Amsterdam
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 • Paris, France
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The rain came and went all weekend long in Amsterdam, cold and windy, with little reprieve. It wasn't until we headed back to Paris yesterday that the sun came out and Spring popped up its glorious head.
I've only seen Amsterdam under sunny skies once, even though a trip there is on the annual agenda and not a single season has been missed. You don't go there for the weather, but of course, one can say the same thing for Paris.
The Haarlemmerstraat district has become my home-away-from-home in Amsterdam, much like regular visitors to Paris return to their same haunts where they begin to feel at home, such as Le Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It's a non-touristy corner on the northeast side of the city within a 10 minute walk from the Central Station and the Jordaan. The moment you cross the Singel into the Centrum, the atmosphere changes from young and hip to touristy and seedy, reminiscent of how it feels to walk from the Latin Quarter to Odéon.
One time a few years ago, my sisters, my daughter and I met up there, only to discover that independently and without any consultation, booked the same B and B consisting of three separate rooms, one stacked over the other in the same building on a small side street off Haarlemmerstraat. It was one of those amazing coincidences that told us we were 'in the right place at the right time.'
A short walk from Haarlemmerstraat down the Prinsengracht and on the corner at Westerstraat is what is thought by some to be the best Appeltaart in Amsterdam -- at a café named "Winkel." It's a small simple "salon-du-thé" kind of establishment, with a limited and inexpensive menu that DOES NOT LIST their famous Appeltaart! You just have to know it's there, and everyone does. For 3.50€, a huge piece topped with whipped cream appears quickly on the table and leaves just as quickly as you can't help but down every bite and pledge to start your diet the next morning.
Amsterdam is such a distinctly different city from Paris. I know most westerners see Europe as one big blob, much like Europeans might view the U.S. as one big melting pot, but I'm here to tell you that with each border you cross, you get a different perspective on everything. Making note of these differences was one of most enlightening pastimes for us as tourists.
Here are a few observations from our note-taking:
The only real acceptable mode of transportation is the bike. There are literally thousands parked in a free lot next to the Central Station. One rider told us that it's difficult to remember where you parked your bike, and it's clear many have been left there to rot for years, never to have been found again by their rightful owners.
Because of the vast number of bikes, the noise level is quite low -- not the usual din of the streets of Paris or New York.
Also because of the bike riding, clothing worn by men and women alike is practical -- lots of pants, comfortable shoes and rain gear, of course. How this differs from Paris! -- with women in short skirts, high heels and no hats, looking sexy no matter how miserable they might be. Sorry to say, although the tall blond Dutch women can be statuesque and beautiful, they don't sport the same sex appeal...and a funny thing -- there's barely a cosmetic shop or parapharmacie to be found anywhere as there is on every corner in Paris.
Customer service is indifferent and democratic. There is no protocol to say "goedemorgen" when entering an establishment as there is for "bonjour" in France. And when you enter, no one may even acknowledge your presence for a while. It's not that they don't care...it's just that it's not expected nor necessary as it is in France to establish a relationship with your servers in order to be well treated. In one instance, we spotted a vacant table next to a single diner at the nearby table and asked if it were available. The server said she wasn't sure if the diner was waiting for others to arrive or not. In my own 'cultural default mode,' I said, "So, why don't you ask her?" -- thinking she should have some control over the situation as one might in a French café. Obviously, she didn't see it the same way -- that she just allowed the 'chips to fall where they may' and we became the next 'chips' to have landed there.
There is little 'salesmanship' as nothing is assertively presented so as to encourage you to purchase, although the salespeople can be very helpful. But, they won't give you information unless you specifically ask for it.
My traveling companion felt the Dutch were 'cold,' but I didn't see it that way. I'd call it 'indifferent' and certainly not like the French (!) who are far from indifferent...they either love you or hate you and make no bones about their feelings. I've always thought of the Dutch as 'flat' like their land -- orderly, correct, democratic and open-minded.
This leads me to ponder about their large open windows, with barely a drape to provide privacy. One Web site about Holland noted that a suggestion for "businesses NOT to invest in are curtains" -- "The Dutch just don't seem to bother with curtains. Why I don't know. Maybe its part of this desire to be direct and upfront with everything and nothing to hide. Having said that, most Dutch keep a small rainforest immediately in front of their window to hide the inside from onlookers."
Parisians don't close their curtains either, but they do lavishly drape them, even if not closed, and there is no question that they get a thrill from their exhibitionism...or at least they seem to on my own street where I know everyone who lives opposite me quite intimately!
How wonderful to be back in the City of Light!
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
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P.S. For those of you who followed photographer Erica Simone's adventures in Cambodia, scroll down to learn how to make a donation and aquire a print or two of your own.
information.
Follow Erica Simone's adventure in Cambodia at: http://projectkidsincambodia.blogspot.com
View a selection of images from Cambodia and Vietnam by visiting: http://projectkidsincambodia.shutterfly.com
Purchase an Image and Make a Donation...
Images may be purchased in various sizes and 50% of all proceeds will go to one of the following organizations:
- Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital
- A Greater Hope Orphanage
- Anjali House
- New Hope
- Spitler Foundation and School
- or possibly to my own fund that I will hopefully be setting up soon in order to build a new school in a small village in Siem Reap...
To original donators to the project:
If your donation was at a level to receive an exchange for a photograph, please make your image choice as soon as possible and send an e-mail to mailto:es@ericasimone.com with subject line: "CAMBODIA IMAGE CHOICE." Please include the postal address and telephone number and allow about six weeks to process your order. Other 'goodies' will be mailed out soon to those who backed the project and chose a reward.
Images will be released of children's portraits from A Greater Hope Orphanage that will be exhibited and turned into a book. In the meantime, a few preview images have been added to the Shutterfly website: http://projectkidsincambodia.shutterfly.com
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