Amsterdam and an immer longer weekend

Amsterdam

This weekend it was off to a place where they have traffic lights for bikes - yet crossing the road still requires a degree - and far too many canals. Hello Amsterdam, and a weekend of Denglisch.

A couple of thoughts about a short break in a town that on weekends is infact at least half filled with Brits...

• Canals are disorientating, whoever said Amsterdam was easily walkable lied. That or my sense of direction needs improving!
• Amsterdam is definitely prettier by night when it's all lit up
• Visiting the Anne Frank house can only be described as a combination of fascinating and harrowing. It's certainly a bizarre feeling to stand inside the same (really quite small) rooms that her family were unable to leave for two years...
• A little Van Gogh goes a long way
• Trams and buses should really run past 1am... Walking following the tram lines is not a very quick way of getting back across the city.
• Capital cities are expensive
• The Dutch police aren't actually as friendly as their name 'Politie' suggests
• The Netherlands lives up to its stereotype and really does sell lots of cloggs and tulips

And a photo or two...

I realise that residents in Amsterdam must get really fed up with all the tourists, but taking your kids out to use the 'I amsterdam' letters as football goals, is not photo friendly!

By a canal / 'Gracht'

Pretending we went into the Rijks museum

Also a boat trip on the canals narrated in 3 languages did bring out the language geek in me. Once you've picked up a few little words, Dutch is basically Denglisch, or at least that's enough to get you by (never mind the fact that, no exaggeration, they all speak English). For example,

   English:  day
+ German: Tag 
= Dutch:    Dag

Genuinely fascinating. 

Another day off...

As for school? Well today was apparently to become day 4 out of what is now my 5 day weekend. Given that I am timetabled to work both Monday and Friday, that's quite impressive. Such news should normally evoke a smile, however, I can assure you that at 7.40am this morning, after having already got up and walked to school, I was not impressed! On quizzing the secretary about what was obviously not happening today I got told: "Es gibt heute keine Schule" as apparently it was in fact a Fortbildungstag / training day for staff. How this school is so incapable of telling me these things in advance is beyond me. Pea soup in a brewery comes to mind.

Still, time for some visitors tomorrow :)