There's just something about Amsterdam

When mentioning Amsterdam, the words that come to many people’s minds are marijuana and prostitution. Needless to say this city is much more than that. Amsterdam is the city where people are always offering their help if one seems like he needs it, where the pace of life is slow and refreshing, where you can go to any park any day, when the weather allows it, and find a huge amount of people having picnics and enjoying each other’s company, where everybody travels by means of bicycle, where children are given an incredible amount of trust by their parents, where dogs are almost considered as humans, where you can go out any night and any time and have a good time, where the beautiful canals make you daydream and much more. On that note, I thought it would be interesting to point out a few differences between Amsterdam and Montreal, my hometown.

First of all, it is much more equal here in Amsterdam. For example, Dutch men rarely pay for women. When they go out, it is only normal that they split the check. In Montreal and other places such as France, men usually pay for women especially in the beginning of a relationship as it is a way for them to show women that they enjoyed their company and would like to see them again. This is a question of culture, but the fact that women in Amsterdam pay for themselves comes with many advantages that the other way of doing things does not offer.

Also, as I mentioned in my article “Arrival in Amsterdam”, the products are very different. For example, Clamato juice simply does not exist here. In fact, if you go to a restaurant or a bar and ask for a Bloody Ceasar, there is a good chance you will get a strange look. Also, cranberry juice seems rare here as it happened to me a couple of times (at different places) where I was told they did not serve Vodka cranberry! Vodka cranberry… one of the most common drinks in Montreal. Another unusual thing is that deodorants in sticks are impossible to find. Rather, they are sold in sprays and roll-ons. One last example is that gum mostly comes in bags instead of individual 12 gum packages and most flavors are unfamiliar.

Another difference but this one slightly unfavorable is that you get charged for everything in Amsterdam. For example, when ordering French fries in fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Burger King, there is an extra fee for ketchup. A small container in which you can dip a maximum of 10 fries costs 0.40 Euros. Also, people have to pay 0.50 Euros each time they need to use public bathrooms (in most places). Maybe this explains why we find urinals on the street…

When it comes to dogs, they walk around without leashes. They are surprisingly very well trained. Allowed in most public places such as stores and public transportation, you see them everywhere. They receive incredible treatment and you even begin to think of them as human beings. <3

Eating habits are also different. Dutch love dairy products and drink huge containers (500 ml) of milk or yogurt in public, and this, at any time of the day. They also eat sandwiches for breakfast. And as for lunch? They eat another sandwich. This one can actually contain nothing more than one slice of cheese. Potatoes, eggs and cheese are part of their everyday meals. Beer is also a big thing here in Holland. It is even allowed to drink beer at the movie theater (but forbidden to eat and drink in public transportation)! If you ever go to Amsterdam, it is a must that you try Indonesian food. I recommend a restaurant called Tempo Doeloe, not for its nice decor but for its delectable traditional Indonesian food and great service.

Last but not least, it is inspiring to see how people in Amsterdam are very down-to-earth. The best example I can give is that the main transportation mean is the bicycle. Dutch people do everything and go everywhere with their bicycle. In the morning, you see mothers bringing their children to daycare, men in suits going to work, people going grocery shopping, bringing their dogs to the veterinarian and at night you see them dressed nicely and going out by means of bicycle. They also eat, talk on the phone and even hold hands while cycling. Not only is this environmental friendly but it also gives you the opportunity to be outdoors a lot and connect differently with the city. In Montreal, almost everyone has a car and uses it everyday to do everything…

If you ever get to spend some time in Amsterdam you will understand how difficult it is to leave it “forever”. I will miss a lot of things about it, but what I will miss the most is riding my bicycle everywhere, and this is coming from a girl who hadn’t been on a bicycle since she was 10 years old! It actually took me some time to buy one, but once I did I realized how amazing it was and regretted waiting so long to get one. I truly wish every city were structured in order to accommodate bicycles like Amsterdam does…and maybe this is something to consider in the future, especially since the environment is in desperate need of our help.

This city is amazing and I am truly thankful for the time I spent here. There is just something about it…