Amsterdam (Netherlands) | A Day With Locals - 20 Aug, 2023

The Sea Palace is at the seaport in Amsterdam, the largest floating Chinese Restaurant. This vast three-story Restaurant claims to seat 900 people. Unfortunately, the night I tried to visit it, it was closed to a large private wedding event.

I meet up with Stephan and Saskia around 9 am near Amsterdam Centraal. "I can't believe you are here in Holland," says Stephan. I'm taking the time to visit people in their home cities this time. It's a different way to travel. I am happy to see you two again, I say. "You left the day up to us. You are a brave man," says Stephan. I can do many things on my own, but spending time learning what makes the city special to you is something I can't do on my own. I'll take the risk, I say, laughing. After catching up and wishing Saskia a Happy Birthday (it was her birthday two days ago), we leave Centraal Station.

"Have you taken the Amsterdam Canal tour yet? It's kind of touristy, but its a great way to see Amsterdam. It's been a while since we've done it, but I enjoyed it. Plus, it's early enough in the season that getting tickets should not be too difficult," says Stephan. So the three of us walk across from Amsterdam Centraal to Lover's Canal Cruises. We buy tickets, 17 Euros, and climb into the open-air boat. "The tour is available in 18 different languages," says one of the crewmen as he hands me a pair of headphones. "During the summer, it takes over two hours of waiting to get on one of these boats. There are so many people here," says Saskia.

This is just what I needed to connect with Amsterdam. I felt like I was having a hard time understanding Amsterdam, and it felt like another big city. "We are so glad you are enjoying it," says Saskia, who is much more talkative today. On the Camino, she barely spoke and let Stephan do all the talking. Her English is quite good, and I enjoy visiting with her this morning. The hour-long tour takes us through all the major parts of Amsterdam. Stephan and Saskia jump in when there are lulls in the recorded tour. I have my own private tour guides on the boat.

"This is a really affluent part of Amsterdam. Notice how there is a little front door below the balcony and the main door to the house?" asks Stephan. Yeah, right behind the little red car. What's that for, I say. "The servants of the house entered through the short small door below the main door while the owners used the big door," says Saskia. When the tour recording resumes, I also learn that the windows on each floor of the house get progressively shorter, which creates an illusion of the building being taller than it is. All the buildings in Amsterdam use this strategy.

"If you notice the houses to your left, they all lean different ways. All of them, except the black house on the right, with the Irish Pub on the bottom," says the tour recording. As I look more closely, it is hard to notice that the buildings are leaning as the space between them has been filled in, blocking out the gap that would have appeared.

"That's one of the smallest houses in Amsterdam," says Stephan as we pass by a little house that feels like it was built as an afterthought in the space between the larger buildings. The tour lets me know that these houses, like many in Amsterdam, have beams with hooks that were once used by merchants to lift goods into the attics (i.e., the small window at the top) for storage. "People still use them today. It is not uncommon to see pianos and large furniture being lifted up into the upper stories of a house," says Saskia.

With the tour now finished, we begin wandering through Amsterdam. "Did you know that the Amsterdam Zoo once served as a safe house for Jews during World War II?" says Stephan. That explains why it's located in the middle of the Jewish Quarter. I'll need to spend more time exploring this historic section of Amsterdam in the future, I say. 

"There's one," says Saskia as she grabs an empty plastic bottle and stuffs it into her backpack. "Before the Camino, I collected these discarded bottles and recycled them. It used to be easier to find them. Now people have caught on. I made 400-500 Euros per month that way," she says. "It isn't a lot, but it helped us get ready for the Camino," she continues smiling. I am always intrigued by recycling programs in other countries. Countries that have high value for recycling typically have less litter. "There is little incentive for recycling plastic and aluminum in the United States. I tell her that the value is so minimal that people don't want to be inconvenienced and would rather throw them away than recycle those items.

We meander through the streets and dive into a tiny alley away from all the crowds. "This is one of our favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. It is not well known, easily overlooked, and a bit hidden. You'll find only locals here," says Stephan. The tiny little alley reminds me of those in France. The atmosphere is lovely and the surrounding buildings provide plenty of shade on this sunny day.

"You ought to try the herring. If you like fish," says Stephan. The couple are vegetarians, and we discuss how difficult it can be to not eat meat when traveling. Some cultures, like the Spanish, eat very few vegetables aside from potatoes. "We are a bit early for herring season, but it should still be good. Eating raw herring is a big tradition in Holland," says Stephan. Rather than consuming the entire herring in one go, I delicately cut it into pieces to eat with the pickles and onions. The dish was fantastic!

After lunch, we head to the rooftop of the Nemo Science Museum. "Looks like they are dredging the canals again," says Stephan. How many bikes end up in the canals? I ask. "Tons. But the canals only get cleaned out once every 5-10 years. Once there was a car found in one of the canals. It had been missing for 10 years," he says, laughing. It had yet to dawn on me that so many large items would end up in the canals without being found for long periods. As I ponder the implications, I find it discouraging to find your bike missing and be unable to tell if someone simply tossed it into the canal or actually stole it. 

The view from atop the Nemo is lovely. To the right is the Sea Palace Restaurant, and Amsterdam Centraal Station's domed rooftops are behind it.

What are you two doing these days? Last time we discussed it on the Camino, you said you were never going back to that shit, I ask Stephan. "I'm working at the same place, bakery supply deliveries and sales. I needed to make ends meet," he says, disappointed in himself. I understand. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do before we can do what we want to do. Then our conversation takes off. We discuss the importance of getting people outdoors and the potential pitfalls and challenges of scaling this idea. "I'm so glad you came to see us," says Saskia when we see Stephan's energy lifting. 

The pleasure is all mine. I really enjoyed our day together. I know it's late, and you still need to take a 30-minute train back to Duivendrecht. "Now you need to come back," says Saskia. Yeah, I'm working on it, I say, smiling. "You are always welcome here. Even if we don't chat on WhatsApp, you can always contact me," says Stephan. I hug them and watch them walk back to Centraal Station.

This was a great day, and it energized me. Stephan, Saskia, and I spent over 8 hours together. It was like we saw each other regularly. There is something about walkers. Once you connect, the bond is strong. I am looking forward to visiting Cami and Isabelle next.