We had made arrangements to move from the modest but quirky A-train hotel but after our morning there we could have enjoyed staying there for our entire visit. It would have been a different experience as it is located in the red light district. We didn't get back down there at night to see what that would be like but during the day the streets were thick with crowds of mostly tourists roaming the narrow lanes and dodging a steady flow of bikes and loaded trams moving many people in all directions.
Our first time on the street included a canal tour which was pretty short and basic but still eye opening to the very different world included in this very old city. The long boat barely fit through the old bridge openings and looking up at many of the very old buildings still in use gives a very different perspective on what history means. We could spend days wandering the various canals and discover much more about this unique city. That will mostly have to wait for another time. The weather varied between bright sun and downpours that drove most for shelter all in the space of an hour or so. This pattern was repeated often and the only group that seemed to function in it were the hoards of bike riders who varied from well prepared and nearly water proof to others who seemed to only have the strategy of riding faster the harder it rained. The many tourists still here seemed to be racing between museums and taking photos of just about everything. The second part made sense to me as there is so much to take in and it all looks so different from anything I've seen before.
We opted to stay away from most museums but did get to the Tropic Museum which features much of the Dutch occupation in the Far East and especially Indonesian. We were particularly interested in that after visiting Java and Bali recently. We were in Batavia where the Dutch controlled Indonesians for several hundred years. The museum did a good job of frankly describing the brutal tactics and profit driven motives of that period. We were very glad to have ventured out in the rain and get there before it closed. We left after too short a stay but renewed interest too.
We navigated back to our tram stop and started looking for dinner on foot. We ended up in a high end shopping district with few options as we got soaked by the steady downpour. Out of no where an Indonesian Resturant appeared and we dove in and were squeezed in for a full dinner of many courses that we would look back on as pretty mediocre but at the time was all we could want and was good to the last serving. That was enough to get us back to the hotel for some quiet time catching up on chores, drying out, and planning. There is always more of these things to do wherever we are.
Our second full day here started slower as we were still feeling the effect of long travel days and much time on our feet. We headed out in search of breakfast options and found that more of a challenge than expected with many pubs doubling as breakfast options that didn't sound good even without a hangover. We landed in the very first Coffee Company (1998) for a strong Americano and muffin/granola which got us back on our feet. We started wandering in the general direction of the canals. Laurie was trying to shop and I was trying not to which wasn't very compatible. All I wanted to do was watch every thing and everyone trying to make sense of the movement patterns, lack of personal space or ability to walk with purpose in any direction while I gawked at all the old architecture and waterways. We ended up near the transit center and were surprised at the small size but complex nature of the city. We next headed back to explore the large Vogelpark near our hotel. It is very well used and maintained but only allots a few spaces for wildlife in favor of dogs and people roaming free as they would. I would certainly find the need to spend much time here if I lived in this bustling and hardscaped city. I would have liked to learn more about the lifestyle of those who live in houseboats along the many canals and suspect that they are disturbed by the large number of canal boats tour ongoing in their "backyard". Apparently there is a museum for that like every other topic it seems. I've put that on my next time list now.
I headed out this afternoon to collect some info for our next ferry trip and wander a bit more. I seem to be getting a little navigation back after seeing the same landmarks a few more times. After gathering my information I looked a little closer and turned up some things missed earlier. I have the feeling I could repeat that every time I headed out somewhere around here. I now know where an EcoTour canal trip is located as well as the Sex Museum and perhaps the only remaining self serve laundromat in town. Who knows what will turn up next?
Our time here is already winding down with our next move coming tomorrow afternoon when we catch a ferry shuttle and move on to Great Britain and the second half of this adventure.
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