Adventure in Amsterdam - 07.17.2010

All week I considered going to Amsterdam again on Saturday. When Friday night finally came around and I checked the weather predictions it did look good. But again, there is always room for the unexpected. This time that was even more true than last weekend. I left my dresses hanging in the closet and decided on more sensible attire for the possibility of rain. I brought along my new light raincoat and borrowed an umbrella from my host parents. I waited for a break in the clouds then set off on my bike for the station. I arrived dry, without getting lost, and just in time to catch the train just after noon.

From Centraal station I went straight to the used bookstore featured in my Netherlands book. I had the books the previous au pair left behind with the hope that I could sell them and pick up some other, better books. The owner, however, did not want them because "they are too weak." I could have spent hours inside the little shop, examining every shelf. The entire place (main floor, upper level, bottom level, and cellar) is crammed with books. I went the safe route and found authors I've already read and know I like. Then, I found the sci-fi and fantasy section and descended upon Ursula K. Le Guin as well. Just the first three of the Earthsea series. Hopefully, these will last me a bit longer than a month. I didn't catch his name but the owner was very talkative. One of those people who likes to tell stories and talk about anything and everything. The kind of person you instantly like and hope to meet again and again. When I showed him my ID he was immediately disappointed that I don't have a Southern accent. Sorry, Georgia, I can't take you anywhere now can I? He is originally from Indiana and was a line backer in Nashville during college. When I asked how long he's been in Amsterdam he simply answered, "forever."

Next, I tried to make my way towards the Van Gogh Museum but I somehow ended up going in the slightly wrong direction. I turned to go back the way I came and take a different street but I had to stop for a little detour. And when I say stop I literally mean I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this:

An exhibit on the major ports of the Roman Empire at the Allard Pierson Museum. Of course I had to go in. Maybe it was destiny, that strange force that accompanies adventures even when they make a wrong turn. In the middle of what turned out to be a sunny day in Amsterdam I got to see artifacts from Egypt, Cyprus, Mycenae, Rome, and my beloved Etruria. I tested my left-over knowledge from the Etruscan course I took in Florence by mentally identifying bucchero, Villanovan burial urns, and other random pieces. My heart was swollen by the time I finally went back out into the sunlit streets because my love of ancient history was reignited. It was a nice reminder that I don't have to be in school or in Italy to study my passion. And that even though I've graduated those centuries will always be part of me.


The flower market, Bloemenmarkt, along Singel canal.

Houses along the Singelgracht canal across from Rijksmuseum.

When I made it to the Van Gogh Museum there was a line. Fortunately, it was still early enough that I only had to wait about 20 minutes compared to the average 45 minutes. Unfortunately, it was packed full of people. I have a post in draft form about Van Gogh because he is one of my favorites, so I won't write too much about him. I will spend a few sentences talking about the museum. Would it be awful if I said it wasn't anything spectacular? It was just too crowded. All the bodies made it hot and stuffy. There were crying children and clusters of people in front of every painting. No matter how patient or pushy I was I didn't get a good or long enough look at any of the paintings. Still, my heart swelled up a bit more at being near all the yellow, blue, and orange.


The entrance to the museum looking up.

The entrance to the museum looking left.

One of the paintings on loan was "Buddha in His Youth" by Odilon Redon, a French symbolist painter whose works are usually described as mysterious and inspiring. I had never heard of him before and I had another unexpected moment standing in front of this particular painting. Which, by the way, is absolutely massive in person. And even more inspiring than I think I could ever describe. Especially to me, especially at this point in my life, but that is another story for another time.

"Buddha in His Youth" by Odilon Redon, 1904.

I hadn't eaten since breakfast. By the time I was done with the museum and my mind had reached its fill of books, art, and reading maps I realized I was starving. I devoured a ham and cheese sandwich from an outdoor cafe with the I Amsterdam letters in view. I wanted some stranger to take a picture of me on the 'e' but that is the most popular letter for people to climb up for some reason. I didn't want to wait. Next time, on another adventure in the city.


There is so much to see but I'm pacing myself. I figured that was enough for one day and so I wandered until it was time to get on the train again. I bought a reusable bag of woven plastic to carry my goods for the day and future excursions. I bought a pale yellow cardigan at H&M - the kind that when you wear it you feel warm, fuzzy, and happy. Some plastic headbands for keeping my overgrown bangs out of my face while playing with the children. And a few other random small things, including another jar of peanut butter. In a larger jar this time. Before heading back I bought some ice cream and watched some street performers in different colored jump suits play trumpets near the Palace.



There were so many small encounters and interactions that I can't really even remember them all. I like being asked for directions when I'm in a city I don't even know that well myself. Some woman asked me how to get to the Van Gogh Museum not too long after I'd left. I had to laugh to myself because it took me awhile to get in the right direction. If only I could time travel and ask my future self so I could go back and get there on my own more easily. I think about silly things like that. And I'll be thinking of Amsterdam until I go back.

Listomania

I've been making a lot of lists lately. I have a list of the little things I need to remember buy. I have a short list of activities I'd like to do with my family before I leave. The most complex list of all is the only one I haven't actually written down. It is a mental list of all the big thoughts and subtle feelings I've had since graduation. I don't want to be overwhelmed by all the changes and keeping lists has helped so far.

The two main purposes behind all these lists are (1) to remember, and (2) to stay organized so I can stay on top of what must be done. The first reason is the most influential. Lately, my conscious has been flooded with memories. I hear a song that reminds me of a roadtrip my family took over five years ago. I find a bus ticket stub valid for a ride to Fiesole. I fall into a five hour long Facebook chat with an old friend where all we do is share memories from our silly teenage years. The resurfacing of these memories and my current obsession with remembering could all be part of coming home or having graduated. It could be my mind's way of sorting through everything.

So, to tell you about the past few days as regards my upcoming departure I will use these tricks of my memory. But we must start in the present moment. Below is a picture of where I am sitting right now. I've labeled certain features and although it looks like an ordinary scene, it really isn't. It is full of meaning and memories.



(1) This little basket is a fixture of my desktop. The basket was from a bath soap set my aunt gave me for Christmas one year the whole family was all together for the holidays. My parents, brothers, and I have always lived in a different state than the rest of the family you see. So, Christmases together are always remembered. Now, the basket holds little scraps of papers, bookmarks, and my passport. I like having my passport sitting where I can see it. My first time out of the country was for a January term in Bangalore, India. When I went to a post office in Wichita to get my picture taken the family in line before me was from India. I still remember how the little boy squirmed when his dad tried to hold him still for the photo. He was wearing an orange and white striped polo shirt.

(2) I checked out this stack of books from the Cobb Country Library this afternoon after spending a few hours at the pool.
a.Let's Go Europe 2009 While studying in Italy last spring I used this book frequently. One of the previous students had left it in our apartment. I used it to plan most portions of my excursions outside of Italy: London, Bath, Cork, and Paris. Since it is so large I simply copied down the information I needed into a notebook. The only time I ever took the book out of the apartment was for a long afternoon at one of my favorite spots in Florence. I still have that notebook and will probably use it again, but I want to visit cities I did not get to go last year. Hopefully, over the next few day's I'll be able to take down good notes from this book again.
b. Fodor's Essential Europe: The Best of 16 Exceptional Countries
c. Let's Go France 2009 The place I want to visit most again is France. I only spent three days in Paris last spring. I was on my own, which was the best part, but I did not get to see even half of what I wanted, intended, or planned. I know I'll be writing more about this particular adventure and my future plans to pick up where I left off so I'm going to stop myself from sharing my memories of Paris.
d. Fodor's Paris 2009

(3) This is the 55-250mm zoom lense that came with my darling Canon Rebel T1i, which my parents bought it for me as a graduation present. I have yet to familiarize myself with it, even though I've taken some test shots here and there. But expect to see (and probably read more) about it because I will be using it non-stop.

(4) This is one of the said lists. The writing is very small because I'm trying to keep it all on the same notecard. When I spoke to my host parents on Sunday (more on this conversation in a later post) I scribbled notes on the back. The pen I used has purple ink, which instantly reminded me of a certain morning in Florence. We were standing outside Santa Croce listening to the art history professor's lecture on the exterior. It began to rain and the few drops my open notebook managed to catch made the black ink run in pools of deep violet. When I went back to decipher my notes later they were illegible but the color was beautiful.

(5) These are the first official items I purchased for my time in the Netherlands.
a. Moleskine European City Notebook: Amsterdam As soon as my au pair position was for certain I began looking for items to purchase in order to prepare myself and/or be of use while I am there. Moleskine is my notebook of choice and while looking for one to record my adventures I found this. It is a regular Moleskine but it is equipped with city maps and organized tabs for attractions and favorite places for the traveller to fill in according to their tastes.
b. Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook When I said that Moleskine is my notebook of choice I actually meant that I'm a Moleskine lover. I bought my first set of Moleskines before I left for Italy. This time I've shrunken down to the pocket version of what I used for my previous travels.
c. Lonely Planet Guide: The Netherlands This was the only travel book Barnes & Noble had on the Netherlands, which is disappointing. Especially for someone like me because I love variety. Since there were no other options I felt pressured to buy it. And then I realized that I still need to see what Borders has to offer. There were, however, plenty of books about Amsterdam which doesn't do me much good. I don't think I should buy a book on Amsterdam because I have the city notebook mentioned above, and my host parents are already very familiar with Amsterdam. I'd much rather depend on them for information than a guide book, but we shall see if I change my mind about that.

(6) Before I started writing this blog entry I spent a good amount of time at apple.com looking at the new iPhone. Of the many things I find so great about it the best one is that it has video calls. It is the first cell phone ever to have that feature. To me, email and Facebook are not good enough for keeping in touch with my friends and family. So I used Skype while I was in Italy. It is free to use on computers but there is also a deal where you can buy Skype Credit on cell phones. Still, it doesn't beat the video call on the new iPhone. But the world isn't perfect. I'm still exploring my options in terms of how to call people in the States from a cell phone in the Netherlands. In fact, my mom and I are going to Verizon this afternoon to see what can be sorted out with our contract. I still plan on using Skype as my main source of face-time but one should always have a back up.

Those are all the labels explained in brief. But the best part of this scene is that before I went to Italy I took the same picture of my desk.


Notice the very basket with my passport, a stack of library books, and a stack of books from Barnes & Noble. It is funny sometimes how things tend to come full circle.


There. Now you can see how all these memories of mine are connected in their own strange way. Or in my mind, at least. I'm going to keep making lists and I'm going to keep remembering. In less than a week, after I step onto that plane destined for Amsterdam, I'll have new memories to share with you. I hope you're ready.