Weekend Travels in Zandvoort, Haarlem, and Amsterdam

7/14-7/16: 

After exploring Maastricht a bit on Tuesday with Viv, who is taking classes at Maastricht University, I decided that I should not stick around for the weekend because Maastricht does not have many interesting aspects. I quickly planned a trip to Haarlem, where I would be spending one night at an AirBnB for $40, and Amsterdam, where I would be spending one night with Sami, who is interning at a tech startup. I packed some toiletries, my rain shell, a days worth of beans and veggies, and two peanut butter and jelly sanwhiches. I woke up Friday morning at 8:00, did my morning routine, and rode my bike 15 minutes to the train station in Maastricht (bike parking at the station pictured below). The train ride to Haarlem would take 2 hours and 49 minutes. 

I got on the train and was a bit frustrated to find that the wifi was not working. When I realized that I was frustrated about this, I had a good internal chuckle  because that wifi that inhabits public transit in the Netherlands is not the status quo in the US. On the train I was amazed by the impeccable infrastructure that permeates the country, both on land and in the water. Even in the most rural areas I passed through, every street had an explicit areas for bikers, pedestrians, and cars. The US is obviously a much different country than the Netherlands, but two things are certain: US citizens, especially wealthy ones, pay far less taxes than people in the Netherlands, and US infrastructure is crumbling and largely unfriendly to bikers and pedestrians. Also, I was surprised at the complete lack derelict, low income housing crammed next to the train tracks. This may be due to a combination of zoning, public health, and public housing laws, or maybe this type of housing does not exist here, but I cannot be sure. When the train was not passing through a city (time lapse of approaching Amsterdam Central station) , the sides of the track were lined with bucolic agricultural land, brambles, industrial zones, and a few verdant soccer fields. One interesting realization I had on the train is how undistracted I am by people speaking in other languages because I do not understand what they are saying. When I am around people speaking english, it is hard to ignore the conversation even if it is about the most frivolous of subjects.

A few minutes before I arrived in Haarlem, I decided that I should go 15 minutes further to see Zandvoort aan zee, a place where Will, who traveled through the Netherlands on his WOOFing trip last summer, said he would have liked to experience. During the ride there, the clouds became thicker and the wind noticeably picked up, buffeting the train. When I stepped out, it was windy and in the low 60s...prime rain shell whether. As I walked away from the train station, I was immediately repulsed by the horrible looking high rises, which obliterated the view of the sea from the ancient houses in the downtown area. A big round of applause to the conventional, short-sighted tourism industry, the local politicians who approved the projects, and all of the people who would stay in those places. Once I made my way from behind the high rises, I was slammed with wind and a beautiful view of the North Sea (pictured below).

The Sea was crawling with small, frothing waves and with kite surfers crisscrossing and catching massive air off the waves that sometimes left them airborne for seconds (time lapse of kitesurfers below). Kite surfing is definitely something I would love to try in the near future, and I think I would have given it a go were it not for time constants. 

I was excited to see that the horizon was dotted with wind turbines, barely visible to the human eye even on such a clear day. This renewable technology is one that has had some success in Europe, but limited success in the US due to a lack of clarity about seafloor leasing and high cost. It will hopefully become more widely distributed as cost decreases and permitting rules clear up. I walked along the beach for an hour or so and then ventured into the downtown area. I went into a coffeeshop for the first time because one can only get into them in Maastricht with a Dutch ID. It was not a great scene, as it was dingy and saddening to see people smoking marijuana in such an unappealing place in the early afternoon. I left and wandered a bit more. I sampled some nuts, which were quite overpriced, and then managed to find my way out of the tourist ridden streets with materialistic goods staring at me from the windows. I wandered down narrow streets lined with small cars and unique houses with a diversity of goods and styles inside. After being in the Netherlands for less than a weeks, it is already blatantly obvious that most of the US has done itself a great disservice by building excessively large, single story houses with big fences. Communities cannot flourish when most people travel by car, spend time in their house as opposed to walking around the area they live, and become unhealthy from their sedentary lifestyle. Mixed use zoning, taxes based on width of structures, and reasonable vertical stratification are musts in the US. 

I hopped on the train back to Haarlem and exited with train station. There were a lot of people and touristy shops in the downtown area, which was kind of a bummer. As I made my way toward my AirBnB, down the unique streets lined with interesting residences and the occasional cafe, the hubbub subsided (picture below). 

I got to my place and was taken to my room by the guy who lives there. I ate the last of my beans and veggies, and left for city center. I made my way to Jopenkirk, a brewery that makes a variety of beer in a beautifold (beautiful and old) church. I had a tasty draught beer that is supposedly from a 1407 recipe, which was a bit sweet and herby and not very hoppy (brewery pictured below). 

For a few hours after, I walked around the beautiful small streets and canals, saw a few huge churches, and found some delicious berries (pictures of streets and canals below). I headed back to my place around 10:45pm. 

The next morning I had some sandwich and left for a Saturday market in Grote square. It was huge and filled mostly with food vendors…a lot of dairy and meat stands and a few awesome bakeries and spread places. Some of the bakeries and spread places had samples, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I especially enjoyed this coarsely ground green olive, almond, smoked red pepper, olive oil, and salt tapenade (market booths pictured below). 

Then, I wondered north west of the city. I saw a building off in the distance with some interesting words on it that seemingly suggested the contents would be interesting, so I went to explore. After walking for 20 minutes, I tried to get into a tall, modern residential building to take a picture of the city, but it required a key. In the next building over, which was similar to the first, there was an awesome new cafe, called Frisk Aan Het Spaarne, with a ton of beautiful plants and places to sit right next to a large canal. The interior of the shop was an amazing mix of rustic, modern, and mismatched. I ordered a shot of espresso, which I had put my expandable travel mug. I paid, but my card was declined because they were still waiting for Visa’s approval. I had no Euros and offered to go get some, but the manager kindly offered to cover the drink. I left them a good review. Over the next 4 hours, I walked around 8 miles: I talked to a guy outside of an art space that was not open yet and he told me that climate change was bullshit (lol); found and got a tour of a 3D printing space home to 40 artists and businesspeople; ate a ton of blackberries; saw a floating "mobile home” park; but never found a way to get to the building I saw because there seemed to be not bridge to do so (pictures of some of these below). As I was heading back to the train station, I found a free event for a new building complex that had free juices, smoothies, and deserts. Tasty. Wondering aimlessly is a great way to explore a new place.

I caught my train and around 2:30 and headed to Amsterdam. I found my way to Sami’s place, dropped by stuff off, and then we headed back to the train station to catch the ferry to NDSM. Will told me about NDSM, which is a former shipyard that is now the most architecturally appealing and modern area I have ever witness—shipping container houses and bars, an office building perched on a former pier, and former industrial buildings filled with art space (ferry ride and part of the area below). 

We went to Pllek, which is partially a shipping container bar and restaurant on the IJ, and it was an packed with people lounging on beanbags and chilling at tables (video below). The atmosphere was amazing. We got some bears and then went to a supermarket a mile and a half away to get some food. On the way back it started raining and continued to do so for the next two hours. This was a bummer, as a great band called Salam Musik was just starting when the really hit. 

We caught the ferry back and headed to check out the Red Light District. I think it is for the best that prostitution is regulated because it provides safety and transparency into a notoriously shady industry, but I think anyone who pays someone to have sex with them must be a morally flawed person. Walking by windows doors occupied by scantily clad women beckoning at everyone passing by was uncomfortable and seeing people open the door and ask them “how much are you” was repulsive. It is such a pure form of objectification. Sami and I got back to his place around midnight.

In the morning, we got food at a supermarket, went through a flower market (picture of a stall below), and headed towards the train station. 

An amazing weekend!