#AmsterdamAesthetic

I had been to the Amsterdam airport numerous times before, since it seems to be a central European hub and thus a prime locale for layovers, but I had never actually left the airport, so that was new for me. Luckily, I was met by my lovely Dutch friend Judith, who helped navigate me back to her student residence in Leiden, a city about 30 minutes outside Amsterdam by train, where I’d be staying with her. Riding the train to Leiden, I got to see a bit of the landscape, and Judith was kind enough to point out old fashioned windmills (they are real and look exactly like the drawings! How fun!). The geography was very flat, and actually reminded me of car rides and Amtrak trips through the Midwest, which surprised me. 

Lovely friend and tour guide, Judith

Judith, clever friend that she is, let me convalesce from my travels that day. She fed me snackums and then showed me around her town of Leiden. Leiden is quaint and absolutely picturesque. We walked around in the evening, so transition from gloaming to darkness was quick, bringing with it all the lights still up from Christmas. The lights reflected on the water of the ever-present canals, which in turn illuminated the row houses. It was all very charming. We walked and chatted and watched ice-skaters at the town center, and I had Dutch hot chocolate, which was so rich that it was like drinking a melted chocolate bar. That evening, I met Judith’s two best friends, Wendy and Stephanie, both of whom were lovely and amusing. The three of them together reminded me of my own best friends (shout out to 320!). I was absolutely exhausted from all the traveling, especially since I had just gotten off the plane a few hours before, so I wasn’t quite as bubbly and personable as I could have been—nevertheless, it was a great evening!

On the tram!

The next day, Judith and I took the train into Amsterdam bright and early! We took one of the trams to one of the outer rings to the Rijksmuseum. (So Amsterdam is full of canals, and many of the main canals are organised into ring shapes. Judith told me that at one point, how closely you lived to the center ring demonstrated how important and wealthy you were. That’s it for Fun Trivia With Austen in this post). The Rijksmuseum was very cool! It was full of exhibits on Dutch history, including several on their colonial and trading history, which was quite fascinating. My favorites, however, were the Dutch masters! I saw some Vermeers and Rembrandts that I had only ever seen in textbooks before! The museum wasn’t huge, so we didn’t spend more than a few hours there. 

Not a "Dutch Master", but he was Dutch and he was Masterful, so...

After that, we wandered a bit, and got lunch at a bagel cafe that was really yummy! We sort of just wandered around the rest of the day, looking at all the idyllic picturesqueness that is Amsterdam. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what about the architecture of Amsterdam I found so aesthetically pleasing, but it had something to do with the color of the houses (which were often either deep or pastel shades of cool colors, like blue or purple), and the way they sort of listed to the side due to how old they all were. Plus, the canals and bridges are so precisely set up, they make it all very nice. 

Later, we went vintage shopping! I got several recommendations from friends and acquaintances to check out the vintage shopping scene in Amsterdam, and boy did it pay off. Those of you who know me, know that I am a big vintage enthusiast, so this was loads of fun for me! We went to several stores, and I found something to buy in each one! There were different items here than I normally find at home (at home I have the most luck with vintage formal wear, but in Amsterdam, I found all sorts of things I can wear in the everyday!). Judith was amazed at my shopping prowess, and I’ll admit, I do treat shopping, particularly vintage shopping, like a sport. A sport I always win. 

In fact, everything about Amsterdam, and even the other parts of the Netherlands I saw (which was not a huge sample size, I’ll admit), was very aesthetically pleasing. The landscaping and architecture and city planning was all so measured and neat, but not in a harsh, sharp way, more in a quietly organized way. All of the shops had lovely displays, the lights were all set up to reflect off the canal waters with a rather magical effect. I don’t know, it all just seemed so aesthetically aware, like *everything* was straight out of tumblr photo post (thus the title of this blog post). 

The next day, we left even earlier in an attempt to make it to the Anne Frank house, however, even though we got there quite soon after opening, the line was insanely long. I didn’t want to waste a whole day waiting in line, so I took a picture next to the sign and moved on. I’m a little sad I missed it, but hey, it gives me a reason to go back and visit!

All the cheese

After that, Judith wanted to show me the red light district. It was the middle of the day by then, so it was a little tamer than Judith said it could be. Nevertheless I didn’t quite know what to expect, so it was a tad startling to see women sitting in windows, watching and gesturing at strangers. It reminded me a little bit of a human vending machine. We did a fairly quick walk through, as there wasn’t really much to see or do, and then we got lunch, and wandered and shopped a little more. We went into a super touristy cheese shop near the train station. We sampled many cheeses and I learned that my family had been atrociously mispronouncing “Gouda” forever. 

We went back early that day since it was the 31st, so we could relax before our New Year’s celebrations. Judith’s boyfriend joined us for a fireworks show in Rotterdam. So, Rotterdam is not like many other cities in the Netherlands (visually at least). It’s very new, and very ‘city’ as I have always thought of cities (steel, concrete, skyscrapers, grid system roads). This is because Rotterdam was obliterated during WWII, and had to be rebuilt from scratch (I lied, *this* is the end of Fun Trivia With Austen). Coincidentally, Rotterdam is also where my grandma’s family originates. Funny. 

Anyway, New Year’s in the Netherlands was terrifying. People can not only purchase their own fireworks, but they also just set them off on city street corners for hours leading up to the New Year. It sounded like gunshots at first. Sometimes, people would lob fireworks or firecrackers into crowds of people, which is actually quite dangerous! I was genuinely worried I might lose a finger or an eye, or at least end up with a singed coat. Luckily, I made it out of the night unscathed, and the legitimate fireworks show was quite lovely! It was kind of strange, though, to hear everybody shouting the final countdown in Dutch! And once the New Year hit, I realized that it was only 5 pm at home! I was separated from my friends and family by a whole year! Strange thoughts. 

It was the first time I’d ever really been *out* out on New Year’s, since even when I’m not spending it with my family, I’m usually vegging out inside somewhere with friends (it’s very cold in Chicago, no one sane wants to be outside in the middle of the night in the dead of winter), so it was nice to get out (even if it was freezing). And I’m glad I got to spend it with Judith! Unfortunately for me, I had to get up quite early the next day to fly out to Paris!