Amsterdam

A short train ride to Amsterdam to reacquaint myself with her. Many years ago I thought it would be cool to live in Amsterdam after having spent a few months there. But Amsterdam is not the Netherlands, she is sui generis. She is a world tourist city. It will be interesting to see what changes 11 years have wrought.

The interior of Haarlem train station, my starting point.

Except for the new lettering, the exterior of Centraal looked the same. However the interior has had a makeover with bright new passageways and shiny shops.

The metro network has been extended. I also noted that I could reach Science Park by a new train station after Muiderpoort instead of taking tram 9 to Watergrafsmeer.

The Jordaan is a neighbourhood to the west of Centraal that has been gentrified and is a trendy sought after quarter, especially by the young. It has many art galleries, specialist shops, ethnic restaurants and cool cafés.

Cool guard cats too.

I viewed many an arthouse film at this cinema back in the day. They were still showing Koyaanisqatsi, which tells you something about the clientele.


I forgot that in Amsterdam bicyclists can come from any direction and I almost got run into a couple of times, saved only by shouts.

Unfortunately the Lindengracht markets weren't operating but the Melkmeisjesbrug (Milkmaid Bridge) was still there, as always.

Then a walk down the main pedestrian shopping street of Nieuwendijk which segues into Kalverstraat, running parallel to Damrak and Rokin respectively.

The upmarket Magma, behind the National Palace, was already there when I passed through on my way to Spain in 1993 and still looked as classy as ever, although the mix of shops had changed. It was the same story with Kalverstraat. The American Book Centre, the largest English language bookshop in the Netherlands, where I once bought all 7 volumes of Anaïs Nin's Journals, prompting the sales assistant to exclaim: the one who takes it all, had relocated to a cheaper location on the Spui.

At the end of Kalverstraat is the Munttoren and the start of the Bloemen Markt.

The flower market, on the bank of the Singel canal, is where tourists buy bulbs to take home (where allowed).

I had no such desires so I crossed over to Leidsestraat where there are a couple of single tram crossings.

At a Febo I had a snack of fries with knoflooksaus for nostalgia.

The Bulldog Cafe at Leidseplein looked the same as ever. This plaza gets lively in the evenings.

I recalled reading that the portable street urinals had been removed. Spotting a hotel, I strode in purposefully and headed towards the conference rooms, turning when I spotted the toilets.

The Stadsschouwburg faces the plaza. I attended one or three concerts here back in the day.

I walked back to Centraal along the Rokin, bought some gifts at a Chinese supermarket, and found an adana kebab lunch at a Turkish restaurant. Although authentic enough, pretty much any restaurant in the centre caters to the tourist traffic so you pay above the odds.

I had been told that the area where I once interned for a few months had been redeveloped into a Science Park so I was curious to see what it looked like after 30 years.

The CWI looked the same as ever with the twin lambdas in front. The cafeteria and open air balcony where we had many a Friday afternoon beer looked the same. No doubt all the people I knew were gone.

It looks like if you are after a cloud computing job, you should consult your local street snack bar first.

On the opposite side of the street is Anna Hoeve, the only building left of a historic farm, and now on the outskirts of a research park.

The ducks will still be there long after I'm gone. Tempus fugit.