Stranded in Amsterdam by the Volcano Gods

[bstach]

 

Ok so I have been stranded in Amsterdam since Thursday. Looking for suggestions on what to do since I will probably be here for a while. So far I have done all the obvious things:

-Walked around the red light district

-Went to a smoke shop and had a brownie

-Took a canal tour

-Rented a bike and explored downtown

-Hanging out in the sun, people watching

-Went and saw some awesome Reggae band at Bourbon Street Blues Club

 

Looking for something possibly off the tourist trail, no offence to Ann Frank or Van Gogh. I'm not really a museum guy. What cool things have you all done/seen in Amsterdam?

 

I hired a car for tomorrow, will probably get out of town and see Den Hague. Is Arnhem or Eindhoven worth seeing. I am interested in WWII history, so I though Arnhem might have some intersting memorials or interpretive stuff?

 

And yes, I know there could be much worse places to be stranded.

 

Let the good times roll.

[G-spotter]

Head down to Belgium and climb at Freyr!

[ScaredSilly]

If you are not a museum guy you are probably not a flower guy either. My Grandmother just loved the Tulip Show

 

I would probably head south into Belgium and drink beer. Antwerp has some great bars. I do not know of any WWII site in the Netherlands but there are some in Belgium such the Battle of the Bulge. Which for me holds some interest as my Great Uncle was a specific target for the Nazis. He was second in command of the Quartermaster Corp. and to disrupt the war machine they went after him and those in his charge.

 

BTW The Anne Frank and Van Gogh museum are quite nice and are certainly worth seeing.

[billcoe]

Ditto on the museums, but there is a 3rd one you should do for sure, even if you pass on everything else: the Rijksmuseum. I've spent a lot of time in that city when I was real young, and always enjoyed the discos, Frites (with Mayonnaise) and Eels on streetcorners and hash bars. Pick up a tourist book and thumb through it to see what you want to do, but you certainly have been doing what the book would recommend. There is an amazing 2nd hand sale street thing I'd look for. I forget what they called it, but there was some amazing stuff folks would haul into it to sell. I'd pass on Belgium, as the Dutch beer is as good and the night scene is better.

 

 

BTW, Dutch prostitutes give prostitution a good name. They love their work, are highly skilled and I found it always worth the money. There was a 2nd area that was a better value, you probably could get there via taxi.

 

Eindhoven has the Phillips muesuem there, looks like a space craft... and not much else that I remember. You'd probably do better driving to a small town and having lunch and meeting locals.

 

 

 

So, sucks, but there could be worse places to be stranded I suppose. Dutch folks are real nice. Stay away from the Moluccans and do NOT buy hash from them.

[murraysovereign]

Plenty of Canadian war history to be found, as that area was our assignment. Check out the Scheldt Estuary, and try to comprehend how difficult it must have been to fight through there. Dieppe is not far, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, the Somme, Arras, Cambrai, Mons... hell, the entire Canadian sector during WW1 is an easy drive from Amsterdam. Also a place called Waterloo is nearby, as is Agincourt.

 

And despite your reluctance, I command you to visit the Rijksmuseum. It's for your own good.

 

If all else fails, just stagger back and forth between the Heineken and Amstel brewery tours. That kept me happily entertained for a couple of days...

[Winter]

I got stranded in Amsterdam in 1998 by a train strike. Hopped a bus to Edam, ate cheese and hung out with a bunch of cool windsurfers. Check it out.

[Phil K]

Drive down to Charleroi and watch La Flèche Wallonne bike race. 2-3 hours away. Crazy fast pros climbing steep hills like you wouldn't believe. Maybe have a few beers w/ the locals.

[ClimbingPanther]

and then there's always sticking your finger in a dike.

 

on a serious note, I highly recommend getting a bike and just riding aimlessly around the city. I can't recall a more beautiful European big city with the canals, trees, townhouses, parks, and even a little lake here and there. My favorite memory was just getting outside and seeing it.

[tvashtarkatena]

Travel to foreign lands is all about the meeting the people. Swagger around letting as many Dutchmen as possible know how we pulled their sorry asses out of the fire during WWII. Take the time to remind them of their complicity with the NAZIs. Than kick back and bask in the ensuing warmth and gratitude.

[G-spotter]

and then there's always sticking your finger in a dike.

 

Don't you have to be able to pass as a girl to get away with that one?

[Hugh Conway]

and then there's always sticking your finger in a dike.

 

Don't you have to be able to pass as a girl to get away with that one?

 

Is passing for a girl ever a problem for Canadian "men"?