This is an update about a trip to Amsterdam and its outskirts for work which was extended into a fun long weekend! I didn’t feel much like a tourist and hence didn’t take many pictures of my trip, but it was good times in the Netherlands. Except for the part about getting up at 4 am to fly there and be ready at 9 am for the meeting. I got to go in the first place to deliver a final presentation on a contract we had with ESA (European Space Agency), located, as are many of institutes I’ve worked at, out in the sticks, this time in a place called Noordjwick (pronounced Noord-veik). ESA is really cool with huge flags of the member countries (including honorary partial-member Canada, it’s a little crazy how enthused I am to see Canadian flags in foreign countries) as well as models of all the satellites they ever launched into space. They also have the BEST cafeteria I’ve ever seen with a huge number of choices at EU-subsidised rates. And since this is Europe, wine with lunch is perfectly OK!
But reining myself in here the meeting went pretty well. The reward for weeks of report-writing and preparation was taking the next day (Friday) off and making use of the paid flight to stay in Amsterdam for the weekend. I was fortunate enough to have a friend to stay with (thank you Fred!) and had a great time despite some so-so weather.
The highlight of my visit was definitely an evening boat ride on the canals of Amsterdam. It was kind of impromptu and at night, and so unfortunately I don’t have any photos. I wouldn’t have had a free hand anyway, since the main purpose was to tow another boat to a marina. I had a beer in one hand and at least part of the time the end of buoy in the other to make sure that the two boats didn’t bang together. We cruised past the “skinny bridge” (known as the Eiffel tower of Amsterdam and beautifully lit-up, see a picture I found similar to what I saw below), houseboats lining the canals, fancy hotels and even a tall ship docked at the Mövenpick hotel.
Other interesting/fun stuff from my trip:
• The Dutch curtainless irregularly-shaped and often floor-to-ceiling windows. For exhibitionists? To maximize light? Who knows.
• View from the (Amsterdam) World Trade Centre. I would have been able to see to the harbour if it had been a sunny day, but the fog and cool architecture of the surrounding buildings were also neat. Here is a picture I lifted off of Wikipedia:
• The markets! Filled with fresh Stroopwaffels (kind of like two thin waffles with warm honey between them, very delicious), flowers, English second-hand books (these are much harder to find in Germany), massive cheese rounds, piles of dried fruit, and fresh fish
• The ubiquity of bikes. And the extreme respect pedestrians give to the bicycle-bell. This is the main “parking area” at Central Station
• Went with friends Marjolein and Mark to a neat beer bar with hundreds of beers on the menu. I tried an interesting Belgian honey-beer (not too sweet) and a lemony-Dutch one. Yum. There need to be more bars like this one.
• On my last day, I checked out the Rijks (pronounced Reikes) museum, where you can discover how Rembrandt actually made portraits of old men look interesting and see exquisitely-realistic paintings by Vermeer. The museum building is beautiful in itself.
