Amsterdam

Where else would I want to be today?

Spring, sprung

(photo credit: Jen Winston)

Spring has officially arrived in Amsterdam! This past week marked the symbolic arrival of spring. The weather, a harbinger for the week to come, has been warm and sunny since Tuesday and the entire city has seemed to blossom in response. Oh sure, there had been early bloomers: cafes putting tables on the street again, the occasional nice day; but, no doubt this week was, for me, the official arrival of Spring.

After weeks of travel, visits and then midterms, this past week was a welcomed respites from the (albeit, minor) pressures of life in Amsterdam. With no big assignments due, I was free to enjoy this week in utter relaxation, carefree and jubilant. My vernal week truly began on Tuesday, with a trip to the NEMO museum. NEMO is the children's museum, built to resemble a boat sitting in the harbor. The museum, while gauged to a younger audience, was fun and interesting. It brought to mind past fieldtrips.

Later that day, my friends and I met up at a brewery/bar that inhabits an old windmill that sits on the IJ channel. The afternoon sun provided an excellent setting in which to enjoy the good company and tasty beer. After a quick stop at home for a bite to eat, I met a few other friends and we all headed off to a Squatter bar that host a ping-pong night every Tuesday. For those unaware, Squatters have lots of rights in the liberal Netherlands and are even recognized as having 'squatter culture'. If any building is uninhabited for over a year, anybody has a legal right to live in it.

The bar was cool and its offer of ping pong wasn't wrong. The version played at the club was an elaborate ritual in which all of the contestants would line up in a circle with two stationed at the table, after each hit, the circle would rotate. If a player won a point, his opponent was booted from the game. This continued until the last two remaining players battled it out for victory. This spectacle, combined with cheap bear and good music provided for a wonderful evening.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of taking a leisurely bike ride up the Amstel river to the little town of Oude Kerk aan de Amstel. The ride begins in central Asmterdam but quickly gives way to quiter suburbs. Then, suddenly one finds oneself surrounded by farms and country living. Yet, the city (with skyscrapers and modern arenas) always stands paradoxically in the background either way you look. The Amstel River is a modern oasis in an urban city.

Upon my return, I went to the barbecue hosted by my dorm which took place on the patio next to the canal. The still beaming sun and the majestic canal provided a wonderful setting for our lively BBQ. Good times were assuredly had by all.

Thursday was a quieter day with Dutch class and an interview for a summer job being the most exciting parts of that day. But Friday. Friday is a different story.

On Friday, I visited the Keukenhof gardens with my friends Jen and Vivian. The gardens contain a huge variety of plants and flowers but specialize in the local Tulip. Open for only two months out of the year, the Keukenhof is the definition of Spring in Amsterdam.

After a short train then bus ride from Centraal Station, we made it to the gardens. It is hard to describe the astounding beauty of the gardens. Upon first glance in any direction, once is jolted with the panoply of colors and patterns, each great swath of vivid red, green, white combing to create a vernal quilt before one's very own eyes.

Yet, this romantic description does not accurately reflect the beauty of the gardens. The overwhelming sense of beauty is compounded upon the astonishing realization that every individual flower, every petal is beautiful and majestic in its own right.

And so I surrendered to the beauty of the Keukenhof. Giving in the the deeper, more sub-conscious delight of the experience. Perhaps it was in that garden that I suddenly was struck with the notion that it was officially Spring. but, how could one not be when presented with such overwhelming evidence in every direction.

As it is said on Passover, it would have been enough. Had I only managed to go to NEMO and take a great bike ride this week, it would have been enough. Had I only managed to go to NEMO, take a great bike ride and go to the Keukenhof, it would have been enough. But, I still had Saturday.

Yesterday, I embarked on yet another adventure with some old and new friends. For the shear hell of it, we decided to find "De Bezaar" a massive, part-outdoors market in the middle of quiet town (suburb?) in North Holland.

Having recently visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, the contrast was quite evident. One is a centuries old center of trade where you could buy just about anything you could need. The other is an attraction that charges for entrance where you can buy just about anything you could need. As my companions in Istanbul know, roaming around a meandering bazaar can be quiet entertaining.

As we headed back to A'dam, we had to change trains in Harlem. As we stood on the 1st track, waiting off our train, one particularly eagle-eyed companion of mine spotted a carnival ride spinning in the background. Not yet ready to call it a day, the five of us fled the station and went off in search of the carnival. It was not hard to find as it was conveniently taking place in the city's main square. The more-adventurous among us, including yours truly, decided to take a spin on the aforementioned ride which took its riders on a big loop up and over; over and over again. The feeling of flying above this medieval city (the ride easily went higher than the majority of the buildings in the city) and then swooping by its magnificent Cathedral was unparalleled.

(photo credit: Jen Winston)

Our day concluded with a delicious Indian meal at a little restaurant we found on the way back to Harlem station. Today, alas, I cannot enjoy the still-beautiful weather because my week of relaxation means that I have to do my homework today.

Still, I can look back and marvel at a week I know I will never forget. The next few weeks promise to be just as fun as the last one was. April is a great month to be in Amsterdam, and I am not going anywhere until May. I hope all of you are enjoying your nascent Springs as much as I am.

(photo credit: Jen Winston)

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"