From Hamburg to Amsterdam

The last days of Summer in Amsterdam

Me and the flag of Holland - The Netherlands

Some weeks ago, I visited Amsterdam for a business trip. The last time I was there was more than 5 years ago, so I was looking forward to it. But I did not remember how different big important cities in Western Europe are. Space is precious. You really take advantage of every piece of space you have. My hotel room, a central, 4 stars hotel, was the smallest I have ever stayed in in my life. My hotel however was well located.

I left from Hamburg around 7:00 to arrive in Asmterdam 40 mins later. That was by plane. I believe it takes 6 hours to get from Hamburg to Amsterdam by train. Depending on the train you take of course. When the taxi driver told me that it was 50 Euro for the trip from the airport to the hotel I instantly thougth he was trying to cheat me. But when I asked at the hotel, I was astonished to know that it was the normal fare.

Fortunately the hotel was well located and I did not need to take a taxi again. Except on the trip back to the airport. When two motorbikes in front of us had an accident and crashed with a car. Nothing happened, except some brushes, but as we were on a highway, if the traffic would not have been so slow, something worse could have happened.

Businesswise, the trip was good for me. I learned a lot and was a good expirience. I did not have much time to walk around the city except on the last day. I bought some gifts for my wife and souvenirs. I did visit the red light district, but just as a tourist. I am not that kind of person anyway.

I was very lucky with the weather, as it was sunny the whole time and not so cold. It is really impressive how many people in Amsterdam speak English and how often you hear English spoken in the streets. Normally I always ask politely if someone can speak English, but here it seemed not necessary. Still, I believe you get a better treatment if you ask wether the person knows the language.

Amsterdam is indeed a beautiful city, beautiful canals, nice buildings, etc. But you can feel as well the business minded attitude or their inhabitants. To my surprise, the shops were opened on Sunday. Something not common in Europe. And after almost a year in Hamburg and in Germany, the bycicle paths and traffic is not an annoyance to me. I am used to to look for bycicles coming from the bike paths, the bellrings, etc. But perhaps if you are not used to it, it can be an special experience. With the locals screaming at you to move out from their way.

It was a nice trip.