RTW ’23: Week 17

Though I missed out on Christmas festivities with family and friends back home, my son, Mike, flew into Amsterdam for a few days to visit me post-Christmas! The holiday decor still filled the streets, and the holiday spirit was still in the air. Mike and I have spoken regularly since I’ve been away, but I very much missed our in-person visits, so this was the icing on the cake for my Amsterdam visit. We explored a few different areas and learned a few things about the local culture, cuisine, and art. The visit filled my soul with gratitude, and I was thankful to have quality time with Mike before setting sail to Africa!

On Thursday, Mike flew into the airport for his visit. Typically, when we visit one another, one of us has a car to transport the other from the airport, and about town as we spend time. Today, however, I took the bus to the airport and we bussed back to the hotel together. It was nice to not have to focus on driving, or the roads, but just “be” together. Mike was pretty tired from the long plane ride, so after a nap, we took a tram for a late lunch at a seafood bar restaurant downtown. The service was slow, but we didn’t mind much, as we had a lot to catch up on, anyway. The seafood, however, was super fresh and absolutely delicious! After our meal, we walked around downtown. I showed Mike some of the local attractions, the theatre Tuschinski, and we walked along the canals in the evening.

Friday proved to be another eventful day, packed with sightseeing and more delicious food. We looked for a pancake breakfast place in the late morning, but that proved too crowded, so we settled on a burger joint around 1:00. Afterwards, we walked around town some more and found an outdoor market with poffertjes, which are little, hot pancakes with butter and loads of sugar. They were a delicious treat! While we were doing some shopping, we stumbled upon an outdoor market. It was an absolute gem! It was far better than the touristy stores we had seen previously, and we were delighted to find some perfect gifts. Riding the high of a successful shopping trip, we made our way back downtown and perused Posthumus (a stationary paper store) and the world’s first peanut butter store where more shopping ensued. Rain started to come our way, so we took a Tram back to the hotel, relaxed and dried off for a bit, and then made our way to a Ramen restaurant for dinner. Mike gave his stamp of approval for authentic ramen, just like NYC! After dinner, we wanted to check out what the red light district was all about, so we made our way to the area. It was very crowded with tourists, police, and civil patrols at entrance and exit intersections. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was very orderly, especially for Friday night at 11 p.m. Photos weren’t allowed at the red light windows, which were on the ground floor of the otherwise typical Dutch houses. Women were dressed provocatively, but no-one was completely naked. It was certainly a different environment than I was used to, but it was worth the (brief) visit! In Amsterdam, coffee shops aren’t just coffee spots… they are also weed bars! Coffee shops are dispersed throughout the city, with “Old Smokey” being one of the most famous (picture below). The red light district itself is confined to a narrow strip of land with canals on all sides. There were lines to get into strip shows and things of the like, but we just walked around. People of all ages, men and women alike, were walking around and going into the clubs. There were probably more young people, but I didn’t feel too out of place, as there were many women and older people. It felt touristy, similar to other tourist streets. The police and civil patrol kept the crowd rather orderly, and overall, it wasn’t too rowdy at all. We ended the night with a street waffle (nutella and whipped cream) at Rembrandt square, and then walked back to the hotel around 1 a.m. where we got some much needed sleep!

Mike’s jetlag was alleviated by Saturday, so we hit the ground running to see all that we could see! We finally got our pancake breakfast to start the day, and then went to Moco museum, which was filled with modern art and street art. It was super crowded, housed in an old home so there was little space to move around, but Mike really enjoyed the artwork and it was a great way to start the day. Afterwards, we went to Stedelijk Museum, featuring more contemporary/modern art. The collections were segmented by “before 1950, after 1950”. There was a really cool exhibit on using data graphics between WW1 and WW2 to show Econ trends in Europe pre-computers, which Mike really appreciated. In the evening, we went to the dock for a canal ride and light show. It was a super cool way to see the city at night, with the canals all lit up. We covered a lot more area of the city along with places I’ve never seen before. The light show theme was “loading”– Technology AI. It was really neat! For dinner, we found an American Cafe. It was a nice restaurant uptown, and an early birthday celebration for Mike, who turns 35 at the end of January. I’m sad that I won’t be around on his actual birthday, but we enjoyed a nice dinner together and had a really good mom/son conversation. It was a treat! I’m so proud of the man that he has become, what he’s achieved, and where his life has taken him. I’m also overjoyed about his relationship with Brittany, and I’m so thankful that they found one another. He’s been so supportive of my travels and offers me so much advice as I move about the globe. I’m so grateful to have grown children who care so much about– and for– me. Parenting continues to be the best part of my life, hands down! The day was a wonderful way to end our last full day together in Amsterdam, and I am so grateful that we were able to make a visit happen!

On Monday, I went out exploring on a bicycle! It felt SO good to get back on two wheels. The biggest highlight of the day, however, was seeing the sun! I’ve learned that these sum moments are rare and fleeting in Northern Europe during the winter, so as soon as I saw the sun, I parked my bike, turned towards her warmth, and soaked up all the vitamin D I could absorb! I took some photos to commemorate the moment, of course. True to form, she hid behind clouds within 10 minutes, but a glorious 10 minutes it was while she shone upon me. Most of the sky was blue and the clouds were puffy, so I felt fairly confident that it wasn’t going to rain. I got back on my bike and continued along the path to the beach (with my rain pants and jacket in my pack, just in case). When I was on the beach, I watched a polar plunge! Don’t worry, I didn’t join myself! Seeing it in Amsterdam reminded me of the time nine years ago that I did a New Year’s polar plunge at Fort Phoenix back home. It was fun to see it in the Netherlands! They had some serious lifeguards ready and waiting in case someone needed assistance, and I loved that everyone did jumping jacks before going into the water. I did dip my fingers into the water at the beach edge, and it was quite cold. I later found out it was 44.2 degrees (Farenheit)! It’s the wind and dampness that made it feel so cold– a constant wind was blowing ashore the whole day. Nevertheless, the crowd was enthusiastic and I had fun with many other spectators watching the event!

Below are a few staple photos from the days that aren’t detailed in the post.

Toward the end of this week, I was able to catch up with Alex from World Bicycle Relief. I was also able to connect with a few other friends throughout the week, and I’m so grateful to keep these connections going while I’m traveling. All of these different relationships serve as a great reminder to myself of my intention and purpose, and help keep me grounded. I am so thankful to have such a huge support network, and to have such wonderful contacts at important foundations like WBR. Alex shared his experience riding 1150 kms in Zambia this past summer. He rode the same route that I’ll be taking from Victoria Falls to Dar, Great North Road. Hearing his tales of seeing Buffalo Bikes (WBR’s brand of bike) being used in Zambia was so inspiring to me! It reinforced that although my plans have been changed (my continuous 35 day trip was cancelled, so I had to readjust my schedule), it will work out. And, who knows? Maybe I’ll get to see Buffalo Bikes being used, too! Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,
so love the people who treat you right,
forget about the ones who don’t,
and believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would be worth it.
-Harvey Mackay