Vacation Week

This week was vacation week, kind of like Spring Break. No class! So, I went to Amsterdam a few times with friends to keep busy. The picture above is 'the Dam', or Amsterdam Square. Did you know...? New York city in the United States used to be called New Amsterdam, because the original colonisers there were Dutch. This is also why there's a Harlem in New York. The name of the city was later changed to New York because of the English who came after, but for some reason they didn't change the name of Harlem. The Dutch here keep reminding me about how they first owned New York...


It wouldn't be a trip to Amsterdam without the Red Light District, Erotic Museum, and Sex Museum. Although prostitution here is legal, the Dutch government is actually trying to close down a lot of the businesses that have the women in the windows. It's an interesting case study on how the Dutch government is trying to shift it's tourism image away from the "red-light city". It's hard to say if they'll be successful.


Shopping in Rotterdam. I took a day-trip with friends to Rotterdam and Den Haag, which is maybe a 30-40 minute train ride to the south. Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed in one of the World Wars, and as a result is a very modern city today. There are almost no older buildings in Rotterdam. It reminded me a lot of Vancouver, actually. The picture above is an underground shopping centre.




Stroopwafels!!! (pronounced: strope VAW-fulls) This is a Dutch delicacy....two really thin crepes stuck together with caramel in the middle.....mmm. You can buy them fresh at vendors like this, and usually during market days.


A group shot of us overlooking the waterway in Rotterdam. I'm not sure if this is true, but Dutch people have been telling me that Rotterdam actually has the biggest port in all of Europe...true or not, it's still impressive. This is another similarity with Vancouver.




After Rotterdam, we hopped back on the train to Den Haag (the Hague). This is the political capital of the Netherlands, and also the headquarters of the International Criminal Court. The building above is one of the government buildings.


The guy on the horse is the first king of the Netherlands. Today, there is a Dutch monarchy similar to the British one. It's mostly just a ceremonial position.

***
And now....for some Dutch lessons! Actually, I took the train this morning from Amsterdam and I was very proud of myself. I had my first conversation all in Dutch!

Me: "ummm hoi, alles goed?"
-->pronounced: hoi, ALL-is hhhhoot?
-->translation: hello, how are you?

Train station attendant: "Ja alles prima, en met jou?"
-->pronounced: yaw, ALL-is prima, en met yow?
-->translation: I'm great, and you?

Me: "prima, dank. Ummm spoor voor Overveen?
-->pronounced: prima, dahnk. spore fore O-fur-FANE?
-->translation: Good, thanks. Platform for Overveen?

T.S.A: "ja, spoor twee-A."
-->pronounced: yaw, spore TVAY-ah.
-->translation: yes, platform 2-A.

Me: "ok, dank je wel"
-->pronounced: ok, dahnk yeh vel.
-->translation: ok, thanks a lot.

T.S.A. "als je blieft"
-->pronounced: ALL-syeh-bleeft.
-->translation: you're welcome.

Wow, I'm almost fluent now.