Sightseeing in Amsterdam - Part 2

Part 2 of my sightseeing comprised of a day full of art.

First of all, the Rijksmuseum, the national gallery of the Netherlands. The artwork was stunning & included many of Rembrandt's painting including 'The Night Watch', together with Vermeer's 'The Milk Maid' & many more Dutch artists. I spent a good two hours there.

Next was the Van Gogh Museum that houses the largest collection of his art in the world. A whole floor filled with Van Gogh's painting, sketches, & sculptures. Just splendid!

Verbal Abuse in the Red Light District

Not once, but twice I got a good telling off for nosing around the red light district in Amsterdam.
The first time, I'd asked a shopkeeper (cool looking guy) where the red light district actually was. We got the map out & pointed to the two streets that bordered the district. But he said I should go down the side alleys cause that's where all the action is.
So, I did. After I found the two main streets, I was about to head down a particularly red looking street (in daytime this is, mind you), when this big black Caribbean guy shouts out at me. I turned around & he yelled out "you don't go there, that there's not for women", & grabbing his crotch he continued "that's only for real men, so you stay away".
Of course, I pleaded ignorance at first, not really wanting to see this guy mad, & said I was heading to Dam Square. He said I needed to go another way. But then, my courage returned, & I said "& what's it to you anyway where I go, it's really none of your business". With this, he walked away. I went down another alley that day.
But two days later, I found myself in the same vicinity, & thought I'd have a look see. So I walked down this very in-your-face alley, & this other short black dude with a big baseball cap on walked past me & said "stupid f%$#^&* bitches stay out of this place".
I didn't wander past again.

Sightseeing in Amsterdam - Part 1 - Anne Frank's House

I'd purchased an 'IAmsterdam Card' on the first day for 3 days at 58 euros (a bloody lot of money). It gave you access to most of the sights & museums in town, as well as a free canal trip & free public transport.
On the Monday, I lined up for nearly an hour to see Anne Frank's House. It was quite a museum, based in their actual residence, & through all the various rooms where the families (the Franks & 2 others) stayed in hiding throughout the Jewish purge of Amsterdam. In the end, some very challenging questions were asked, such as:
* Freedom of speech is a fundamental element in every democracy, so should individuals be allowed to publicly denying the holocaust?
*Freedom of religion is an individual right, so should religious leaders be allowed to use holy scriptures to provoke discrimination against homosexuals?
*The right to demonstrate is a fundamental democratic right, so should neo-Nazis be granted the right to organise a march that passes in front of a synagogue?
*Freedom of the press goes hand-in-hand with freedom of speech, so should biased media groups or individuals be able to publish (print or media) opinions/ideas that conflict with another person's fundamental rights?
Hmmm...something to think about...

Drinks & Dinner with Rob (& Sjors)

Rob, a lovely guy I met when out with the boys drinking on Sunday, invited me out for a drink on Monday afternoon. We met at a cafe next door to where he lives, which is right smack bang on one of the main canals & streets in town.
Our afternoon drink turned into drinks (plural), going from non-alcoholic to mohitos to white wine. And Rob suggested we get some bitteballs (think that's what they're called), which were deep fried balls of gravy - deliciously addictive!
He invited me for dinner then called Sjors to see if he was available for dinner to - he was. Rob whipped up a terrific dinner, & we ate, drank & talked into the eve.
Then I walked (partly inebriated) with a smile from a lovely night.

Straight into Amsterdam

After a fairly quick train trip into Amsterdam, it was easy to find my hotel which was a mere 400m from the station in a street it was impossible for me to pronounce.
I'd already sent a text while on the train to 2 guys I met at a cafe in Oslo (Joris & Thijs). They'd sent back a message asking me to make my way down to a street called Zeedjik. Looking forward to catching up with the guys, I hastily got changed & headed down to Zeedjik, only to be met by a mass of people everywhere completely filling up the street.
I met the guys at a bar called Casablanca, & Joris offered me a Heinekin straight away. From there I was introduced to some of their friends, & we wandered off to several other bars in another area of Amsterdam - following the Happy Hour trail.
Gay men everywhere, I had a ball. The guys were friendly & welcoming & it was hilarious to listen to their Dutch in a semi-intoxicated state. But realising I was drinking on an empty stomach, I grabbed some quick take away noodles, then headed back to the bar.
I eventually headed back to the hotel, saved from being lost by a couple of Phillipino girls, & managed to end up safely back in bed at some stage.

Cologne - Middle-Aged People, Moustaches & Lots of Smoke

Cologne isn't the liveliest of cities. It seems like a high percentage of the population are aged between 55 & 70, have moustaches (even some of the women), & smoke continuously.
Just across from my hotel, there was a cute pub that sold fantastic schnitzel & was rockin with 80's pop classics. I was surrounded by middle-aged people both times I wandered in there for a couple of beers, which were served in the smallest beer glasses I've ever seen (a commonality in Cologne). And smoke is everywhere - people are lighting up as soon as they've finished their last one.
The one full day I had in Cologne I headed towards the Dom, this magnificent cathedral - the biggest in Germany. Very impressive indeed! I stumbled on the surreal ceremony celebrating the patron saint of chefs, & 5 chefs were knighted with a sword. There were chefs in hats everywhere.
Then outside the dom there was this drum festival going on - love drumming!
But after that, not much else to do but people watch.

From Fulda to Cologne (Koln)

Pretty boring little train trip really. Only took a couple of hours of listening to Eckhardt Tolle's, The Power of Now, on my ipod & I was there.
Finding my hotel ended up being a bit of a nightmare. Firstly, finding someone who could tell me where to head, & then getting there.
Walking for 30 mins with a 18-20kg backpack on my back on a very warm day isn't my idea of fun. The budget hotel ended up being down the back end of the city. And when I got there, my little single room was located up 5 flights of stairs that I had to walk up with my pack - crap!

A Bigger Little Town Called Fulda

Anne & her sisters, Maria & Catherine, took me for a visit into Fulda one day. We had a really long lunch, then went for a stroll to the cathedral, then on in to the local park, which was beautiful.

Seemingly, Fulda's really quite a conservative part of the world, so I tried to blend in as best as I could & refrained from my any unusual public outbursts.

A Walk up Kleinhassen

Anne suggested we go for a walk up a pretty little hill about 20 mins drive from Mackenzell. So we did. There were quite a few locals about, even though it was midweek, as there are lots of walking trails in the area.

Nevertheless we were able to enjoy the pleasant walk to the top with a couple of photo opportunities along the way.

When we reached the top, there was a little oasis - a cute cabin that served chilled beer. Ahhh...we did deserve a beer after the walk, so we indulged.

Anne toyed with me about the famous 'bogs' in the area where if you fell (or were pushed) you could be swallowed up like quicksand. Lucky there weren't any around here.

Nordic Walking - The In Sport in Mackenzell

I found it hard to believe that Anne was hooked on a 'sport' I considered was restricted to older people that couldn't move much anymore. But, she was. And I had to witness this startling phenonmenon.

So, she offered to demonstrate her nordic walking skills & did just that. Although I can't honestly say that I was bowled over & wanted to race out & buy some nordic walking poles, I did gain a great deal of amusement in watching her demonstration.

Maybe something to reconsider when I'm 65.

Off to Mackenzell on Anne's Birthday

After my chilled out time in Weimar, I couldn't wait to catch up with my new friend, Anne, in her hometown Mackenzell, near Hunfeld.

It was Anne's birthday the day I caught the train from Weimar to Fulda, about 20mins from where she lived. And it was great to see her when I got there. I was a bit worried when she had trouble driving & speaking English, but she soon got the hang of it.

When we got back to her home in this tiny country town, it was filled with people that had come to wish her a happy birthday. I never had any big family gatherings (always wanted to though), & so being a part of this was so pleasantly overwhelming for me.

We ate, ate & ate some more. Anne's Mum is blessed with superior cooking skills.

Anne & I went for a late night walk through the town & out into the (very dark) fields - beautiful. It was just so soothing being back in the country breathing clean air & living the simple life.

A Walk in the Weimar Woods

Ahhh, it was lovely to stumble upon a natural little paradise just at the back of Weimar. I walked around the woods for a while, then found a little park bench & lay there looking up through the trees. No one was around; it was heavenly. I fell in & out of sleep & was there for well over an hour & a half.

Just wonderful!!!

Weimar - Cultural Capital of Germany

Located in the state of Thuringia, Weimar has been home to many cultural legends in its time. It was voted the European Capital of Culture in 1999. Goethe, Schiller, Bach & even Nietsche have lived here at some stage, making it a town for pilgrimage from the artistic community members & intelligentsia across Europe.

It's a small town with a small town feel. Quite a nice alternative to the big town atmosphere that has been the key focus on my trip so far. But it another respect, it's a bit too sleepy, & the only site I was motivated to check out was Goethe's house. And that's it.

Buchenwald Concentration Camp is also located just outside the town, but I opted not to go. But Obama was here only a couple of months ago to visit the site.

A Scary Hostel Room in Weimar

When I arrived at my hostel in Weimar, I checked in, got the keys & headed to my room. I opened the door & was taken aback when these scary monster pictures were drawn all over the walls.

Ooohhh...I have trouble sleeping at times, & I also have a tendency to sleepwalk. Luckily, I managed to get a couple of good nights of sleep regardless of my room mates.

Some French Folk on the Train Trip to Weimar

On the train to Weimar, I met Guillaume & Celine, two friends travelling together from Strasburg, France. They’d been to Romania, Prague, Hungary in search of the wildness in the East of Europe. Even though they were once attacked by a dog, & found travelling around Romania devoid of tourism elements (semi-wild), they were surprised to find that the places they’d visited were fairly similar to towns in Western Europe.
We had a wonderful conversation the whole trip, discussing everything from whether to buy residential property in the current economic crisis, to the continuing plight of Australian Aboriginals, to where we’d been on our travel journeys. Best of all, we had some great laughs. It was just a pity I couldn’t have continued the train trip with them to Frankfurt. I did enjoy their company.

A Coffee Incident in Dresden

When all else fails, go grab a coffee. So I went to a nice little café & ordered a latte. The women didn’t know what I meant, so I explained what a latte was & she said that what I wanted was, in fact, a latte macchiato. Who knows? Each country has different names for the same type of coffee. She’d said the coffee costs 1.80 euro. The coffee was weak - more like a hot milkshake. And when I went to pay, she said the price was now 2.60 euro. I asked “why the increase”? And she got quite narky - “coffee shouldn’t be made with milk; it’s not real coffee; you should go back to America if you want to drink that coffee”. I was gob smacked. I told her that what she’d served me wasn’t really coffee - it was crap. And made clear to her, in no uncertain terms, that I wasn’t an American. She seemed a bit stunned afterwards. I paid & left.
And as I walked down the street, more than ready to get out of this town, I heard some beautiful classical but funky sounds emanating from this little alley. A small group of three - a violin, an oboe, a clarinet - belting out some great tunes. I gave a tip & walked away smiling.

One Night in Dresden

I finally managed to find my way to the A&O hostel I’d booked. Fairly near to the station (500m), it was a good location for a one night stay.
Up till 12:30 writing on my notebook, I still managed to get up fairly early for breakfast. I planned to spend about 3 hours in the old part of town before my train trip at just before 2pm.
So, off I went, jumped on a tram, & found myself amongst old buildings in about 10 mins. And all I did then was wander. There were heaps of tourists about, many of them looked retired - it was as if Dresden was one big retirement village.
I bought a postcard from a little shop & the guy was a complete grump & yelled at me when I asked him how much it cost. I told him he should cheer up & not be so grumpy - his look said he didn’t like me.
Again, another town with extensive renovation work going on in peak tourist season - just don’t get that at all. And many of the sites were either closed or had a quite expensive entrance fee.

Train to Dresden

The train was 30 mins late. When it did arrive I realised most people had a reserved seat & I didn’t. A walk through the crowded first train car & no seats were available, with many people scrambling to find a free seat themselves.
Finally at the end of the next car, I found a single seat. I turned on my ipod, & watched the gorgeous Czech countryside go by to the tunes of Missy Higgins & Norah Jones. Beautiful & relaxing!
I don’t know how it managed to do it, but the train gained the 30 mins to make it to Dresden just about on time - amazing.

Final Hours in Prague

After catching up on some of the internet stuff I had to do that was piling up, I finished packing & managed to check out of the hotel by midday. I then wandered down to Mustek &, in a very weird serendipitous way, bumped into Zuzana on one of the crowded streets. So we got to say a final “goodbye” - nice.
Now, I’m very fussy with my souvenirs, esp as my bag space is severely restricted. But shopping I went & finally (after visiting about 10 shops) managed to buy some stuff - even a shirt for myself (one of my other shirts will have to be left behind somewhere).

I ran around taking some last minute pics but still a few hours left before my train, so I stopped for a late lunch at a place called ‘Republika’ & had a nice lunch with an accompanying martini to finish off my trip to Prague.