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A Weekend in Amsterdam

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:37:02 PST

Not more than a year ago I was lucky enough to be accompanied by girlfriend on a two day trip to the beautiful and vibrant city of Amsterdam. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect as we had only heard about some of the more obvious attractions such as the flower market, art museums and of course the world famous red light district.

We arrived at Schiphol airport and took the first available train to Amsterdam central which is only a twenty or so minute journey. Arriving at the station we took our hotel booking information to a taxi driver who gave us our first surprise the gentleman pointed up the street and said it was easier to walk and didn't want to take our money, amazing. We arrived at our hotel not more than five minutes later which seemed to be the equivalent of a trust house forte or holiday inn, not that we really cared as we immediately dropped our bags and headed straight for dam square, again just a five minute walk from the hotel.

My girlfriend who I should point out is now my fiancé then gave me my second surprise of the break "when in Rome Paul" she said. I looked at where she was pointing and before me was a reggae cafe with a giant cannabis leaf in the window, now I must point out neither of us would do this at home as it is illegal but as we were in Amsterdam we both decided to give it a try. The cafe was well air conditioned and had a very friendly atmosphere, I did my best to roll a joint and we both smoked until our heads felt fuzzy, we both thought at this point it was best to take some air and look round. We meandered for a while looking in the various tourist shops and ventured through a few side streets littered with shops selling all kinds of key rings, clogs and other terrible rubbish people bring home from a trip to abroad. By this time the shops were beginning to shut which was a shame as we had just come into the fashion area of Amsterdam and my girlfriend was nearly shuddering with pleasure as we found a street with nothing but shoe shops.

Strangely after the walk and smoke we both felt very hungry at this point and stopped at a Uruguayan steakhouse called Alberto's carreta (Spui 8), it had wagon wheels and bull horns on the walls. The chairs were hard wood and if I am honest very uncomfortable plus the staff did not seem overly concerned about high levels of customer service, however, this was the best grill I have ever been to in terms of flavour, plus the various meats were cooked with an expert touch.

With full bellies and a good bottle of wine in us we toddled off into the night to get a look at the famous red light district. We walked what felt like miles and eventually rounded a corner to be met by the sight of rows of glass fronted rooms with scantily clad ladies behind plying their trade. I had of course heard about this countless times but I can honestly say nothing prepares you for the surreal sight this really is especially as you watch and see men approaching to tell the ladies what they are after and how much it might cost them.

Sadly within about fifteen minutes of being there we realised that there was an illegal drug dealer on every corner offering class A drugs and quite a few dodgy guy's obviously looking for soft pick pocket targets, this made us both feel a little uncomfortable so we headed back out stopping on our way at the bulldog cafe. The bulldog is probably one of the more famous smoke houses in Amsterdam and is actually a lovely place to relax, neither of us partook this time just a coffee instead. The bar was set right on one of the canals and had a real old world feel about it, we sat and watched the world go by and could almost imagine how many people had sat exactly where we had doing the same thing for well over a century. We left after our coffee and took a peddle cab back to the hotel a very reasonable way to travel both in price and in terms of pace as it allowed us to soak in the sights and spot places we wished to return to.

The next day we awoke and went downstairs to a buffet breakfast piled high with everything you could wish, from cereal and croissant to bacon and eggs. I had wanted to go to the Rijks museum and my girlfriend wanted to see Anne Frank's house so we decided we would put the effort in and see both as this would really be our last full day in Amsterdam. We left the hotel and walked to the Anne Frank museum which was actually quite a slog but well worth it because we left the hustle and bustle of central Amsterdam behind and got to see the quieter streets which were very pretty. We found ourselves wishing to live there and started to pick out the houses we thought most suitable to buy daydreaming of a rosy life looking out from our living room at the canals and quaint little bridges that spanned out in front of us.

When we reached the museum (Address: Anne Frank House ,Prinsengracht 267) I was surprised that the museum was a modern building and nothing like I expected, however, once inside you realise this is perfect as you cross between the new museum and the house which has been left pretty much untouched. This contrast of old and new really highlights the living conditions of the Frank family and increases the mood. I myself have never been an emotional person but I found myself walking round and reading the various boards of information becoming increasingly saddened and when I read what happened to each of the family members I nearly wept. This museum for me is a must, it doesn't take too much time out of your day and it's an eye opener to see how these poor people had to hide away during the Nazi occupation.

We took a taxi back into Amsterdam's Leideseplein and found a really nice place for lunch called pancake corner, the title obviously gives away the cuisine but I must speak highly of it. There is a huge range of fillings both sweet and savoury and the service is both quick and excellent. Then with no time to lose as we had lost a big part of the day by we headed straight for the Rijks Museum which was a short walk across town.

The museum building is huge and beautifully built in fact if art is not your thing I still suggest you go to look at the building I actually think it's far prettier than the palace in Dam square. The museum has a huge collection of masterpieces from among others Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer and although not for the modern art lover these works are magnificent and took talent I could only dream of. My fiancé giggled at me as she saw for the first time my hands laced behind the back being studious look, which at the time embarrassed me slightly as I was not aware I did it. We took the automated tour with head phones which was very good but for me went a little fast as I wanted to soak in each article on display at my slow pace. The only other thing I can say is that this was the pinnacle of my break and I really loved the afternoon we spent there.

That evening we walked out through the streets and were quite tired but as we would be going home tomorrow we decided to make the effort for dinner. We happened upon the Tagore Indian Restaurant, (Utrechtsestraat 128) this restaurant was one of the real treats of the holiday with its warm family run atmosphere and to die for food. The price tag wasn't dirt cheap but to be honest it couldn't have been with the quality food and service they provided, I know it's not traditional Dutch food but if you like Indian cuisine stop in and eat until you burst.

The next day we thought we would hit the shops before catching our flight the hotel allowed us to stow our luggage and off we went, now the shopping if you like fashion is amazing and I for one think far better than London (My fellow countryman may dislike me for saying such a thing but hey!), we laden ourselves with far too many bags and the credit card has only just recovered but well worth every penny. We did also find our way by accident back in the red light district and by day I would recommend it as the pace is much slower and you can look round the area in a much safer manner there were plenty of silly giggles from the both of us I can tell you.

Well that was the end of our trip and I hope that in my own way that I have championed the city of Amsterdam as a must visit destination because I believe it is a place that really does have something to offer all people from all walks of life. I would also like to urge you that you should try everything even the things you may think distasteful as seeing these things is a true insight and even if like us you go for only two days you will no doubt experience a week's worth of fun and activity if you do punctuated of course by a multitude of coffee breaks..

Bratislava: A Rebuilt Identity

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:23:17 PST

It was July forth, a day I thought I would not be celebrating given the fact that I was not in America, but, rather, in Bratislava, the capitol city of Slovakia. I ended up in the castle overlooking the city with outsiders from the Chamber of Commerce watching Elvis and Marilyn Monroe impersonators dance around like morons as the World Cup played on flat screens in tents, people road mechanical bulls, and fireworks exploded to celebrate our independence from England…

When planning my trip earlier that summer, my mother had mentioned that one of her friends had a son who worked at the embassy in the “up and coming” formerly communist city. Considering I was low on money (one of the many appeals for traveling to Eastern Europe in the first place) and not knowing much about the place other than what I had seen portrayed in “Eurotrip,” I thought it might be a good idea to stop halfway through my excursion to stay with someone who had been living in the unknown city for a while.

I should have realized when Chip--yes his name was and is Chip--explained in brief communication via Email that he could offer a real bed, very appealing when traveling for a month while sleeping on trains and in stiff hostel bunks, was also offering, “quality American cooking,” from his wife Valaria--yes her name was and is Valaria--I was not going to have the normal traveler's experience in Bratislava.

Upon arrival to the city center, the first thing I felt was exhaustion. Not so much exhaustion from travel, which may have had something to do with my state of being, but, rather, an exhaustion of a peoples. A culture who, after struggling for generations to lift an Iron Curtain, had no energy left to live the life they had struggled for so long to obtain. Or maybe, more likely, those who were still alive had never understood or wanted this abstract entity called “Democracy”.

I, having lived in the US, a “Democratic Country“, have had--and still do--a hard enough time describing what exactly the term democracy is and means…then again, you never know the value of something until it is taken from you…Regardless, by the end of my rant, you will hopefully understand how Democracy has become contorted or what it means to the people of Bratislava.

Democracy to them: “A six inch wall was torn down”…1000 miles to the north…? Where's Berlin again?

When I entered the “whatever” Square, (there were no signs, there was nothing). I had expected to see a flourishing market with art and music; a place God shown down light even on rainy days, just because of the previous trials the city had undergone. I expected to see artists painting, as on the Charles bridge in Prague, or children laughing, as in most of the newly liberated Eastern European streets of the world, as in Krakow. Or, even, looking at architecture, rivers, and churches as I had while wandering the streets of Ljubljana, basically the Paris of Eastern Europe, something…well…something moving or breath-taking, to say the least….I…

I expected, naively (perhaps because of the travel magazines I had read on the train), a miniature, tourist-free Prague. Free from communism. Full of life. Full with expectations for the future. Something…

These misconceptions must have been fueled from just having spent five days in Krakow, a city overcome with the lust for LIFE, ART, and BEAUTY. (The only city, mind you, which Hitler had deemed successful in “solving the Jewish Problem”. Hence, why I expected so much, I guess). Regardless,

Bratislava is not Prague. It is no Krakow. And, by no means, Ljubljana.

I thought when leaving, however, of the people I met. The unexpected experience. The way of life…that is the beauty of travel and the ignorance of man…Do not expect. Do not trust what you have been told or what you have read. Just sit, have a drink, eat something new, and talk to someone who lives there…experience the culture, the people, and theirand way of life…

And please, for my sake and the sake of the people you'll meet, don't make the same mistake I did; Don't be an Ignorant American.

Luxury Air Travel: The Empire Skyliners

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:48:23 PST

Taking a sea cruise may generally be considered the last word in luxury travel, but between the wars a brand new form of holiday was available for those privileged enough and wealthy enough to enjoy it.

In the mid to late thirties the pinnacle of gracious travel was to take a trip in one of the brand new luxury flying-boats. Air travel was only just beginning to grow up, and with the lack of proper airfields and tarmac surfaces to land on, the flying-boat was a very popular form of air transport, able to land almost anywhere and allowing large, heavily-laden aircraft to use as much take-off space as they needed.

The popularity of the newships in the sky, and the resultant shrinking of the world gave birth to a variety of new airlines with such diverse names as Servico Aereo Condor, Pacific Marine Airways, Kohler Aviation's Milwaukee Detroit Airline, and of course Pan American Airways.

In England Imperial Airways launched their fleet of Empire Line Flying-boats boasting the very last word in elegant and modern travel. These innovative aircraft from Short Brothers of Rochester, the world's first ever aircraft manufacturing company and builders of the Wright Flyer in England, were the first aircraft built with two decks. They offered spacious accommodation for their twenty-four passengers, and a gross five ton payload of passengers, freight and mail, although their eighteen ton fully loaded un-braced monoplane hulls would need all the space of an open sea-way to operate from. Passenger comfort was so important on board the big boats that Imperial Airways even researched and patented their own passenger seat which they named the Imperial Airways Adjustable Chair, manufactured by Accles and Pollock and weighing in at only 18 lbs (just over 8 kilos).

The whole trip with Imperial Airways had the air of the de-luxe, with the passengers being taken in comfort from Waterloo station in a special pullman parlour car right to the docks at Southampton, where they were conveyed by motor launch to the Empire Line Flying-boat gently riding the waves in Southampton Water. The ground-breaking design of the Short Brothers' Empire Boat was born out of plans to launch a flat-rate air mail service throughout the Empire, and the new plane was so good that twenty-eight were ordered straight from the drawing-board.

By the end of 1937 all twenty-eight of the big Boats with their 800 mile range, powered by four Bristol Pegasus 920hp engines, were in service and several of them regularly ran on the England-Australia route in a series of easy stages, flying by day and covering the journey in a little over a week. This was fast travel indeed in those days, with the planes sometimes achieving 200mph, but the air of luxurious relaxation was still maintained, with passenger comfort, quality of cuisine and level of steward service still of paramount importance; Imperial Airways regularly served six and seven course dinners in the air!

There was a midships cabin for six passengers behind the kitchen, and a promenade cabin housed a further eight passengers below a loft for bedding stowage. Cocktails were always available and the well-heeled passengers could expect personal service from their cabin stewards. No detail was overlooked in providing the very best for the new air travellers, whether on board the aircraft in the form of food and comfort, or in the special support services used to ensure the smooth running of the whole experience. Imperial Airways even provided a fleet of 60 sea-going motor launches powered by twin 100 hp engines with a respectable 35 knots top speed as mobile control vessels.

In America Pan American Airways launched their famous Clipper service using the huge Boeing 314 flying boats, but to the American speed of travel was of prime importance, and Pan American never quite matched Imperial Airways for luxury and opulence. There was no telling how far the Empire service might have gone or how big the Flying-boats would become, there were already plans for bigger and faster Flying-boats projected for 1940, when the Second World War intervened.

Suddenly the world was a different place. Imperial Airways' demise in 1940 and its replacement by BOAC saw the end of the special Empire Style of luxury air travel. Seventeen of the S23 Empire flying-boats were used by BOAC on the East Africa - Australia route with all their luxury fittings removed for extra seating, while the rest of the Empire flying-boats were used as troop carriers and formed the nucleus of the Royal Australian Air Force. A mere thirteen of the entire Imperial fleet of S.23, S.30 & S.33 flying-boats survived the war, only to be sent straight to the breakers yard, although when BOAC later replaced their remaining converted military Sunderlands they sold them to Aquila Airways for regular services to the Mediterranean.

The last ever flying-boat operated out of Britain in 1958, for the rapid advances in facilities for land-based aircraft necessitated by the war; the building of proper long tarmac runways for the heavy bombers, coupled with the high running costs of operating a sea-based service which had a relatively low return per operating mile, meant that the days of the big flying-boats were numbered. The necessary speed of evolution of technology demanded by the war, and the changed world in which Britons found themselves in those post war years - the years of austerity and the continuation of rationing - all meant that the rich leisured sky traveller had become a thing of the past and the big luxury flying-boat had become redundant.

Whether you enjoyed flying Clipper Cruises as advertised by Pan American Airways or flew in perfect comfort as an Imperial Airways brochure of the period promised, you were certainly experiencing a very special type of travel, very much of its own time. A world encapsulated in that particular between-the-wars era that would never be seen again, where the romance of travelling by luxury flying-boat would be looked back on with nostalgia even by those too young to have known them. The world of Jeeves and Wooster, bright young things and the Orient Express.