#6 Random Thoughts

Two months from the day after departing the US, it’s time for a few random thoughts about living in Europe so far:

- I don’t mind techno/house music, in fact, I even kind of like it. But for the love of God, must it really be played 24/7 on 80% of the radio stations?

- It’s amazing what a little investment in your infrastructure can do for your quality of life. Headed home from the airport at 11pm? No problem, you’re there by train in 15 minutes. Riding your bike a few miles? You’ll do it on a bike path separate from cars for 95% of the way there. Seattle (or just about anywhere else in the US), take note.

- You can call it KFC, but if you don’t serve biscuits or mashed potatoes/gravy, isn’t it a bit disingenuous?

- Want to go to London and feel like you’re in a budget-destination? Go there immediately after visiting Denmark.

- If you type “customer service” into Google translate, it gives you a Dutch phrase. However, this must be a mistake because clearly the concept does not exist in Holland. The latest event occurred when I went to the parking office to add my name to a waiting list for a permit in my neighborhood (currently 7 months). As my forms were being tossed back at me, I was informed that one cannot begin waiting for parking until one has a car (I guess I can just put leave the flashers on for a year until a permit is available).

- Bar hopping via bike will NEVER get old.

- I get it that Europeans like eating al fresco, but someone needs to tell the Dutch that a) they don’t live on the Mediterranean, and b) you can pretend all you want that you’re enjoying yourself as you’re drinking your beer huddled under an awning during a rainstorm, but the shivering, gloves, hat, and scarf kind of give you away.

- All the awesome imported foods I paid way too much for in the US (Belgian beers, chocolate, etc.) are now 50% off. Score!

- Law & Order, the Simpsons, and Everybody Loves Raymond: I’m ready for something new.

- Dutch people are actually pretty friendly and are happy to speak English (and they all do). No language barrier here at all.

- Reading about the Cougs big loss each week is better than having to watch it.

- Profanity is rarely edited out of TV shows and it’s common to see nudity on television, even commercials. Guess what? The children are okay!

- After two months, I’m still looking for this guy:



No luck yet.

#5 - A stroll around the block

I'm getting adjusted quite well to my new neighborhood. I live in an area called "de Pijp" which is pronounced as "the Pipe" (very fitting for Amsterdam, I know). Traditionally this has been a younger neighborhood and has gentrified over the last 20 years or so. It's an area with lots of nightlife, cheap eats, and lots of everyday stores too. Time for a quick tour.

First, leaving my apartment, check out the mailboxes for my building. See those stickers? You put these on your mailbox to tell the postman whether or not you will accept junk mail. If you say "nee", you won't be given any mail that isn't addressed directly to you. Pretty nice!






Walking down the street you can see the parking situation. For my neighborhood there is a 7-month wait for a parking permit. So far I'm enjoying the hassle-free options of biking, walking, and public transit:




As you can see, bikes are a very popular option:



About two blocks later we arrive at the Albert Heijn, which is basically the monopoly supermarket chain in the Netherlands. Notice the parking lot in front:



A few blocks north in the opposite direction, you can see the bane of many Amsterdammers' existence - construction for the North/South metro line. It will be awesome once it's done ... in 2017. They realized that building a new subway under an 800-year old city built on wooden pilings wasn't the best idea after some historical houses started tipping and sinking, but now it's too late to stop:



About 5 blocks further north (and a 5-min walk from my apartment) is the Albert Cuyp market, which is purportedly the largest street market in Europe. Great place to come for french fries served in a paper cone, produce, cheese, clothes, just about anything.



Back near my place, here's a canal view a view to the northwest and the Rijksmuseum. This is basically Amsterdam's version of the Louve:



Typical Amsterdam street - notice the part of the sidewalk that is a different color. This is the bike lane - walk in it at your own peril. At best you'll be greeted by angry bell-ringing, and at worst you'll be plowed down (as witnessed by the unfortunate timing of three hot girls riding by while a dirty old guy headed the other direction turned back to look and plowed right into somebody who stepped in front of him).



Finally, this is about 20 minutes away in the center of town, but a nice canal shot on a relatively sunny fall day:


Want to see more? Come and visit.