The train station was unbelievable. Previously, my experiences have inclined me to not waste my money on seat reservations. Before, I've paid the 2.5 Euros to have a seat with nobody in a 5 meter radius. Common sense dictates that I could have spent that money on a snack. However, on this trip I realized the validity of that rather nominal fee: I had to stand for an hour and a half. Every seat was full. The dining car was full of people standing and reading their newspaper. The areas by the on-board restrooms were full. Every corner was stuffed with somebody in a business suit and/or his briefcase. It was very uncomfortable. Once the train stopped in Frankfurt, it became more comfortable - all of those commuters from Nuremburg, Wuerzburg, and Aschaffenburg dumped out. Suddenly, there was legroom. It was glorious.
The rest of the trip was nice. I arrived in Amsterdam around 1:30pm, only to be confronted with the usual experience when I first arrive: how on earth do I get to my hostel? All of those hours studying a map proved to be worthless. The transit map was unbelievably disorganized - there was no distinction between bus and tram routes, there were 5 tram platforms and it was pure luck that I was standing at the right one - however, the tram loaded and unloaded passengers some 20 m away from the platform. Great. Missed the first one, had to stand next to the Hawaii-print american tourists for another 5 minutes. Finally hopped on the tram, sat down, and realized that I had passed my stop. I had listened diligently for my stop, only to realize that some southbound stops have different names than northbound stops. Great. Get off, turn around.
Amsterdam, despite its rather shady reputation, is a very beautiful city. The picturesque row houses filled me with elation. Much of the architecture in the city center is post-war, and by that I mean post-Thirty Years' war. The Dutch Golden Age was one of the results of the Thirty Years' war (17th century), in which the Netherlands rose as the big merchant power in Europe. An unbelievable amount of wealth flooded into this area, mostly as a result of the exotic trades between the Americas, India, and Asia. Because of this early flourishing of the bourgeoisie, literacy rates skyrocketed, education was among the best in western Europe, and the monarchy took even less eminence, a trend that would explode violently in another nation some 100 years later. Because of the Netherland's early progress out of the middle ages and the surprisingly sympathetic yielding of the aristocracy to this trend, policy in became rather tolerant. The economic prosperity of the area attracted groups of all varieties and in order to coexist peacefully, the Netherlands compartmentalized its society. This was a successful plan - each group had its own newspaper, its own city guild representatives, its own religion. It wasn't kosher to bother the other groups, because they didn't bother you. This led to a general toleration of the darker (redder? greener?) sides of Amsterdam, which need no explicit mention.
Besides getting high or contracting a venereal disease, Amsterdam had a lot to do, and it was of surprisingly good quality and value (even despite the high prices - very high prices.) The Rijks- , Rembrandt Huis- and Van Gogh museums were VERY effective - the collection was logically sequenced, the explanations were educationally valuable, in multiple languages, and accessible. The Anne Frank House was disturbing, not because of its historical significance, but because it was a tourist attraction filled with fanny-pack and sun-visor tourists with sunglasses and a big-gulp. The hordes of middle-school-aged children running amok didn't really make it any better. Nonetheless, it was a good historical grounding.
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The parks were, OMG, amazing. The flowers, even though not in full bloom, were stunning. Color everywhere. A+.
The parks were, OMG, amazing. The flowers, even though not in full bloom, were stunning. Color everywhere. A+.The next morning, I had another train adventure. First train was 5 minutes late, which meant that I missed my connection in Hilversum. I had the joy of sitting in a train station for 2 1/2 hours for the next one to show up. Wonderful.
Hamburg is a beautiful city, as well. It was surprisingly varied - not something one normally finds in Germany. Every building was of a different architectural motif or style. It looked almost as if I was in London again. The harbor was beautiful in all of its shipping glory.
Hamburg's history of early prosperity lends it to similar trends as Amsterdam. The city is largely independent - in fact, it, along with Berlin, is its own Bundesland (the US equivalent of a state), meaning that it has far more power and influence than Frankfurt, Munich, or Nuremburg. Hamburg is also one of the wealthiest cities in Germany (once again a result of its port), and one of the most literate. It is home to the two most widely-read news medias in Germany, Die Zeit and Der Spiegel. It has, arguably, the best ballet and opera company in Germany, as well as one of the best art collections in Germany. The Kunsthalle had a very interesting exhibition on modern art and Pop art. I think my favorite section was the Modern Japanese Art - very rarely does something considered so "low class" receive such scrutiny and intelligent discussion. Take a peek at this video. Ignore the The Vapors's lyrics (even though it might have a bit to do with the exotic way the west looks at the east...) Look instead at the clever montage of "J-ness."
Anyway. After that, I was tired and needed to catch a train. Once again, I underestimated the value of a reserved seat and had the pleasure of standing for an hour and a half until the train emptied a bit.
I don't know when my next excursion will be. I'll keep you posted.
Bis bald!
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