Sailing From Safe Harbours

Anonymous asked: you could always photoshop the green bin out. It shouldn't be too hard

I’m utterly useless with all things photoshop, unfortunately.

That’s what the guidebook says, and they are not wrong. 

After boarding an uncomfortable train for close to three hours, my poorly printed Google Maps directions led me to getting lost nearly instantly as I stepped out of Gare Centraal in Belgium’s capital city. If it’s one thing I’ve got less of since I’ve travelled (aside from money, of course) it’s inhibition. From person to person I flitted; “parlez vows anglais?” has never been uttered more frequently, are replied more often with a curt “non” either. Finally managing to get some assistance, I walked to the hostel with very little difficulty. 

2Go4 hostels (whose name I somehow loathe) is a nice play to stay in Brussels regardless of its distance from the centre, which isn’t much of a problem considering how tiny the city is. The rooms were nice and the en-suite bathroom had boiling hot water, which is always a plus. With very little time in the day to do anything other than eat, I wandered the main road until settling on a cafe (which I now realise is a large chain in Brussels) called Exk. I can’t pronounce it either, but the food is delicious and brilliantly priced so I did most of my dining there. 

The day later led to me completing all the sights that Brussels boasts in no less than four hours. Mannekin Pis truly does symbolise the country of Belgium: small, unimpressive, seemingly leaking in places, quaint but fleeting. Or at least that’s what my impression has been of this city. And although it does have its beautiful places (which I imagine would look much nicer in the summer), all together the city is not worth a visit longer than two days. I even divulged in taking a walk out of the city, through the “European sector” of Brussels. And although the parks and gardens there were beautiful, Brussels principle of squashing absolutely everything together, old and new, pretty and ugly, really disconcerts me. There’s no particular sector to any of it, really. It’s just an odd mish mash of architecture and intention. Although it sounds quite eclectic, it’s done to a hurried standard and not at all with any consideration. 

If Brussels has done anything, it has ticked off the objective to find somewhere I don’t like. Although I can see why some people could enjoy their time there, I longed for Paris, London, and even the windy Copenhagen instead! 

My flight from Copenhagen to Amsterdam, although only an hour and fifteen minutes, was one of the most enjoyable fights I’ve ever been on. Firstly, there was free wi-fi on board, something I think all planes should easily have. The connection was surprisingly fantastic. The other, better reason I enjoyed this flight was the time of day I took it. Being 6pm, we took off as the sun began to set in the sky. The view from thousands of feet in the air of a thick strip of orange melting into the horizon while the sky turns from a wonderful bright blue to an opalescent navy was just breathtaking. Coupled with the fact that Denmark and the Netherlands are notoriously watery, the view from the window was just such a mesmerising sight. I know a lot of people take it for granted, but the best thing about flying is the view of the world below. There’s nothing better.

Arriving in Amsterdam and getting to my hostel were two different things; the former was much easier to do. Nevertheless, I managed to find and board the 197 bus and fret the entire way there that I was going the wrong way. True to my own ineptitude, I also got off a stop later than I should have, but by the time I walked back to the Van Gogh Museum I had managed to bump into two fellow travellers who were also lost on their way to Hostel Van Gogh. Between the three of us we managed to ask several people (one of whom was a lovely old Dutch lady who spoke English with the most fantastic accent) and finally find the place. I have nothing but great things to say about the hostel; it feels more like a hotel. It was utterly fantastic and so brilliantly priced at €11 a night for a hotel standard. 

My days in Amsterdam were spent quite frivolously, really. I spent the entire first day wandering its streets and getting quite tolerably lost, until finding the Anne Frank museum and paying a visit. There are so many things I can say about the museum, about my experience of it, but the most apt thing I think I learnt while I was there was this quote:

“We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is learn from the past and to realise what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to fight prejudice.” - Otto Frank

After what was supposed to be an early night, I resolved to go on every single tour the guide had to offer. This included a free tour of the city’s main points in the morning, a coffeeshop tour during the afternoon (yes, that kind of coffeeshop) and a Red Light District Tour at night. The main things I learnt from this day were: Amsterdam was supposedly founded by two men and a sick dog who found land after being lost at sea in a storm; cannabis is illegal in Amsterdam; and the Dutch apparently live on three principles (be discreet and polite, never hurt anyone, and be good for business!) During this day I also managed to check off one of my life’s goals: visit the Van Gogh Museum. I’ve seen Sunflowers in real life now, I’ve seen Wheatfield with Crows, and Almond Blossom too (two thirds of which are on my bedroom wall at home.) The museum is sparse, I’ll admit, and they don’t have Starry Night of course, but it was lovely to be immersed in Van Gogh.

On the last night, after an exhaustive day of tours, I went for a meal with a few friends I had made on the trip: Priscilla (one of the people who I had found on my way to the hostel), Lian, Michael and Gab. It was fun to get to know new people and talk about subjects that I’ve already exhausted at home.

My time in Amsterdam was arguably not well spent. There was much more I had planned to do and much more I planned to see. I think because Amsterdam’s streets and canals are al so similar, it feels like you’re not seeing much of the city when you get lost. Nevertheless, if you ever need to find yourself in Amsterdam, just head to a canal: from there it’s so easy to find your way.

After waking up inordinately late (as is custom with me), I hurriedly packed for my train to Belgium.