Amsterdam – An Insider View

For this week’s guest post I’m pleased to welcome travel writer and author Andy Hayes. Andy has chosen to  share his love of Amsterdam and give us an insight into the city and its people, taking us beneath its better-known surface.
I wasn’t born in Amsterdam, nor is Dutch my native language. But Amsterdam is my spiritual home; a place which found me and in which I found myself. I don’t live there now, but it is the place I think of when homesick or where certain sights, sounds, and smells bring back memories.

A Land in the Diminuitive

Apologies in advance for the brief grammar lesson. The Dutch language has an interesting aspect to it – the diminutive. This is a way to decline nouns in a way that in English we would translate as “smaller.” So, for example the Dutch word for a table is different to the word for a “small table.” In many cases, especially in Amsterdam slang, nobody even uses the normal word and they always say the smaller version.

Now, an outsider might not find this at all surprising, the Netherlands being such a tiny country. However, it goes much deeper, as “small” infects so many aspects of Amsterdam life, and not always in bad ways. Floating along the canals in a friend’s “small” boat is an experience not to be missed. Locals prefer to linger in tiny, quirky cafes and drink several rounds of smaller-sized drinks, as opposed to the massive glasses served up in the UK.

In summary, the way I like to look at it is to compare Amsterdam life to a meal of tapas. It’s a place best enjoyed with a small sample of a little bit of everything. It’s all good and you don’t want to miss at least a taste!

Gezellig – an un-translatable word

Again, touching on the Dutch language, we find another interesting word: gezellig. The Dutch say it is un-translatable, although many an expat will tell you that it means “cosy.” Well, I’m here to tell you that cosy just doesn’t cut it.“Cosy Amsterdam” is something much more. Consider:

• Does cosy explain how relaxing on a Saturday evening in your favourite pub, a tiny little place with dust on the centuries old chandelier, while dance tunes quietly thump from the speakers and artisanal beers come fresh from the tap over conversations with your best mates?

• Does cosy explain how drifting down the canals in the heat of an Amsterdam summer as the world drifts by, not a care in the world?

• Does cosy explain the feeling you have while sitting under the stars, enjoying the best Indonesian food outside of Indonesia and canal reflections in either direction?

Amsterdam is a quirky, weird place. People are abrupt and speak their mind quickly.It’s kind of crowded. Everyone cycles everywhere and just getting on a bike is a death wish if you’re not in tune with the flow of traffic. But once you understand it, it gets under your skin, and you’ll realise why it’s not just cosy…it’s gezellig. A way of life.

But what about that other stuff?

Oh, you mean the marijuana bars, the endless rows of prostitutes, the noise and dirt, the loud and obnoxious drunks?    Well, yes, they’re there, but thankfully people that are into all that tend to stay in their own little corner. As a local, you’ll find yourself never venturing through the red light district with exception to check out a new hidden restaurant or a quick drink with a visitor.

That’s the funny thing about it. Everyone has this party-paradise vision of Amsterdam, and my view couldn’t be further from the truth. Relaxing cycle rides along countryside bike paths, picnics and getting burnt in the sunshine, amazing meals out from some of Europe’s best chefs.

That’s my Amsterdam.

Andy is a published author and well-respected travel writer.  Leaving behind the trials and tribulations of sunny Amsterdam, he now is based in Edinburgh, Scotland — just as gezellig but not as flat.  Read more of his travels on his website, Sharing Travel Experiences and connect with him on Twitter.