Oddities and other trivia

As I had a few extra down days before I could start work here in Amsterdam I walked around to orient myself to my new surroundings and here are a few items I noted.

Language
They may be Dutch but it ain't Deutsch they speak. In fact most Dutch speak very good English. The spoken Dutch sounds a little like German with a smattering of English sounding words. The written language is also different but generally once you know the pronunciation you can piece the meaning together. Being a dyslexic I don't always notice the spelling difference. For example 'het' is the same as 'the' in English unless of course it used to mean 'ít' for a neuter noun;-) Yes, the nouns here have gender. They are either "common gender" (masculine or feminine) or neuter. Common gender nouns are usually treated as masculine unless they refer to something female, whew!

Transportation
Bicycles
If you want to be a public citizen get a bicycle. Cars must yield to both bikes and pedestrians but bicyclists don't yield to pedestrians or cars. So while walking and gawking at the sights you could be run over by a cyclist or a tram but most likely not by a car. There are special bike lanes but not always places for you to walk and if you use the bike lanes while walking expect to be cursed at by a cyclist.

With all of the bikes around town you would think that there wouldn't be any need to steal one but bike theft is a favorite past time. There are the Bike Junkies who steal bikes for quick cash for hard drugs. I have been told not to talk to anyone who might walk up and offer a bike for a really cheap price. The there is the general theft done for the fun of it and the bike is dumped in one of the canals. I can't wait to see the dredging in the spring when the bikes are removed.


To me the Dutch are relatively healthy and most are fairly tall. But the bike is their daily means of transportation for everything from shopping to taking kids to school, workers moving building supplies, and of course commuting. Most bikes are dark colored but some women decorate the front baskets and I am certain so they can find in later at the train station. The bike paths are all over Amsterdam and I have read that they even exist outside of the city for touring. 


I did not take all of the following images but will post some of my own later. And here is an interesting link with a video on the development of the Dutch bike path network: dutch city bike.  The first part of the video is how it really during commute hours.

Bringing home the shopping. Note Tram in the background

.

Transporting the kids to a game

Bike Parking at the Metro station

Automobiles
Basically you don't want to drive in the center of Amsterdam as there is no free parking. And most of the neighborhoods have very limited permitted parking. Sometimes there are some interesting ways of parking a vehicle. But not as stange or creative as seen in Italy.

Red Light Districts
If you haven't noticed there is an 's' in this this heading. I was a bit surprised that there really is more than one Red Light District in Amsterdam. The most famous one is located in the center of the city near the main train station but there are a few others across the city. When I was looking for an apartment to move into my agency gave me a lift over to the apartment and said that there was nothing to worry about as far as the red-lights-it was just a business. Well yes it is. The first time I was in Amsterdam I was disappointed that I didn't see the ladies in the main Red Light district but my son pointed out to me later at the hotel that what I thought was a nightclub with scantly clad ladies dancing was in fact one of the window. Duh!! Well I personally know someone else who didn't know that he was in the Red Light district and thought the scantily ladies were not aware that they could be seen by passer-bys in the street until he noticed that there were several in one location.  And it was next to a police station. Double duh! There is one other tidbit you should also know should you want to partake. If the light is blue it is a transsexual. 

Dave Barry has a funny story about when he went to Amsterdam. I have provided a link to the full article but here is an excerpt:

I  was with a group of people (including, for the record, my wife) who decided to go see the red-light district. As we approached it, we were all looking around with great curiosity, trying to spot one of the friendly women; it was exactly like when you visit Yellowstone National Park, and you know that there are bears somewhere, because you keep seeing signs warning you about them, but you haven't actually seen a bear yet, so the tension keeps building up inside you.

And so when we came around a corner and suddenly found ourselves right next to an occupied display window, I -- demonstrating the cool urbanity that certainly enhanced the reputation of American tourists for suave sophistication -- pointed and yelled "There's one!" At the same instant, I walked into a metal traffic barrier, hitting it so hard that I thought I fractured my kneecap, although I of course did not seek medical treatment because I didn't want to have to explain to the medical personnel how I injured myself. This is exactly why health authorities say that if you're going to be messing around in a red-light district, you should always wear protection, in the form of knee pads.

There are also several sex theaters in the Red Light District near the center. I have been to any but one of them is called the Banana Bar. For a 50 euro fee she will serve you drinks and eat a banana in a provocative way- let your mind think about that for a second.

Well I have finished my first week at work and now have a weekend to do whatever. Hmm wonder what type of trouble I can get into now.

More later or as the Dutch would say Tot Ziens.