AMSTERDAM TRIP
Amsterdam is certainly a city of contrasts. Amidst the charming gables, miles of canals, and lovely old churches, one finds very modern buildings and the Red Light District where prostitution and marijuana cafes are legal – quite different from the US!
A typical "coffee shop"
THE GRAND HOTEL
Entrance to the Grand Hotel
Thanks to my clients, I am staying at the Grand Hotel (Sofitel) which is regarded as the best hotel in the Netherlands. From the lightly starched fresh sheets every day to something I have NEVER seen before in all the world – a TV mounted in the wall at the end of the bathtub—I feel like royalty.
Watching TV while you bathe!
I am staying in a room which is the Maria Stuart Room (1631 – 1660), the Princess Royal and eldest daughter of the English King Charles I. She was a guest in the hotel in 1642.
I have breakfast each morning in the Council Chamber which was built in 1924 as the headquarters for Amsterdam’s City Council. In this majestic setting, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was married on March 12, 1966. Every detail has been taken care of in the room, including fresh bottled water, biscuits and dried fruit each day. It will be difficult to leave here. 😉 Ironically, however, as I mentioned the contrasts earlier, the hotel is half a block away from the Red Light District! I just heard last night that Michael Jackson always stayed at the Grand Hotel when he was in town…..;-)
View out my hotel room window
IMPRESSIONS OF THE NETHERLANDS
The dollar is very low here right now (about 1.5 exchange rate), so you have to remember that everything is 50% higher than what the EU price is. Food is VERY expensive. Breakfasts (eggs, etc.) are from 30 – 35 EU ($45 – $50), dinners with just one appetizer, one entrée, and one glass of wine are from 50– 60 EU ($75 – $90). At least tipping is not expected in most places and only 10% in the restaurants.
I have really enjoyed the food here although it is surprising how few vegetables they eat. No restaurant I have been in has a green salad, for example, and dinners come with mostly fish or meat and some kind of starch. At the hotel in Noordwjik the lunches were almost completely starch – sandwiches and pasta. There are very few obese people here, however, because EVERYONE rides bicycles. Literally hundreds of them are parked along the canals.
A parking lot for bikes!
Two of my favorite meals have been with friends here. One was typically Dutch, served with ham, small boiled potatoes, huge white asparagus, and finely crumbled eggs, all drizzled with butter. Each meal begins with an “amuse” which is a small treat prepared by the chef or hostess. This was my lunch yesterday (everything comes in VERY tiny portions):
• Amuse of a cucumber soufflé, a tartare, and lotus flowers (like potato chips)
• One mussel surrounded by vichyssoie and fennel
• Tuna and cucumber tartare
• 4 scallops on top of asparagus risotto
I found clothing to also be very expensive, but I still had fun buying a couple of outfits to remember my trip! 😉 My friends, Nicolette and Anne, took me shopping in Utrecht after my presentation on Wednesday, and again I felt like a queen, having three people “dress” me – both them and the sales lady showing me different tricks to look my very best!
Anne, Nicolette, and me in Utrecht
There are round-abouts everywhere, so you can never drive fast on the local streets, and the traffic usually prohibits that anyway. Amsterdam is known as the “city with 1000 bridges,” and there are over 100 canals, all built in concentric circles around the city. I had absolutely no sense of direction in the city and I am sure would become hopelessly lost if left on my own.
From this spot one can see a series of 7 different bridges over one canal.
To learn more about Barbara’s work and travels, go to www.barbaraglanz.com. THe next blog entry will share our tour of Amsterdam.
