Amsterdam

So, I got back to my room last night and I found out there was another person staying with us. Turns out I'd seen him before. Flashback to earlier in the day when I was sitting in the hotel lobby enjoying my free breakfast. In walks this "transient" (either his smell or his plastic luggage gave him away) who asked for a bed for the night in one of the shared rooms. I froze because I feared that he would be put in mine because we had some empty bunks. The guy at the desk said, "Sorry, but we are full". I knew then exactly what he was doing. My experience in the hotel business has taught me certain routines that might be unethical so some. To a person interested in the "bottom-line" this move would be not in the hotel's best interest, but from a quality/image perspective the hotel could choose it's guest. Reminds me of my last time in Europe when a group of us were swimming in the Mediterranean at night. After, we walked down the posh streets of Nice (half drenched) and found a VERY classy hotel. A gentleman who was with our group said, "If we walk into that hotel looking the way we do; How long before they kick us out?" My vote was on 3-Minutes and his vote was on 30-Seconds. We walked through the door, gazed in amazement at the extravagance of the decor, and from across the room here comes a man dressed like Napoleon who was waving at us exclaiming that we should leave. We were in there for about 18-Seconds. Anyway, back to the story: As I sat in the lobby and the transient was refused service he decides to leave. Five minutes later he walks in and talks to the man again. He leaves again. A few moments later he comes back and another employee is at the desk. He is refused again. He walks out and I don't see him again, until he is sleeping in the bunk next to me later than night when I walk in my room. He snored all night and was talking gibberish in his sleep much of the night. I woke up at 5:45am the next morning creeped out of the room so as not to wake my friend. I pile my things together and I go in the shower room down the hall; enjoyed a nice hot shower and packed my belongings.

On my way to the train station I decided to walk along the back of my hotel for one last glimpse of Amsterdam. At 6:30am in the morning most of the window curtains were drawn with that "Red Light" still glowing from behind. The curtains that were open displayed no people; only messy rooms. As I headed to the main street I realized something. I was actually staying on a street that also had these famous windows. Some reached up to the 2nd floor (which is the 3rd floor from my perspective; Ground floor is "0" in Europe). See, when I was walking along that street during the day I never saw the attractive neon lit windows nor the ladies in them. When it's dark out it is much more apparent. I looked up and saw all these curtains drawn, again with the "Red Light" illuminating the frame. Up on the 2nd floor was a single woman, all alone amongst these windows, waiting for a man to walk by, she gave me a look like "Puss & Boots" that was just so sad. I felt bad, but I had a train to catch.

My time in Amsterdam this time was much better than my last. The last time I was in Amsterdam we never left the airport. We did see the Netherlands football (soccer) team come through the airport after winning a big match, but that doesn't count. I will say this about Amsterdam. I never felt unsafe, even at night. When I asked the hotel clerk if it was safe to walk around at night he said, "It's more safe than Chicago". I said, "You might want to compare the safety of this area to another city." He laughed. The canals were a delight to walk around during the day and night, but I must say (particularly during the day) they all start to blend together. It's nice and different, but does tend to blend. However, this is okay since Amsterdam has so much to offer. Maybe I'll make it back to the Netherlands in the Spring when the tulips are in bloom.

For now, I'll have these to remember my stay:

Photo:
http://www.heinekenexperience.com/wall-of-fame/foto/17E3C375FB4D8D52FC15F69C9C0365AA

Video:
http://www.heinekenexperience.com/wall-of-fame/singalong/91313A913926FE1EC110C9DFB36FDF42

http://www.heinekenexperience.com/wall-of-fame/singalong/4DDAB570B7981FC09F26FFF0C7A083B1

http://www.heinekenexperience.com/wall-of-fame/singalong/6A59D8A795506B075662B9791DB7D86E