Amsterdam

I am writing this in a café in Amsterdam whilst enjoying a rather nice piece of apple pie. The place is called Studio 2 (Singel 504) and we are having a coffee with a nice view of the busy flower market outside. We’ve been enjoying a three day trip to the Dutch capital that was a bit like the apple pie itself; rich, fulfilling but uniquely Dutch.

Our journey started on Monday afternoon when we set off to Newcastle to catch the DFDS ferry to Amsterdam. One of the reasons for choosing the ferry over flying is that we thought it would be less hassle and what with Gill being in the family way we felt it best to avoid as much stress as possible. In actual fact the whole trip was marked by how easily everything fell into place; from the ship to hotel transfers as well as the hotel itself.

After a comfortable half hour wait we were directed to the departures area. Gilly, with the look of an international terrorist, was asked to empty out the contents of her handbag for inspection by a customs officer. Had there been any contraband concealed within, it would have taken an x-ray to find anything amongst the various assorted rubbish. Within minutes however, we were walking up the gangplank and on to the King of Scandinavia. The sight of green stained body work on an over painted white hull mixed with the smell of sea air and diesel might not be everyone’s cup of tea but when your fondest childhood memories start with a ferry trip to Ireland, such sensations bring a feeling of excitement coursing through the veins.

Once we had settled into our cabin; deck 8 room 683, we went to explore the ship. In the first bar, we came across a huge group of excitable teenagers straight from the wrap party for the extended cast of Skins. It made me smile to see these college kids off on a trip to Europe with gangs of friends showing blind confidence one minute and awkward discomfort the next. I thought about how much fun it would be to be so young and vital, setting off on a hedonistic adventure with friends for the first time, but I remembered how age and more importantly impending fatherhood have put paid to such frivolities. Then I woke up from these daydreams to the realisation that I could partake if I wanted but it is more through choice than compulsion that I don’t. (I also remembered that due to personal neuroses, awkwardness and a constant state of penury even at 17 or 18 I still wouldn’t really have joined in anyway). Theylooked like they were enjoying themselves anyway; especially the androgynous teen who hit the dancefloor in a spiderman outfit later on in the evening.

The whole trip only cost £155 between us and for that we got a return ferry trip complete with cabins as well as a one night stay in a central hotel – it would have been more expensive to stay at home for the whole week! However, there is a cautionary tale attached to such good value. You see, once they’ve got you on the boat everything is right expensive – especially the food. The cheapest restaurant was an all you can eat buffet but you had to pay £21 to get in. Now both Gill and myself have been known to put the food away when the mood takes but I don’t think there are enough hours in the day to eat £42 worth of grub. Instead we settled for bar snacks (washed down with Grolsch in my case) but we have determined to bring a picnic for the return journey.

We arrived in Holland on Tuesday and after a 40 minute bus ride we were deposited on the steps of our hotel. It was called Hotel Acro and although basic in some respects, it was clean and the staff were really friendly, in fact it was just what we were after. More than this however, it was just a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum which was our first port of call. Although a lot of the museum is closed for refurbishment, we were still treated to a grand selection of paintings, among them some excellent works by Rembrant and Vermeer. It won’t surprise those of you who know her but Gill managed to bump into someone she knew from school in the foyer. Can there be a corner of the world still untouched by the acquaintances of my wife?


Later we went exploring armed with our map and the Rough Guide to Europe (or the ‘bible’ as Stan and Sarah refer to it). We found the coloured walking routes that are dotted around the city an ideal way to make sure we caught all the sights we wanted to take in. We stopped for lunch at a place called Da Antonia, (Singel 492) which coincidentally as it was Shrove Tuesday, specialised in pancakes. They were gorgeous and set us up nicely for the afternoon’s sight seeing.

A friend of ours lives in Amsterdam so we arranged to meet him after we’d had our evening meal. We went to a place called De Rozenboom (Rozenboomsteeg 6) which the guide described as ‘quaint’ serving traditional food. Once again our oracle had not let us down. Some may have found the food a bit plain but we loved it and there was loads; so you can’t complain. Graham met us afterwards and we all went for a drink. He filled us in on the ups and downs of living and working in Amsterdam. As a former resident of the Lake District he suggested it was similar insomuch as you are surrounded by beautiful things but they are easily taken for granted and as such you don’t really enjoy them as a visitor might. He said he missed Cumbria sometimes but we could see why he liked being in Amsterdam so much.



Already today we have had a canal trip around Amsterdam; (9E for an hour) a lovely way to see the city but we started off early at the Van Gogh museum. Our guide recommends an early or late visit if you don’t want to queue. We arrived 15 minutes before opening but by the time they let us in there was a line right down the street. It was interesting to see in the museum how Van Gogh’s style developed over time from his early works as well as the way in which he influenced later artists. However, our time was limited and you would need at least an entire day to do this exhibition justice. There was a mix up in the cloakroom as we made to leave too. The Goth in front of us walked off with my bowler hat and black velvet opera cape –oh well, easy come easy go. Just around the corner is the Film Museum and although we didn’t have time for a good look around we took a minute to go into the attached Café Vertigo. Named after the Hitchcock film, it was decorated with all sorts of film memorabilia. Gill liked it so much that she wants to set up something similar in Carlisle (maybe after the Summer).

Both of us have enjoyed visits to Amsterdam before although for Gill it was when she was at University and I came here on a stag do. Suffice it to say last time out our visits were a lot different from our latest sedate and relaxing trip. Perhaps it is age or maybe the baby on the way but these days we seem more interested in gentle pursuits and more wholesome experiences. Yes wholesome…just like this apple pie.

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