Amsterdam On My Mind

There are many ways to get to Amsterdam.

Three of them -- walking, biking or driving -- seem complicated. I might get lost; it would take hours; I have no car and, even if I did,  where would it be parked once we arrived in the city? Of the other two options -- taking the bus or train -- I have tried both recently with ease and satisfaction.

Yesterday was one of those times when I took the train. After walking to the train station, I caught the 11:34 from Haarlem and was on the street in Amsterdam before noon.

Public transport in the Netherlands is quite efficient. The trains are almost always on time and with the TripKey, I am able to use any bus, train, tram with the same pass, which charges to my credit card monthly. If you are planning on spending time using public transport in the Netherlands, I really recommend it.

Amsterdam is a bustling metropolis of about 850,000 people living in an 85 square mile radius. Add to that another 3.5 million tourists who visit each year and one can imagine the busy nature of the city. There are bikes and boats, buses and trams, all powered by people in constant motion.

Pot is legal here, and its smell lingers everywhere in the air. While standing in Dam Square last week with Hope, a young 20-something couple sitting on the steps nearby each rolled their own joints and lit up. Hope commented that she had never seen someone roll a joint before, which -- for a 15 year old -- is likely a tribute to the parenting she has received. In hindsight I definitely wish I could have said that at 15.

The Red Light District is ... interesting. Life size mannequins of women with penises stare out of lit display cases. What even is that? And, no, there are no photos.

Live women in other display cases promise their personal wares. One can wonder if these women -- or are they still children? -- are trafficked. Meanwhile and ironically, parents of young kids in strollers forge their way down crowded cobble streets. I'm worried about my 15 year old seeing this stuff as 2 year olds imbibe the visuals with their pacifiers. It feels like a bizarro world.

Clearly this was a wrong turn we made, so we hastily beat our retreat.

All over Amsterdam there are wandering young people, speaking German and English, Spanish and French.  I see a few Chinese tourists, too, but they are often with middle-aged parents. It's the Western kids who are are here for the sex and the drugs, experiences to gather as reminders of their youth. Walking past them on the sidewalks, I wonder about their quest.

You know them by their ubiquitous iPhone, used for direction in a round about city. If they are not looking down at it, their faces are turned up, staring far into the distance. Their gaze reminds me of someone who is not Present, but living for the future when they can tell their friends how they partied for a week in Amsterdam.

This vibe is not for me so I head for the Hermitage Amsterdam.