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Postcard from Amsterdam: John's Amsterdam observations
A reader-contribution from John

After a long and tedious journey from the West Coast, we landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. There was no waiting at the immigration desk. The agent was quite friendly and welcoming. Luggage carts were provided for free. We piled up our bags and walked through customs. No one stopped us as we passed through the gates. Once outside, we proceeded to the street in front of the airport and boarded a small bus to our hotel for $10. During the summer of 2002, the Euro dollar equated almost equally with its U.S. counterpart.

A 20-minute ride brought us to the Holland Hotel ($79 per night). It is part of the AMS chain. July is normally the high season for travel to Amsterdam. This year, fewer American traveled to Europe due to the impact of September 11. There were however, many travelers from various locations in Europe, Africa and Asia, which provided quite a nice blend of ethnicity and culture. Many of these people came to experience the Floriade exhibit, a floral show of more than 2 million flowers with architectural exhibits from all over the world. It only occurs every 10 years and it was marvelous.

The hotel staff was quite congenial. Last year we also stayed there and had gotten to know the staff. The hotel lies on the eastern side of Vondel Park, just a few blocks from the Rijks Museum and town center. It is a somewhat modest European style hotel and to us quite homey. Our room contained three single beds, a bath with a shower and a beautiful view of the park. Every morning, we had coffee and a lovely buffet breakfast provided by the establishment.

After breakfast, we left the hotel and walked through the park to the Leidseplein, one of the several city squares where people gather. The park has wide walkways, large grassy areas for picnics, ponds, statues, indoor and outdoor restaurants which seat many people and musicians from all over the world playing music. There is a large outdoor concert hall, which has free concerts throughout the summer. A paved road winds around the park. Since no motorized vehicles are allowed to drive on it, the road is always filled with bikers and skaters streaming by. The sun does not set until about 10 p.m. and it stays light until about 11:00. Like the rest of the city, you can walk through the park and feel safe into the wee hours of the morning.

Holland houses a plethora of nationalities from all over the world and is quite cosmopolitan. The general population of Dutch people does not seem to be judgmental, nor do they attempt to violate your space. Most individuals carry a personal respect and dignity for themselves and one another. They will not drop what they are doing to accommodate your impatient demands, just to make a sale. They seem to be a rather intelligent group of people with command of several languages. Virtually everyone speaks English and very good English at that. There is a certain unspoken equality among people that has no racial, religious or ethnic bounds. You are who you are and not what you do and that is sufficient. People are in terrific shape and are not overweight. They are always walking, bicycling or skating and spend a lot of time outdoors. They dress nicely, but not lavishly. The do not seem to be comparative or material oriented. The country is very pro gay and pro person. There is a certain vibe in the air, which is electric. If you spend time in a restaurant or café, you will not be rushed out just to make place for a new customer and a couple of bucks. The check is brought when you ask for it not before.

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