Christmas Day

My first Dutch Christmas was much like my first Dutch Thanksgiving, except that Thanksgiving is an American holiday that could pass by unnoticed Amsterdam. Christmas, however, is impossible to ignore. The city was ghostly, and most grocery stores, shops, and cafes were closed. So, if one does not have family or friends who do not have family nearby, there’s not a lot to do.

I had originally planned on traveling during Christmas, but I decided against doing so when a mound of work piled up on my plate. So, in town with no one to spend the holiday with, I pounced on the opportunity to attend a party that was advertised on the Couchsurfing website.

Rachelle, a woman from Amsterdam, was in a position similar to mine, so she decided to host some international travelers at her apartment and invite twenty or so other travelers and expat orphans to join her in her apartment on Christmas evening.

It was a perfect place to be when away from traditional friends and family. The attendees, who were from Finland, Canada, the U.S., Australia, Turkey, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea, France, Brazil, Mexico, and others countries I’m sure I’ve forgotten, all seemed grateful to share the company of a group of friends, even if they were only friends for that night. I know that I felt some regret at not being with family for the holiday, and some others made similar comments. But there was also some recognition that the party might be a pretty cool place to spend the holiday. I heard more than one person mention jealousy from friends who complained about being driven crazy by their family.

So, in all, a memorable Christmas, and another especially positive experience spending time with a group of complete strangers from around the world.

Rachelle, the hostess, on the right, and her two guests from Finland.

KwangSub, who is biking around the world, and all of the caricatures he drew on people's cups.



I approve of this gathering.

Ghost Town

I have a rather busy January in the works, including 17 days out of the country, three talks to give at conferences, and eight days of two hour per day teaching. So I decided it would be prudent to stay in town over the holiday break and prep for the aforementioned.

With my local social circle fleeing Amsterdam to spend time with their families, I took the opportunity to wander the streets and soak in the Christmas cheer.

The streets were sparsely populated for a Saturday night on Christmas Eve. I had dinner in a dive sports bar in a tourist area of town and watched the first half of the Jets Giants NFL game (broadcast with Fox announcers, but with halftime and break-time analyses led by a British fellow - interesting). My lack of food poisoning from the meal I ate here was all the Christmas miracle I needed. Choosing this as my dinner was not my smartest move.

Those who were out seemed to be either tourists who appreciate Northern European winters (note, though, that the weather has been unusually nice lately - the high today was around 50, and the low was around 45, and there was no rain), locals who preferred drinking in public to spending time with their families, or long lines of families waiting outside of concert halls and churches for holiday concerts.

The Carre theater, on the bank of the Amstel River. I use it as a point of reference for locals when they ask me where I live. There was a long line for a concert outside.

Utrechtstraat, which leads to the center of town. This couple may have wondered if they were the intended target of the picture, since they had just been making out (they weren't).

A bit more Halloween than Christmas, perhaps.

The sausage vendor in Leidseplein.

I left my apartment at 10am on Christmas morning to explore what I assumed would be empty streets. My assumption was mostly correct. Shops were closed, and families were presumably enjoying each other's company indoors despite the warm weather (around 45 degrees, with partly cloudy skies). It felt strange to see the streets like this, since Amsterdam is densely populated, and the streets would typically be busy at this time.

I was happy to find that a bakery I often go to was open. I'm sure they were happy for my business, but I am guessing they did not get many customers today.

Ferdinand Bolstraat, which is usually packed with walkers and bikers competing for space next to the shops. A new metro line is under construction under the street (and has been since I moved here), so space is at a premium. Again, practically empty.

Albert Cuypstraat, where the market near my house normally is.

Museumplein, the grassy area outside of the Van Gogh, Rijks, and some other museums.

A higher than normal proportion of the tourists out this morning were (presumably) from Asia or India. This group was skating on melting ice outdoors on a rink on Museumplein, with the help of a chair.



Each of these streets near Leidseplein would typically be fairly crowded. All of the coffeeshops were open, and I did smell some marijuana, so apparently some people were smoking, though it could have been the staff rather than customers. And the sex shops were open. I didn't see anyone going into Club Church (a notable gay club in Amsterdam, on the left).


There were some small crowds of tourists in Dam Square. Some posed with horses.

Many restaurants in China Town were open. This - and the birds in the window - were reminiscent of A Christmas Story.



This is the only picture I've taken of the Red Light District since I moved here. Rumor has it that prostitutes and pimps can and will break your camera if they see you taking pictures of the ladies in the windows. I like my camera, so I've decided not to test that rumor. There are usually throngs of stoned tourists shuffling along the canal to giggle and gawk, and there are often rowdy packs of British men on their bachelor parties, drunk, obnoxious, and loud. But the area was quiet and peaceful this morning. There were even some ladies in windows, dressed for business.


While at Museumplein, I checked to see if the Rijksmuseum was open. It was, so I used my museum card to duck in and take a quick look at the paintings while the crowds were light (recall that I paid for unlimited entry to museums for a year).

He seems a little surprised that I caught him at such a vulnerable moment.

December

Ruth, who hosted me in Munich (and arranged for my hike through the Alps) took a break from her work to visit Amsterdam. We spent most of Saturday walking around Amsterdam, and I had a chance to reflect on how the city looks in December after seeing it closely when I first arrived in the early summer.

In walking in the center of town, I saw a tall, narrow hostel, and I had a funny feeling that I'd stumbled upon the hostel I stayed in ten years ago when I first visited Amsterdam. They staff agreed to buzz me in to let me check, and, based on my memory of the unique lobby, I decided that this is indeed the hostel I first stayed in. Fun.


I did not take a picture of the "Houseboat Museum" that Ruth and I visited, but I did get one of this boat that is about to be pulled skyward by lit reindeer.


Recall that Zwarte Piet is the slave/helper/friend of Sinterklaas who helps deliver presents around children. Apparently there was some demonstration against the tradition last week.


In Amsterdam, scantily clad prostitutes entice customers behind windows, women look at Playboy in the grocery store (I saw a woman looking at a nude pullout in the magazine aisle in our version of Albertsons), sex boutiques dot the small streets in the center of town, right by cafes and clothing stores, and there are live sex shows in the Red Light District. Even so, I was a little surprised that, while browsing this innocent looking chocolate stand in the Albert Cuyp Market, I saw some rather suggestively shaped chocolates.
I'll leave it to you to guess what "Massief Lekkere Tietjes" means.
And I'll leave it to you to guess what "Massief Geintje" means.
I took Ruth to Beer Temple, which serves a lot of American beers, and serves a lot of American style beers brewed in European countries.
This is what's on tap - there are three times as many beers in bottles. Note Rogue and Flying Dog. They also often have Anderson Valley, Great Divide, and Left Hand, as well as some Eastern U.S. beers that I'm not familiar with.


And the partly cloudy night made for some nice nighttime pictures.