Amsterdam
Amsterdam
The Great Idea of Flow
Amsterdam: one of my favorite stops along my GIT. Amsterdam is a city that relies on flow and goes with the flow.
First view of Amsterdam when exiting the train at Amsterdam Centraal.
Known as "the city of water," 35% of Amsterdam's surface area is dominated by intricate canal systems. The flow of the canals allow for transport of cargo and passengers (according to the City of Amsterdam, they carry over 4.8 million passengers annually), making it an economic and recreational staple for the city. Backing up to the waterfront of the River IJ, the main canals built in the 16th and 17th century (the Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht, and Singelgracht) are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO describes Amsterdam as a "masterpiece of hydraulic engineering, town planning, and a rational programme of construction and bourgeois architecture. It is a unique and innovative, large-scale but homogeneous urban ensemble." It is is certainly an impressive city from an engineering standpoint, but more than that, it has a specific charm to it.
Amsterdam is a city full of people who seem to flow through life freely and happily. Some might attribute this attitude to the prevalence of coffee shops, but, in my opinion and (albeit short) experience of the city, this way of life goes much deeper. Although the city is alive with the movement of canal boats, bikes, and new ideas, there is a distinct ease to its function. The city, like its canals, has a natural kind of flow to it. This flow, though complex, is not frantic. The culture in Amsterdam is permeated by trust in the goodness of life, and it is apparent in every interaction from small moments of ordering a food or beverage to huge adventures that turn into stories I will tell for the rest of my life. The people of the Netherlands are known for being kind and welcoming, and for Eli and I, this was truer than we could've imagined or hoped for.
When I arrived in Amsterdam, I was very tired (staying up til 3 am talking about life with Eli on her birthday the night before will do that to you!). We got to our hotel, and I took a power nap while the other girls went to get some lunch and brought back take out. My friend Nick, another engineering student from UA, happened to be passing through Amsterdam for the evening, so we met up with him to explore the city a bit before he headed onto a show at the theatre (You'll hear more about my adventures with Nick when the Germany blog comes out). Walking through the maze of streets and bridges over canals was like exploring a new world -- I'd never experienced a city like Amsterdam before, and it was fascinating and fun to get lost in this new place.
As the sun began to set, Eli and I had now split off from Nick and were trying to decide what to do for dinner. We sat on a bench, watching canals full of tourists and of locals pass by, merrily enjoying the last sun rays of a gorgeous afternoon. "That looks so fun -- I wish we could just be on a boat right now" Eli said to me, as we waved to a boat full of people listening to music and laughing. They waved back, and then, to our surprise, pulled up to the side of the canal and asked if we'd like to join.
Eli and I exchanged a glance and each did an intuition check -- there was a girl our age on the boat who looked perfectly happy and safe, and if anything felt wrong, we could always abandon ship. So, we climbed over the side of the canal, boarded the boat, and embarked on one of the most wonderful nights I have ever lived.
Our canal boat hosts introduced themselves as a family. From the left, you can see Eli, Mila, Giann, Rishi, and me. Up front were Alex and Serkan steering the boat and DJ-ing. They took us all throughout central Amsterdam then North, where we saw huge cruise ships docked on the River IJ between historic Amsterdam to the South and the modern tech district across to the North. Throughout the ride, we talked about our homes and lives, including interesting conversations like how the pandemic had affected them in Amsterdam versus us in the US, our travel aspirations, and our general interests. That's one of the best things about meeting new people -- everything is on the table to discuss and learn about from each other.
As we made our way into West Amsterdam to dock, we learned that this family was mostly chosen. Giann owns a restaurant called Cafe Bredero and is an incredibly welcoming and smart man. Alex is his biological cousin, though he was mostly in the back of the boat, so we didn't get to know him as well. Mila is Alex's girlfriend, and she was an absolute sweetheart and so much fun, requesting English songs and dancing with Eli and I during the tour. Rishi, who they called "the Poet," was definitely the jokester. He and Serkan have worked at Giann's restaurant for 20 years, and thus, they are family. We got to know Serkan more as the night went on, and he turned out to be one of the happiest and wisest people I have ever met.
When we finally docked, the sun had set and the air had grown cold. We exited the boat, amazed by the outstanding kindness of this family spending the last 2 hours taking us on a personal tour of their city and sharing their boat snacks and stories with us. It was one of those crazy experiences where even though we'd just met, they'd welcomed us in like old friends, and it felt that way -- it flowed. We thought that must be the end of our luck, but Giann ordered the group some cabs to take us to their restaurant.
We got to Cafe Bredero and met the rest of the family (staff), who greeted us with hugs and wine to celebrate. As they made us their favorite dish on the menu -- mushroom chicken -- we sat at the table talking to Serkan, who had us tearing up with laughter and awe as he told jokes sprinkled with wisdoms about how beautiful life is: we just have to stop and notice. The thing about Serkan was not that his views were particularly novel -- I've heard "don't worry be happy" said a million times in a million ways from bumper stickers to the singing fish that used to hang at my Great Grandma Lucy's house. However, he was living this truth, in real time, honestly and authentically. It was like the attitude of the city had been personified: everything is okay, everything flows; trust and experience joy. It was so special to see that something I've spent my whole life searching for -- happiness -- was attainable, and it was actually a whole lot simpler than I'd imagined.
The mushroom chicken was fantastic, and we spent a couple more hours with our friends talking and laughing until heading home for the night in wonder. It was like ever since we had crossed into the canal, we had spent the evening living in a movie.
This first night in Amsterdam was a Great Idea that I am so grateful I encountered early on in my Tour. Every moment leading up to us sitting on the bench as our friends were passing had happened with perfect timing, even the power nap and getting lost. And that is a valuable lesson about life that was definitely recurring in my 3 months backpacking Europe: even the hardships or unplanned events can lead you to unexpected beauty and joy. Trust your intuition, and go with the flow.
Now, you might think that is the end of our movie moments, but you (like us) will be shocked to find out that our time in Amsterdam continued to be full of chance encounters leading to great new friends and experiences. We spent our second day relishing in the joy that lingered from the night before, enjoying a local market and music outside the Rijksmuseum and visiting the Heineken museum, which was more informative and enjoyable than expected!
We learned about the harvesting and brewing processes for Heineken beer, and there was even an interactive ride at the end of the tour. It definitely earned a "Proost" from us! At the end of the tour, we met a group who was visiting from Ireland, though originally from Argentina. We talked to them for a while, telling them about our adventure the night before and inviting them to join us for dinner at Cafe Bredero later.
We got to dinner early to see our friends from the canal boat and had another great evening talking and laughing with them. Our Argentinian friends joined later, and we ended up going to The Flying Dutchmen to hang out with them afterwards. At the bar, we met more new friends from Bulgaria -- Yoan, Steffan, and "Z-man," as well as Juan-Carlo, who was in Amsterdam for a layover from Zurich to Peru. We ended up hanging out with the Bulgarians til the early morning, with whom I talked about my research in the Alabama Black Belt. As I would find over the course of the summer when I shared about the straight piping and socioeconomic conditions in the Black Belt, Yoan and Steffan were shocked these issues were happening in the US.
When our final morning rolled around, Eli and I wanted to do something special because we'd had such a special time in Amsterdam. So, we used our final hours to say goodbye to our friends and give them something to say thank you. We may have only spent two and a half days in Amsterdam, but the impact of the city's welcoming kindness was unforgettable and set the tone for an incredible summer ahead.
Amsterdam is not only filled with canals; it is filled with genuinely happy people. It is a feat of large-scale urban planning and the utilization of the flow of water for human purposes, but more than that, it is beautiful example of humanity in a flow state of being. Moving onward despite life's turbulence, basking in the sweetness of being alive whenever possible and trusting that everything works out. So thank you, Amsterdam, for all the friends and memories you gave me in such a short time, for the breath of fresh air after the five years of my challenging undergrad degree, and for opening my mind to the Great Idea of Flow.
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