So the Netherlands. The Land of Nethers. Nowhere is this name more relevant than in Amsterdam [1](which was our first stop) with it’s anything-goes nightlife, but the country itself (and indeed the city of Amsterdam) is so much more than liberal drug policy and hookers that look like tranny mannequins (yes… I know… trannequins). I’ve been here a few times, and it’s evolved regressively each time. This time it reminded me a lot of Prague – not so much aesthetically or culturally; moreso because it’s another place that once presented it’s own strong cultural identity but was now completely blanketed by drunk tourists and bachelor parties carpet-bombing an otherwise beautiful and historic cityscape with condom wrappers and projectile vomit. But that’s just what’s on the surface; a superficial first glance at any city in the throes of bacchanalia would probably yield more judgment than respect. We basically skipped the two main reasons you go to Amsterdam, but there was plenty to keep us busy. You guys know Shefali is like Rain Man when it comes to saving money, so we balled hard at some fancy hotel in Amsterdam for our first night there for free. It had a Turkish bath downstairs and an espresso machine in the room. And a marble bathroom. I felt like Diddy. Good thing I saved up all my poop since Madrid. After this, we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Not quite the same upper crust standard of accommodation. But hey, HI Express is kind of our jawn – when we were long distance, most of the time we met halfway at one. Free breakfast and Wi-Fi, you know. And they were never this fly, so either way it’s still a win. Anyway after a few days of squat restaurants and food from vending machines we made our way to Rotterdam[2]. It’s the largest port in Europe and second-largest in the world, surpassed only by Shanghai in the last decade. The center of the city was razed during World War II, so you get this sprawling, modern architecture against a centuries-old backdrop just outside the center of the city. The canals are a little less busy and the vibe is much more relaxed. It’s a working class city and the makeup is in fact only about half Dutch. Literally every other person you meet is from somewhere else. We celebrated Shefali’s birthday here and I think it may have been a huge letdown – apparently the whole city is just shut down on Tuesdays… don’t ask me why. Mondays I get – that’s common all over Europe. We spent most of our time here with the city working quietly, so though relaxing it was also lacking the excitement I would have liked for my bear’s big day. She never let it show though! We ended up celebrating just the two of us at an empty place overlooking a canal at night. I think it would have been perfect if I had planned it that way, as opposed to it being the only place open. I like to think she was happily surprised when the food came out with sparklers in an attempt to be festive, you can judge for yourselves above. The next couple days we hit the things I had actually planned for her birthday before heading out for perhaps the most important destination in all of Europe. I’ll give you a hint… It’s the one place I haven’t shut up about for the last seven years…
© 2013 Vijay
