Day 3: Walk & Talk

This morning I woke up to an empty room.  Tracy had given herself over an hour to get to the University because she wanted to talk it slow on her bike.  As I began the ride, I started to fight oncoming tears as the realization that I was lost began.  I had given myself a half an hour to ride but it all of a sudden seemed that every direction I went was wrong.  I allowed myself a few moments of panic and then I accosted several strangers with pleas for directions.  No one knew where I needed to go! As I rode I magically caught a whiff of manure...thank god.  The zoo! I had remembered riding past it the day before and once I was on track I made it to the school on time.  go me.

interior of the Oude Kerk

Today was scheduled as a "Walking Tour of Amsterdam."  The first place we went to was the Oude Kerk, which is the oldest church in Amsterdam.  Marek pointed out its close proximity to the red light district and also its vicinity to social housing; the city is very integrated.  Rembrandt was married in the Oude Kerk and his wife is buried there.  The building was originally Catholic but then was transformed to Protestant during iconoclasm meaning that much of the artistry and embellishments were destroyed.  Only a few stain glass windows remain and they were only put in during restoration.  Although the plan was to only go in for a few minutes and look around, Marek and Steve ended up talking for a VERY long time--the problem with traveling with experts is that they can tell you everything! But it was all very interesting.

The Netherlands loves its sayings, proverbs and mottos.  One saying we learned yesterday is "american circumstances"--the dutch say that something is an american circumstance when things are really crazy and dramatic (hey!) In the Oude Kerk there were wooden carvings illustrating Netherland proverbs.  Two of which were "the pitfalls of indecisiveness" (left) and "money doesn't come out of your ass"(right)--these are literal translations of the sayings. Dutch bluntness I guess.  The panels date back to the early 1500s.

          

As we walked around we saw some ridiculous things like a Condom Museum and Mushroom shops.  But there are also many places I want to go back to and try--mostly food places because of my sweet tooth.  Today as we took a coffee break for all the caffeine addicts, I took myself across the street for a 50 cent ice cream cone. So much better than coffee!

Pastry shop near the university.  I WILL GO THERE.

                                                           

Niewmarkt


This is a cafe located in what was once a castle of Amsterdam.  I would really like to go eat her on a nice sunny day.  Even though the building is now a lovely place to eat, it was once a location where Jews were rounded up during the Nazi occupation. 


Although the day was supposed to be a tour of the city, it ended up that the talking lasted longer than the walking and thus we saw little of the city.  We have two months here so oh well!