Rick Steves's Blog, page 57

Dutch Suburban Dreams Come True in Flevoland

An entire province of the Netherlands is built upon land reclaimed over the last few generations. Driving through Flevoland with my Dutch guide, it was fun to hear him joke about how these planned communities created an almost Stepford Wives-style contentment, a community designed to make Dutch suburban dreams come true–in his opinion, at the expense of their free spirit.

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Battling the Sea in the Netherlands — and the Tropics

Climate change is here. Its effects are happening. The Dutch–famously smart, famously frugal, and famously below sea level–are spending billions of euros shoring up their dikes and preparing for a rising sea. We in the rich world can gear up for it. But the worst effects–and the first people to feel the impact–are in the tropics. These are the poorest people…the half of humanity trying to live on $2 a day…the hungry billion trying to live on $1 a day. Helping them in the face of global warming is not a matter of sympathy; it’s a matter of justice. I believe anyone who denies that the climate is changing on this planet–and that it will have a devastating impact–is either ignorant or evil. I know evil is a strong word. But there are powerful and wealthy people who know in their hearts that climate change will wreak havoc on poor and hungry people…people they’ll never have to face in person. They know that human economic and industrial activities are contributing to climate change. And they are embracing lies about it–and discrediting caring people who are telling the truth about it–because of their own financial interest. These people are part of an evil on this planet in the 21st century that (if measured in the amount of human misery caused by their actions) may surpass even the most evil forces of the 20th century.

 

In Europe, Dutch territory is both the most densely populated and the most below sea level. For centuries the Dutch have battled the sea. In anticipation of rising sea levels and more violent weather patterns, they are assessing their battlements and investing heavily in their own future dryness.

 

Huge boats are moving sand from far out at sea into shorelines to bolster the already massive dikes that enable the Dutch to sleep soundly (and dryly) at night.

 

Traveling through the Netherlands, you can easily hike or bike along the dike. I’ll be filming soon at this location (on the coast an hour north of Amsterdam). Do you have any favorite sights I might want to film that show the mighty Dutch system of dikes?

European Tourist Traps

All over Europe I’ve noticed there are two kinds of sights: legitimate cultural and historic sights that thoughtful travelers seek out, and commercial ventures that advertise aggressively and are on sale all over town with various discounts, promotions, and commissions.

It’s fascinating to see how the crowds that patronize these two groups of sights–cultural and commercial–are distinct and different.

 

Compare the cost. In Amsterdam you can have a fascinating look at the Dutch Resistance Museum filled with actual artifacts from the days the Nazis ruled the Netherlands; a walk through Rembrandt’s studio complete with his personal inventory of curiosities and his best etchings, and then actually print a replica for yourself; be up-close-and-personal with the very best paintings by Vincent Van Gogh–or you can buy a ticket to a tacky torture exhibit with plenty of papier-mâché gore but absolutely nothing historic inside. Choose carefully how to use your precious vacation time and money.

Do you have any warnings about well-advertised but disappointing commercial sights in Europe? How about sights that might be written off as tacky, commercial ventures that are actually a great value?

Scouting the Netherlands in the Rain

I’m in the Netherlands for five days before returning next month with my film crew. I’m scouting good spots to film and good spots for various “on cameras” (like this delightful little counterbalance bridge in the storybook town of Marken). I don’t care about the relentless rain I’m traveling through–but when I’m here with our camera, I’ll be praying for sun. Ten years ago we produced one 30-minute TV show in standard definition on Amsterdam that included a side trip into the countryside. Next month we’ll produce two half-hour shows in glorious hi-def: a complete show on Amsterdam and another on the Dutch countryside. They will air (with an entire new season) this September across the USA on your local public TV station. Stay tuned!

Design Your Own Cocktail in Amsterdam

While the twenty-somethings head for the Heineken Experience–a Disneyesque brewery tour– older folks cap a visit to the Van Gogh Museum by heading for the House of Bols: Cocktail and Genever Experience, just across the street from Vincent’s place. This clip shows how, at the end of the tour, you employ what you’ve learned about your taste preferences by designing your own cocktail.

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Touring Fragrant Amsterdam

Good travelers travel with all their senses…and that includes our noses. Here are a few angles on touring Amsterdam that involve your olfactory skills:

 

Perhaps the Dutch are so into flowers because of the population density and the tight quarters they live in. You see it in the paintings and you see it in the markets–the Dutch have long had a love affair with flowers. I’ve even purchased a bouquet in the market just to brighten up my hotel room…to go Dutch. A popular souvenir for many visitors is a packet of tulip bulbs.

 

In the flower market, one of the most popular packet of seeds is one that may have you doing a little explaining at US customs. While Washington State has legalized marijuana, I still can’t legally grow it at home, so this starter kit may not be a good idea. But it is thought-provoking (and a reminder that many Europeans do enjoy growing their own).

 

While the 20-somethings line up for the Heineken Experience–a malty, yeasty, amusement ride of a brewery tour just down the street, an older crowd celebrates their visit to the Van Gogh Museum by crossing the street and stepping into the House of Bols: Cocktail and Genever Experience. Dutch gin has a long and bleary heritage and you learn all about it here along with a fun chance to test your olfactory skills. This line of scents each has a hidden identity. Pump the spritzer, sniff, and guess the scent–then pull back the cover to see what it was. I failed miserably, getting only butterscotch correct. While there are plenty of beer and wine tasting tours and experiences in Europe, what are your favorite hard liquor experiences on the Continent?

Building a Home in Amsterdam

Anyone who’s built a home knows about soils and foundation concerns. Imagine building a home in a place like Venice or Amsterdam. Watching construction people dam, drill, fill, and build here, it just seems routine. This video clip gives a peek at the watery process.

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Eating Local in Tasty Amsterdam

If you want to eat local in Amsterdam, remember three things: cheese, herring, and Indonesian rijsttafel. What are your favorite Amsterdam edibles?

 

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Colonial cuisine is fun. And just like England loves its Indian food, the Dutch hunger for Indonesian. The ritual dish for tourists in Holland is rijsttafel (literally “rice table”). While not a true Indonesian meal, it’s a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that were a big part of what originally motivated the colonial age. For around $40 you’ll get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palette. More casual Indonesian restaurants allow you to split this meal.

 

 

With its seafaring heritage, Dutch cuisine embraces herring. The local version of a hot-dog stand is a herring stand where variations on fresh herring are dished up–most are not cooked but pickled. For a memory you won’t forget (no matter how you try), don’t miss a little paper plate of herring with pickles and onions.

 

Each day my wandering was made much more fun and educational because I hired a local guide to join me. It’s basically like renting a friend who’s really smart. Then, everything I do, I’m doing with a coach and partner. My guide Frank Sanders and I spent an hour enjoying the Reypenaer cheese tasting.

 

At the Reypenaer cheese-tasting class we tried five or so Dutch cheeses with three different wines and charted our experience. If you happen to like cheese and wine, this is a very fun class. As I recommend it in my Amsterdam guidebook, I wanted to be sure I was describing it correctly–and you can’t do that without actually enjoying the experience.

What are some fun, organized, and educational food-tasting experiences you’ve enjoyed in your travels?

 

Biking in Amsterdam

A key for really enjoying Amsterdam is to go local…on two wheels. The city is designed for bikers, and I feel so right pedaling around town throughout my visit. I always rent a bike upon arrival and keep it at my hotel for the duration of my stay. Behind the train station, free ferries shuttle commuters back and forth across the IJ on Amsterdam’s waterfront. From the other side you can pedal down a canal and, literally within minutes, be in the wide-open polder land and among windmills.

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What’s New in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is as lively–and enjoyably shocking–as ever. The old standbys (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum) have reopened after closures for renovations, and there are some new joys for sightseers.

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The area just east of the extremely central Central Station has a fixed-up, glassy high-rise feel. Anyone is welcome to venture into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and head up 11 floors to the rooftop Sky Lounge. Come here to enjoy a drink–and what is suddenly the best “high-wide” view over Amsterdam.

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Amsterdam’s big three art museums gather at the Museumplein–its museum park. The park itself is a people-friendly delight. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, understandably popular, are plagued by long lines. But the local favorite (and a great opportunity to just be in the modern art world) is all yours at the newly reopened Stedelijk Museum. London has its Tate Modern. Paris has the Pompidou. And Amsterdam offers an equally stimulating modern art museum. Like the others, it combines striking architecture (it’s nicknamed “the bath tub” because of its odd shape), 20th-century favorites (Dali, Picasso, Kandinsky), and crazy contemporary art. While I’m not a big fan of abstract art, I found the contemporary sections of the Stedelijk really fun. What are your favorite modern art museum experiences in Europe?

Amsterdam’s mayor is pushing an initiative to take the sleaze out of the sex and drug industries–businesses that the city famously tolerates. While fans of sex and drugs worry he’s rolling back the tolerance that is so endearing about Dutch society, I think he just wants to show that sex and drugs don’t need to be sleazy…and he’s doing a good job at it. The Red Light District is now a little more compact; windows promoting fashion and artists are now spliced in among all the windows with red lights and enticing women. And the streets remain the happy domain of regular people out having fun without the layer of shady characters making money in shady ways. I’d love to hear others’ feeling or stories about Amsterdam’s Red Light District.