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The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht
Jul. 11th, 2018 11:13 amAfter Ghent the next leg of the journey was The Hague, which there was an intent to visit the International Criminal Court, but it was closed that day and returning to the venue was not really viable - next time. Instead, we visited Jett D., an old friend and night-club organiser from Perth who lives in neighbouring Delft, and was given the opportunity to meet his charming partner and progeny. True to his style, he took on a most epic pub crawl through this canal-based town, which included visits to the various sights including the Oude and Nieuwe Kerk, the City Hall, and his most recent club venue, the Oubliette. I think we ended the night - still at a fairly civilised time - at the oldest pub in the city. There was much opportunity to reminisce on the goth scene in Perth from the late 80s to early 90s which were a hey-day of our activities.
The next journey was to Amsterdam, with a one-hour stopover in Antwerp which mostly included viewing the art-noveau train station with a sense of wonder. Reaching Amsterdam itself, we stayed in the very upmarket Hotel Pestana (which was on special). The building itself was the former city archives, and the staff were uncomfortably obsequious. The inner city itself was thoroughly charming, having been converted from a car-based environment to a human (or bicycle) one. We visited as much as we could in the single day, which included the fair torture museum, two underdeveloped and disappointing places claiming to be cheese museums (cheese is important stuff), and the Vondelpark. This place is certainly deserving of multiple visits, and its notorious "sex and drugs" reputation is quite overstated - yes it does provide those freedoms, but there is also a strong sense of civic responsibility.
After Amsterdam, we made our way to Utrecht, nominally to visit another former Perth-person, Peter C. Due to miscommunication, he had actually moved (to Amsterdam no less), so we missed him. Worse still, it mean we were in Utrecht and in the dire Badhu hotel - it does have a very nice bar, but garish rooms, and the stinking rotting carpet was a health hazard. As for the city itself, Utrecht is the potato of the Netherlands. The potato is indeed a nutritious staple and Utrecht is functional. But the rows upon rows of identical houses is tiring, just like how the once ubiquitous potato in every meal of Dutch cuisine generated a diet of "incredible monotony" (Wintle, 2006).
The next journey was to Amsterdam, with a one-hour stopover in Antwerp which mostly included viewing the art-noveau train station with a sense of wonder. Reaching Amsterdam itself, we stayed in the very upmarket Hotel Pestana (which was on special). The building itself was the former city archives, and the staff were uncomfortably obsequious. The inner city itself was thoroughly charming, having been converted from a car-based environment to a human (or bicycle) one. We visited as much as we could in the single day, which included the fair torture museum, two underdeveloped and disappointing places claiming to be cheese museums (cheese is important stuff), and the Vondelpark. This place is certainly deserving of multiple visits, and its notorious "sex and drugs" reputation is quite overstated - yes it does provide those freedoms, but there is also a strong sense of civic responsibility.
After Amsterdam, we made our way to Utrecht, nominally to visit another former Perth-person, Peter C. Due to miscommunication, he had actually moved (to Amsterdam no less), so we missed him. Worse still, it mean we were in Utrecht and in the dire Badhu hotel - it does have a very nice bar, but garish rooms, and the stinking rotting carpet was a health hazard. As for the city itself, Utrecht is the potato of the Netherlands. The potato is indeed a nutritious staple and Utrecht is functional. But the rows upon rows of identical houses is tiring, just like how the once ubiquitous potato in every meal of Dutch cuisine generated a diet of "incredible monotony" (Wintle, 2006).
