Amsterdam - first impressions

I arrived in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) late yesterday afternoon.  The purpose of my trip (which will move from Amsterdam to Istanbul, Turkey in a few days) is primarily business, but I'll be packing in as much "personal tourism" as possible.  And, since my "business" is education, it actually provides me the opportunity to see some things that I may not normally see as a tourist.

Honestly, even the journey here was fairly interesting, if only because I haven't traveled to Europe since college.  I've been to the Caribbean a few times, and Canada once, but I haven't crossed the Atlantic in over a decade.  I studied abroad in college (London), so connecting in Heathrow Airport provided me with quite a few flashbacks...beginning with the Wagamama in the airport.  This noodle bar wasn't a chain way back when; it is now.  Lucikly, the trip itself was uneventful.

I'm staying at the Movenpick Hotel, which is really great.  It reminds me of the contemporary Westin chain in the US.  This is a far cry from my backpacking days!  I joined some of my OneMBA colleagues (and friends) for dinner last night at famed Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant, only two blocks from my hotel.  Dinner was excellent.   I won't bore you with the description of the menu, but it was so fresh (what I'd expect from Jamie Oliver).

Today, I was free until 5 pm (which is coming at me shortly), so after a great breakfast at the hotel, I headed out into the city.  I walked more than four hours, loving every minute of it.  I had no plan, just walked (with a map).  I hit all the tourist spots, but I didn't enter any (i.e. Anne Frank house, Van Gogh museum), because lines were around the block.  I did take a good number of photos:  http://picasaweb.google.com/acferrell/Amsterdam?authkey=Gv1sRgCPTOqZ3N3ePcZA&feat=directlink.

A few initial observations:

• The world seems much smaller than the last time I came to Europe.  I keep wondering if it's just my perspective (adult rather than young adult), but I don't think so.  Sure, there were many "Americanized" things last time I was in Europe, but cultures just seem to have melded much more than I remember.  Of course, all the Dutch speak English.  I went into a Starbucks today (which I also had at Heathrow Airport, by the way), got the same coffee I get in the US, and I was served by an American barista.  It all seemed to fit right in with the landscape.  I'm not doing a good job of explaining this, but let's just suffice it to say that I can literally feel the effects of globalization in a way I didn't in the late '90s.
• I knew the Dutch preferred to travel by bicycle, but this is really something else!  I'm amazed by the children riding on handlebars of their parents' bikes.  Toddlers.  Oh, my.  Anna would jump off!  No helmets.  This reminded me that Americans are so incredibly neurotic and need a rule/regulation for everything.  I find it ironic that most European countries are much more socially and politically liberal (than the US), but they don't allow the government to regulate things like "bicycle riding" the way we do.
• Related to my previous observation:  I'm reminded that a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to include regimented exercise.  I saw one jogger all day.  One.  There are joggers all over Chapel Hill.  But, I didn't see many overweight persons, and certainly not overweight Dutch.  They walk and ride their bicycles everywhere.  I walked so much today and felt healthier than if I would have run for an hour.

I wish I could write more, but I must go get ready for the evening; OneMBA kicks off with a canal cruise and dinner.