I’m sitting here in the airport, waiting to board a flight delayed by a workers’ strike in France, trying to think of a way to summarize the last week spent in Amsterdam, along with trips to Delft and Rotterdam. Rather than do a blow for blow description of each day’s activities, it’s perhaps more compelling to share a general overview of impressions, not only of the city itself, but also of the differences I’ve noticed between the American way of life and that of the Dutch.

After settling in with my awesome cousin in Amstelveen, it was time to visit Amsterdam for the first time. Again, the public transportation system is very convenient for this. (My only complaint is that you cannot recharge your transportation cards at every location and their online system is also seemingly impractical.) As with the other places, you will still get a more rounded impression of a place by walking around as much as possible once there.

Amsterdam is actually a small city, certainly less than NYC and Los Angeles, and it feels OLD. Row after row of houses date back from the 1600s or earlier, and many lean in one direction or another, tired from centuries of service—even more visibly than the buildings in Leiden and Haarlem.

Cobblestones, ancient and more modern, pave the streets and the smell of pot is everywhere. Folks feel free to smoke walking outside as well as in the famed cafés. Basically, it’s not too hard to get a contact high just wandering around. 😉Continue Reading