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| Amsterdam Centraal Station was originally built in 1884 but has undergone several modernization. It is a magnificent building and synonymous with the city. |
I walk out of Amerstam Centraal to vast crowds of people and busy tramways. Holy crap, there are a lot of people here! It has to be flippin' nuts here in the middle of summer, I say to myself. I need a few minutes to orient myself and get acclimated to the crowds and hustle of Amsterdam. The cacophony of noises, cars, buses, trains, trams, and voices, is disorienting. I feel as though I have just experienced travel through a vortex and am in another world. I was acclimated to Utrecht and loved the serenity of the city.
I feel disoriented. I cannot figure out where to buy a ticket for the tram. Rather than asking for help, I decide the best thing to do is to ease into Amsterdam. So, I start walking. It's 4.5 km (2.7 mi), about a 40-minute walk to the hostel. I feel disappointed that I am no longer in Utrecht. Amsterdam feels like most other big cities. It will take me some time to adjust to Amsterdam coming from Utrecht.
Amsterdam comprises a series of five nested U-shaped canals that all connect to the city's main port to the northeast. This efficient design contributed to the commercial and merchant success of Amsterdams during the Dutch Era in the 17th Century. I remember my conversation with Phillip at Plum Village, where we discussed the Dutch Era. "The 17th Century was a remarkable time for the Dutch and Amsterdam. Today, we acknowledge that all the wealth and prosperity came at the expense of the indigenous people and the countries we exploited. The Dutch see this as a blackeye on a very glorious period, unlike the English who look the other way and refuse to acknowledge everything they did to make people suffer back then."
I walk through the door of my bunk room, set my stuff down and introduce myself. "I'm Bruno, from São Paulo, Brazil," says the man occupying the bunk below mine. The two of us immediately hit it off and began to chat about travel. "This is my first trip away from Brazil. I've only been traveling for about 10 days," says Bruno, who is 36 years old.
Bruno and I continue to chat while I work on my post. When our conversation takes off, I close my laptop and give Bruno all my attention. "I've never traveled like you, sensing what I feel. It sounds interesting," Bruno says. "I always look at the list of things to do in a city when I get there. I wouldn't know what to do otherwise. For example, I'd really like to visit Anne Frank's house while I'm here in Amsterdam, but it is sold out for the next month," he continues. I laugh. Then I say it isn't all positive. I didn't even realize that Anne's house was here. That's a downside of discovering as I go. Nevertheless, I prefer to discover a city by being outdoors and interacting with people rather than following a "Things to do in City X" list on the internet. Now, by talking with you, I learned that I can explore Jewish history while in Amsterdam.
After an hour and a half, the conversation reaches the point where I can tell we need a break. I'm going to head downstairs to work on my posts. I'd like to complete my post before heading out this evening to explore and grab food, I tell Bruno. He nods and says, "We'll see you later. I have a few things to do too."
When I return to the room to drop off my laptop, Bruno is heading out. Do you want to grab dinner? I ask. "I am not hungry. I am heading to the Red Light District," he says. Can I go with you? I haven't been there yet, and it's part of Amsterdam's history," I say. "Yeah. You ready? Let's go," says Bruno with an inviting smile.
Want to walk instead of taking the tram? I say it isn't too far from here, plus it will give us a chance to see the city. There is so much water in Amsterdam that the buildings lean in all different directions. It's a wonder some of them have not fallen into the canals.
"How do you know where to go," asks Bruno. I mostly feel my way around the city. I let my feet decide, and if I reach a decision point, I take a moment to assess my feelings. I generally know where the Red Light District is as I saw it flash on my google maps when I arrived earlier and was trying to find the hostel. We must be in an affluent part of Amsterdam. Have you noticed all the luxury cars? I say as we pass by an apartment building. Bruno stops. He looks around. "Wow! Three BMWs, two Mercedes, and a couple of Audis are in this little section of the parking lot," he says. Yeah. How does that compare to the other cars you've seen in the city thus far? I ask. "They are much bigger and more expensive," he says.
We continue walking southeast of Amsterdam Centraal. I can tell we are only a few blocks away when the volume of people increases substantially. Spotting something familiar, I turn to Bruno and say, Have you ever eaten from the Dutch wall of food? "What's that?" he says with inquisitive eyes. Follow me, I say. After showing Bruno how the wall of food functions, we grab a Frikandel and Kroket. "This is really good. How did you know about this?" says Bruno as we share the food. My friend, Ivo in Utrecht, showed me. You don't have anything like this in Brazil? Bruno shakes his head "No" as he chews some of the Kroket.
A few blocks later, we arrive at Amsterdam's Red Light District. The Red Light District is a world-famous part of the city known for the sex workers and the Red Lights that hang outside of buildings and in windows. Holy shit! I didn't expect this many people. It's wall-to-wall people, I say to Bruno.
We move into the crowds and walk up and down the District, discussing what we see. "I would never bring my kids here like those people," says Bruno. That's interesting. Are you saying that because it is not customary in Brazil or because you feel strongly against it? I see Bruno thinking this through. "I think it is because it is not normal in Brazil, both the district and seeing kids in areas where sex workers are," he says. Ok. What if you were from another part of the world and this was normal? Would you still feel strongly about bringing your kids? I ask. After a long pause, he answers, "I probably would be ok with it. What is there to be ashamed of? I could use it to talk to my kids about their experiences here. I try to understand where it comes from when I have a strong reaction like you. It helps me be more objective and determine whether it is a cultural bias or a feeling that belongs to me. Curiosity is a great tool when you travel. Nothing is good or bad. There are only experiences, I say. "I like that. I notice I have some strong reactions sometimes. It keeps me from being present with my experience," he says.
"It is so strange here. There's a pizza place next to a sex toy shop and an adult theatre," he says. Yeah, I didn't expect that. Curious, isn't it? This is one of the reasons why the city wants to move the Red Light District out of the city center. The large crowds make it challenging for other businesses to thrive. Bruno shakes his head as we continue down the other side. As we walk, women dressed in lingerie stand in red windows. On occasion, I see a young man walk up to the door. After a brief exchange, he enters, and the curtains are drawn, or they head to another room. It happens much less frequently than I expected, given the size of the crowd.
That was interesting. Now that we've seen the Red Light District let's find some food, I say. "I'm not hungry, but I would drink a beer with you," he says. We wander the neighborhood streets in search of food. I am starving, but I can't find the right atmosphere. I want to be outside and something lighter, as it is already after 1030 pm. We pass several hamburger, pizza, Brazilian steakhouses, and pasta places. I look down the street and say to Bruno, we are close. We'll find something here for sure. A few minutes later, I turn to him, without looking at the menu, and say, How does this place suit you? We can sit out here, watch people, and have a few beers," I smile. "This is amazing. I've never wandered around like that. I usually pick a place and go," says Bruno. The atmosphere is essential to me, and Google can't help me. So I prefer to flaneur my way around, letting my senses lead me to the right spot. 😋 I can't describe what I am looking for, but I know it when I find it.
We grab a bench with a table facing the street. I order a couple of beers and a plate of nachos. I tell Bruno I am interested to see what Dutch fusion nachos taste like. He laughs. Unlike any nachos I've ever had, they are loaded with bacon, bell peppers, jalapenos, parsley, ground beef, and a mystery cheese that isn't cheddar or nacho cheese. Despite this, Bruno and I have no issues finishing the tasty plate.
While we eat, crowds of people pass by in front of us. Our table is on the sidewalk's edge and slightly above ground level. I turn to Bruno and ask him if this is what it is like to be a sex worker at the Red Light District with the crowds? Imagine how those women must feel with all those people walking by. I watch Bruno close his eyes. There is a moment of silence. Then he opens his eyes. "If I had all those people around me, I would try to flirt with one or two and make eye contact with one person. I would wear something very sexy. I would let my shoulder strap fall down to get their attention," he says as he demonstrates a strap sliding off if shoulder. When he pauses, I start laughing. 😂 That's what I like about you, Bruno! You really think things through, I say, laughing. Bruno misunderstood my rhetorical question and thought I was asking him to pretend to be a sex worker in the Red Light District. He was littery putting himself in the experience to sense what it was like. 😂 I take a moment to explain to him what I really meant. I can tell he's slightly embarrassed, and I tell him that was not my intention.
On the way back to the hostel, Bruno says, "I want to have an experience at the Red Light District. But not tonight. I will go back before I leave Amsterdam," he says. None of the women caught your eye tonight? Don't let me keep you from your experience, I say. "How about you?" he asks. I've never had a big desire to visit a sex worker, but I am not passing judgment, I say. Bruno and I stop and trade selfies.
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