes brushed with butter and dusted with powdered sugar). Talinn had to make do with Gerber turkey.

And now the much-anticipated Red Light district! It's seedier than any of us had imagined. Nagesh thought he'd see topless women, mom had imagined looking up at windows to see vague hints of sexual activity - neither was right. The red-light district is as in your face as it can get. Two phallic poles mark the start of the area punctuated with some ludicrous sex shops. Then, under the wings of an old church (Oude Kerk), lies a labyrinth of dark and lusty alleys lined with what looks like shop windows. The red lights in each of the windows show case women in varying degrees of undress (never top or bottom-less) attempting to pump up the libido and lure men (and women?) in. The wares are on honest display; you know what you're paying for. But somehow it's all too straight forward and open to feel real. Unfortunately, there's no pictures from here. Cameras are promptly confiscated if anyone dares.

If we thought the Asian tourist guide waving a flag for his tour group to follow him through the sex lanes was funny, imagine what people might have thought of a group of five desis pushing a toddler in a stroller, sporting a baby in a bjorn, checking out the windows!!! Talinn, who was asleep until now, woke up with alacrity to catch all the action. So there we've done it... taken our 10 month old to a red-light area!