Day 12: Rotterdam

Rotterdam construction

Yayoi Kasuma interactive piece

So unfortunately after saying I was feeling better, I got worse.  My immune system is an asshole.  Come friday I was able to make it back to the scheduled activities. Side-note: there is no such thing as gatorade, which is my go-to sick drink, but there is something called Aquarius and it is just as good! The day's plan was to go to the town of Rotterdam which is about an hour and a half train ride from Amsterdam.  The city was much more modern than Amsterdam because high buildings can be built there--the city is not built on dykes like Amsterdam.  Because of the modern feeling the city was not nearly as quaint as Amsterdam even though it is smaller in size.  The art museum there is the Boijmans. It was surprisingly huge, and amazing. There was a large mix of
contemporary art with art of the past.  They had Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Titian, Mondrian, Bruegel, Bosch, Picasso, Vermeer, Cezanne, Degas, Jeff Koons, and much much more! But with this great collection comes of course hours and hours of professors talking.  By the time we were in the museum cafe for lunch I was famished and ready to faint.  But people in Europe don't eat enough, or maybe they eat the right amount...but I'm from America where we have foot-longs, and giant slurpee cups! Needless to say, we had mini sandwiches that only made me more hungry.  While we ate, Marek whispered to me to be discreet and look behind me. I turned around immediately and gave whoever it was a good stare down (it's impossible not to.) Marek was giddy with excitement because the man was the art director of the museum.  He drooled all over himself.  But both my professors are precious and very passionate about art history.

I had formatting issues with the pictures for this post, so I just decided to make them XL as in true American fashion:

Jeff Koons

contemporary sculpture- Jess this if for you!

Dali Lobster Phone

beautiful and very small panel from a personal-prayer-diptych

vibrant Picasso print

Dali

Van Gogh-this painting is so amazing in person                   

Bosch, explainingthe saying of
 "the weight of the world on your shoulders"

My favorite painting in the museum; Breitner's The Earring

Steve & Breugel Tower of Babel

detail shot of above; so absolutely incredible

Marek and one of Mondrian's color theories-Marek is an expert

apparently at the restaurant you
could get a whole tray of meat...?

After the museum we were allowed to go our separate ways and make our way back to Amsterdam when we wanted.  With a group of girls, I went to dinner at a shawarma place and got some pretty cheap and good food--as a rule any sort of ethnic food is much cheaper than anything else in Europe. We sat outside and enjoyed some sunshine.  After dinner we walked around a bit and then went to the train station.  Bleh the train station was a struggle! How many girls does it take to make it back Amsterdam? We will never know because I had to ask a guy for help... However, made it back in one piece and had a good night sleep after a long day.

Day 9: Lecture & Cruise

 

bike parking by the train station! (There are 900,000 bikes in Amsterdam)

I have not blogged the last couple of days mostly because I have been a bit sick with some sort of stomach virus and the internet in our building no longer wants to provide its services.  After a pretty brutal night sleep, I rolled out of bed, force fed myself some yogurt (yogurt here is so bitter...so I got activia strawberry haha) and biked with Tracy to the college.  From there we had a three hour lecture, that went by surprisingly fast, on a "brief" history of Dutch Art.  Then we all went to the cafeteria for lunch...the cafeteria is amazing.  I have found that any juice you buy here is extremely delicious.  At home, cafeterias always have minute made, but here the juice is fresh squeezed and you can tell.  At the local grocery chain, Albert Hein, I bought a big bottle (glass bottle-most things come in glass, peanut butter even...) of apple-pear-rarberry juice that was molto delizioso! So anyways, I clearly had juice at lunch and a nom nom BLT.  Then we went to the Art History library--total let-down.  Super lame library that apparently is about to be shut down and turned into high priced real estate come summer's end.

A movie theater-cineplex-interactive type place...clearly a bit unsure

Erin & me with our prestigious vouchers

But the good part of today was that it was sunny and warm! On the first day of the trip we were each given a voucher for a free canal cruise, so with the sunny weather some of us decided to take advantage and go cruising.  It was fun going through the canals and learning fun tidbits about the city.  I especially liked seeing all the locals out in their own boats floating around eating cheese and crackers and having a bottle of wine...the european lifestyle.  Since the voucher was a gift, we could only go on the designated boat line, Holland Cruises, but if I was paying for it myself I would have chosen an open air boat as apposed to the plastic case we were housed in.  I know they have the

italian sticker-la dolce lingua

plastic for all the rainy days, but on a day like today it would have been nice to be in the fresh air--plus it would have been easier to take pictures of the sites.  While on the boat, I spotted a cool looking restaurant tucked close to a bridge, but with lots of outdoor seating.  So when we were on our bike ride home we decided to stop in for some dinner.  The place was really cool--clearly a locals spot since I think we were the only foreigners there.  There was a band and lots of people hanging out and mingling.  After ordering our food we kind of realized it was more of drinking place.  This was because the food literally took an hour or more to come out.  But it was good, just maybe not worth the wait. I would however return for some cocktails with friends.  Seemed like a great place to meet locals and just have a nice time on a warm night.  When I was in the bathroom I saw a sticker for people wanting an italian language buddy so maybe I will email them tomorrow and see what that's all about.

My friend Angie & me on the boat..she's sarcastic..it's great

the restaurant we ended up going to

From left: Jennifer, Erin & Allison

My food, Im so touristy, but I wanted to show evidence of a decent meal in the Netherlands!

 My mood has definitely lightened although of course I still miss my family, friends, boyfriend, and ice (no ice ever) but I think this trip is definitely getting better as I become more acquainted with the city.  Just hoping I get some solid "Z"s tonight.    

Day 6: Windy & Homesick

I don't have much to report today.  The homesickness is starting to kick in...as it is with all of us I hear.  Today is Saturday so there aren't any activities planned, which is a relief because I think we all needed a break.  Its pretty cold and extremely windy here making me lacking in the desire to go out and be adventurous.  The internet in our building is not working so I am now writing this from a cute hotel cafe with free internet.  Other than this I don't have much to say.  Ate two candy bars today :/

I'm going to attach some random photos from my trip so far that have not really fit into my blog posts:

the lovely sticker on my bed

ridiculous european "car"

condom museum sign

condom museum window

really gross french fries...
would be ok sans sauce: note to self
"don't be open, don't try new things"....joking 

Day 5: Haarlem

Haarlem center

Today we went to the town of Haarlem; a 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam.  Haarlem is very quaint with tons of really cute boutiques and cafes.  It's actually even older than Amsterdam and has some really beautiful architecture.  We went to the Frans Hals Museum, which houses all of his large group portraiture and we were ven given a private tour by the head curator! (loved her, total dutch geek who's clearly in love with Frans Hals).  We went late in the museum because once again, our professors apparently know everything and more, so we were only given a short break for lunch. I got the most amazing waffle on the street. So yum! As I was eating it started pouring and fifteen minuted later the rain had stopped and was replaced by the strongest winds I have ever witnessed...and they are still continuing now.  I'm starting to worry that a Wizard of Oz moment might be upon us.

Frans Hals

me in front of a ridic painting

super cute store in Haarlem

Haarlem church organs

We then went on a tour of the church in the center of town--name is escaping me and I don't really want to look it up...sawz. Once you've seen one gothic basilica, you've seen them all.  I have definitely already seen more than one.  We were supposed to have a one hour tour that slowly turned into a two hour tour given by a very elderly dutch man who's english was so-so.  He was a bit geeked out on the organ of the church, which he talked about for a good forty-five minutes.  When Mozart was ten he played on the organs in this church, which I did think was pretty cool.  There are actually 5,060 pipes that comprise the organ...I guessed three hundred so definitely a bit off.  Then we went to another museum "just to have a quick look" and ended up staying until we were kicked out for closing.  At this point I turned into a grumpy toddler and wanted to throw a fit...luckily I made it back to my dorm room before I fell apart.  The whole day was so long and exhausting that I wanted to fetal position in the train station and not even bother with the whole getting myself to my dorm bit.  However, now its the weekend and hopefully time for a little R&R! Forecast is looking dismal so I guess I will have to start looking for some interesting indoor activities.

Day 4: Van Gogh Museum

So today we met at the Vincent Van Gogh Museum! The museum is the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings.  There are so many interesting things to learn about this amazing artist.  First of all, he did not decide to be an artist until he was about thirty years of age, and when he did start he was scared of using colors and mostly drew bleak gray landscapes.  Even once he started painting, he mostly used very dark brown and black tones.  After Van Gogh began his art career, it only lasted for ten years until the end of his life, but within that time he produced roughly 900 paintings and over 1000 drawings! This is especially amazing considering not a single work of his was ever bought.  Van Gogh was actually supported financially by his younger brother, Theo, who worked for an art gallery in Paris.  Van Gogh was a naive utopian who wanted nothing more than a harmonies society, especially in the art world.  He

a unique subject for VG

was constantly let down by his artist friends; Gauguin, Bernard, Cezanne to name a few and these disappointment often led to depression. In the late 1880s Van Gogh had health problems.  He  checked himself into a mental ward because he felt  unstable.  Although Van Gogh believed himself to be crazy, now many art historians think that his unstableness was either adult epilepsy or lead poisening (Van Gogh used his mouth to flatten his brushes when painting).  In 1890 Van Gogh shot himself in the chest in one of the fields he loved to so often paint.  His brother Theo died a year later, but Theo's son eventually inherited all of Van Gogh's work and was able to then open the museum in Amsterdam years later.


We arrived at ten when the museum opened and since we have museum passes we were allowed to forgo the line.  But even the line did not seem to long, although I subject that the line is much longer on weekends.  The museum holds four floors of works, most of which are Van Gogh, but there are also a few Manet, Monet, Surat, Gauguin and Lautrec works, and there is also a collection of Van Gogh's japanese prints that he and Theodore collected.  You aren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum but I snapped a few anyways--flash off of course.

After the museum we took a walk to the Volgen Park--by this point my feet were KILLING me (they didn't actually kill me, but they were at least making death threats); everyone knows you can't just leisurely stroll around after spending 3 hours standing in a museum!--which is a very central park-like place that even holds concerts every weekend.  Walking around the park I did notice one thing: no one in Amsterdam exercises. It rocks.  There wasn't a single person jogging in the park.  The dutch people are very active and ride bikes nearly everywhere but they are not addicted to working out like americans are.  Another thing I love about the dutch is that they were recently given the title of "tallest people in the world." With my tall stature I fit right in! Tall girls everywhere and they are even wearing heels.  I was spoken to three times today in dutch and I believe it's my height that does it!

cafe in the park and everyone's bikes

A is for Anna

After the park, we all went our separate ways.  A few of the girls; Jennifer, Erin and Angela and I walked back towards the museum and stopped at the famous I AMsterdam sign in front of the Rijks Museum.  As we walked by the sign, we stopped at kiosks of souvenirs and the saw the most ridiculous american paraphernalia.  It is so funny to see all the ideas other cultures have about America--even a very popular clothing store here is called "America Today." The USA is pretty much the popular kid at school. We then went into a few shops and caught a tram home.  I was totally exhausted and ended up watching Treasure Planet on my computer and gorging myself on Pringles.  Netflix and Hulu do not work here so thank god for the few random movies I have downloaded on my computer. Thanks Matt! You are a disney life saver.

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!

Day 2: Orientation & Exploration

bell tower across from Bushuis

Today was our first "real" day in Amsterdam.  I slept horribly last night--too hot, too bright, too anxious about my alarm not going off, too jet-lagged.  But I wasn't alone. Tracy and I both woke up at 6:45 and then met the group at 9:30.  We took the tram to the Buihuis building, which is one of the main University of Amsterdam buildings. We had a long and boring orientation talk from a woman terribly out of breath who claimed she couldn't speak because she's a smoker.  She was definitively a bit eccentric (no bra for sure) and she claimed that we "need not worry about being raped or killed or robbed because the main cause of death in Amsterdam is being crushed by trucks" umm...ok.

Then we all went to lunch at the cafeteria, which only takes Dutch pin cards so therefore Marek, our professor paid for us...ham and cheese baguette sandwich with amazing fresh orange juice and strawberries-- for sure better than UW--and I think I got a seat at the cool kids table; it seems that a clique of girls is forming and I am on the brink deciding whether I want to make the effort to join or not...I'm thinking not.  They are super nice girls but I always struggle with situations like this.

A Canal near the University of Amsterdam

After lunch we had our first lecture at the university.  It was supposed to be an hour and a half on Dutch history but ended up being two hours of weird self-deprecation and sarcasm about the dutch people and the Netherlands.  At one point the lecturer said, "you wouldn't put pink fluffy animals in a pack of black wolves. That is why people can get away with murder in Holland." I'm not sure if the meaning was lost in translation but I definitely was a bit confused. He seemingly meant to say that the Dutch are too trusting, but the whole thing was a bit odd.

Mario & Tracy outside the bike shop

After the lecture Tracy and I went to rent bikes with a few other students.  The bike guys were hilarious and very sarcastic making it a fun experience.  When I tried out my bike I swung my leg over the seat and the man told me, "This is a lady bike, next time don't be so indecent." He was joking but in reality the bike does allow for one to step onto it in case they are wearing a skirt. Ingenious.  It is law to have bike lights in the Netherlands for safety although I haven't seen a single person wearing a helmet.

Once the bikes were rented Tracy and I rode around for a few hours before meeting everyone for dinner.  It took us a few hours because she is inept at bike riding...she knows it so it's funny to both of us.  Hopefully she will learn and the riding will not be such a problem.  I, on the other hand, am amazing at riding these cruiser style one-gears (so modest).  The roads are all flat and the bikes have their own path that is nicely paved. So fun and easy! The only scary thing is that mopeds and motorcycles are allowed in the bike lane and they don't hesitate to pass you.

Tracy and I went to this plaza and had ourselves a little bike photo shoot.  The square is huge and beautiful although I haven't figured out what buildings this are yet. Every corner in Amsterdam has a historic building on it! Now looking at the hot-dog stand in the back is making me think I will have to go back. total fatty.  To the right of this square is an alley with tons of cheap shops with outrageous shoes, shirts and jewelry so coming back here would probably be pretty fun.

We rode to dinner and met people outside the West Makt, which is actually the church Rembrandt is buried in.  From there we went to a vegan restaurant of Marek's choosing.  bleh.  Even Marek was disappointed because the restaurant had changed ownership from when he used to go there. I think I will need to be taking myself to McDonalds real soon for some good amurican food.  I  was so hungry and mystery rice and vegetables was the last thing I wanted...I have dietary needs that consist solely of sugar and fat!  I sat next to Mario and Erin at Dinner and we had a nice conversation.  However dinner went four three hours and by the end I wanted out! Tracy and I made it back to our dorm at 10 pm just before the city got dark, thank goodness!

This one's for you guys; Matt & Craiger--so many beautiful old bikes

This heron was so people friendly.  It was in this beautiful residential alley near our dinner restaurant.  It let me get so close and snap this pic.  Amazing to see such a big bird within a city.

Below are pictures of a wonderful sunset that we saw on our ride back to the Funenpark.  very lovely when all lit by the orange of the sun.  Tracy, Steve (our other professor who rode back with us) and I decided to stop and get off our bikes for this photo opportunity.  Steve is an interesting guy.  He said it was no problem to ride back with us because he knew the way but then he was clearly getting a little frustrated with our leisurely pace.  In the end, it turned out fine and the bike ride back was very pleasant.

Day 1: Arrival

me in front of a windmill near the dorm

As I stood in line to get my passport stamped I heard my name yelled out.  I turned around and another girl from my school program was behind me in line.  Talking to the young man stamping passports was confusing, at first I told him I was here traveling but then he asked why I would stay so long. The whole thing ended with him and his friend laughing and talking in danish while I stood there with a blushing face.  Once Victoria was through security we grabbed our bags and fumbled through the process of buying train tickets, and finding the correct train platform to Amsterdam Centraal.  I think our Americanism was extremely evident.  Once we made it to the station we were supposed to take a tram to our dorm but the trams only accept special cards which we are receiving tomorrow.  So without the card, and with heavy luggage we foolishly settled on a taxi.  We told the taxi driver to take us to Funenpark, the complex that holds our apartment building, but instead he dropped us at Flevopark! All of a sudden we are standing out in the boonies of the city looking through apartment windows totally dazed and confused.  So we start walking in the direction of the city.  Victoria, in all her stress, decided we needed to stop so she could purchase an emergency pack of Marlboros--she's nice but thank goodness we arent living together; an emergency smoker is still a smoker and the smell never stops being gross.  Luckily, the shopkeeper where she bought her cigs was very helpful and drew us a little map with key landmarks on it.  Twenty minutes later we were at the Funenpark!

 The two photos above are the views looking left and right out of my window.  The complex is very nice and removed from the street.  There are many apartment buildings within this park-like complex and each is a unique piece of architecture.  Although the sky is gray and there was a slight drizzle, the temperature was warm due to humidity.

Anna's domain

My section of the dorm room.  The door to the right is our own bathroom that is a bit "interesting"--the water pressure is intense and the temperature scalding but I think thats better than if the water were dripping out cold! (optimism.)  While unpacking my roommate arrived, her name is Tracy and we explored Amsterdam a little in the afternoon to find a grocery store; so cheap! Got a lot of good basics for 17 euros and I even bought my first legal bottle of wine! what a rush. 

                                                                             Tracy

A random street in the city-not the best but pretty

Day 1: Flight

selvsie shot in the airport testing out the camera.
first pic of me in holland! (so tired and greasy.bleh.)

Sunday June 17th, father's day and here I go taking up all the attention. Of course I woke up with a nervous ache in my stomach but nothing that a few deep breaths (and tryptophan) could not quell.  My family, including our two puppies, drove me to San Francisco International and by the time I was through security and to my gate I only had five minutes before boarding...the first time my mom hasn't gotten me to the airport five hours early. The moment I sat in my seat I realized how uncomfortable I was, but to my surprise I fell asleep immediately and only awoke for dinner and breakfast, which were good! I did not read my book, watch movies, or listen to music. For nine hours I slept.  For the last hour I talked with the couple sitting beside me. They said they were going home to Sweden.  Oddly enough, when I told them where my home was, Sacramento that is, she had lived there when young and gone to Sacramento Waldorf School--she and her family had even lived on campus as the caretakers of the farm. cray coince.