October 7th,The Hague to Amsterdam

October 7, 2017 Day 6 The Hague to Amsterdam

Woke up early yet again, but at least this time I slept through the night. Very hard this time for me to get over the jet lag/and adjust to the new time zone.

It was Saturday, so breakfast officially started half an hour later at 7, but even at 4:30 there was some food out and I ate a leisurely, and expansive breakfast over the next few hours as I read emails, reviewed the newspaper and explored things to do in Amsterdam.

After a quick pack up, we left the hotel about 11:00 and walked over to the Central Train Station. Easier this time because I knew the way and did not have a conference going attendee carping about getting a taxi (none was in site).

Purchased train tickets to the Amsterdam Central Train Station and was surprised that they were 25% higher than the cost of the train tickets from the airport to The Hague We had almost no wait time for the train and the ride was comfortable and not as crowded as the ride in from the airport. That was good since I saw no place to put our large luggage.

Upon entering the main concourse of the Amsterdam train station, it was immediately apparent that this is a big city (although I was surprised to subsequently learn that the population of the city is only about 820,000.) Lots of people and it was raining lightly outside. Made my way to the station’s information desk which was very helpful in directing me to tourist information. After much angst I purchased an “I Amsterdam” ticket which gives us three days of free local transportation, free or reduced entrance to museums, a canal ride and some other activities, and the clerk through in a Lonely Planet compact Amsterdam guide to seal the purchase. 77 euro per ticket, so it was a big purchase, but it turned out to be worth the price. 

Outside the train station there were lots of tram lines, (I later learned that 10 lines converge at the station), but we managed to get to the boarding station, among many, for the tram, #2, to our hotel. The tram ride took us on a curving trip through a bustling and seemingly very prosperous city. Lots of high end US, and other, stores, Apple, Nike, etc. We also passed over many canals that I had read about.

We are staying at the Vondel Hotel, a small 4-star facility located in a quiet residential area, but only 2 blocks off a busy thoroughfare, so it was an easy walk there from the tram stop.  Again, the desk clerk spoke excellent English and was very pleasant, but our room was not ready at 1:00. So, we checked the luggage and set out on foot. It was raining lightly, so we were not too keen on exploring the city, although there were lots of Dutch out and about on foot and on bicycle, mostly without umbrellas and many without any raingear. I imagine that they are used to this weather.

We ended up in the diamond museum. Sort of a cheesy exhibition that seemed to be an industry exhibition, but interesting nonetheless. Explanations about different types of precious stones, how diamonds are formed, where they are mined form and the history of de Beers, among other exhibits. It was amazing to me how many famous diamonds have been stolen, only to reappear many years later, sometimes in different shapes. I was also surprised at how much, sometimes as much as 40% of the diamond is lost in the cutting. Fueled in large part by the expulsion of the Jews, first from Spain, and then subsequently from Antwerp when the Spanish conquered the Lower Netherlands, Amsterdam became a powerhouse in the diamond cutting industry and remained as such for 300+ years. That was ended by WWII, and now the diamond industry in Amsterdam is largely retail, albeit large.

  

We then began a somewhat futile chase of exhibits. We took a tram down to the red-light district in search of a prostitution tour. We navigated the narrow winding streets to the right place, but then walked right by it, perhaps distracted by the semi-naked ladies in the windows or the free food being passed out, and when we finally made our way back there we were too late. This district was crowded, had lots of bars and restaurants and many sex shops, “coffee” shops that really sell marijuana and the “windows”. But it did not seem that decadent.

Then we went back to the museum district based on the guidebook’s representation that the museums would be open until 10 on Sat. That proved to be untrue, so in the rain we hunted for a place to eat dinner. Finally settled on Small Talk Eating House at a table by the window overlooking the street where we could watch the increasingly heavier rain and the people moving through it. We had a small, but interesting conversation with a Dutch couple dining next to us. We had one steak and one fish dinner, Pretty good. 

Getting very tired by about 9, so we took the tram back in the rain to our hotel for an early evening.

No pictures today, too wet