Old Neighborhoods

April 28

I was checking out old neighborhoods today, starting with De Wallen, the old city. Certainly an old neighborhood.

I locked the bike to the bridge railing near the Oudekerk and went off in search of an apple tart. I found some in a place called Cafe del Mondo. It calls itself “midden in Mokum,” which I believe means “the middle of Amsterdam.”

“Mokum” is a Yiddish nickname for the city.

De Wallen is a residential and commercial area. It is also home to Amsterdam’s Red Light District. You walk down a street—almost any street—and you’re likely to see head shops, sex shops, Our Lord in the Attic, legitimate cafes and shady ones, girls in windows, a child daycare center, and rows of fantastically expensive townhouses. There are bars with signs outside saying “no reefer.”

It was Sunday so the old city was crowded. Dam Square was almost impassable. There were lines at the ATMs.

The whole city, probably the entire country, is overwhelmed with king fever. The souvenir stores are bursting with orange stuff you don’t want to think about: cowboy hats, fright wigs, T-shirts, scarves, pants, shoes, socks, and trinkets. Even the buildings are wearing funny orange hats. 

Getting my fill of that after a while, I biked east along the thoroughfare called Prins Hendrik Kade toward the only windmill in Amsterdam. This is the thatched landmark that stands over Brouwerij ’t Ij. 

I was staying only a couple of blocks from there last summer. The Brouwerij too was crowded today, but much of the clientele seems to be from the neighborhood, although there were also plenty of foreigners like me. People bring their kids there, so you sometimes have to pick your way through the crowd because the little ones can dash underfoot when they play tag.

I had the ’t Ij pale ale called Natte. It was hoppy. You can taste the malt, but it’s not sweet. It’s more that nutty ale flavor, with a trace of something else, maybe a touch of Belgian sour. Not sure what all the flavors are, but they’re interesting. 

From there, I went the route we took last summer to get to the center of the city. Part of it follows a tram line covered in grass. I think that way is called Saphartistraat.

That brought me to Frederiksplein, where the Hemp is. I didn’t stop there but went up Utrechtsestraat and after a couple of passes up and down the street, reached one of the great local bars in Amsterdam: Onder de Ooievaar. I think that means “under the stork.”

I had a Brand Lentebock, a spring seasonal beer that had a hint of allspice. I had another seasonal, Texels Springtij. which was malty but not sweet. That accompanied a plate of Friesian dry sausage.  This is a mild cold cut. It had the texture of kielbasa, but far less garlic and was quite good. I was also quite hungry.

I was getting ready to take off on the bike when a lady passing by asked me how she could get to the Hermitage. We were on the corner of Prinsengracht and Utrechtsestraat, and I actually knew the way: one block up and turn right. When Herengracht comes to an end at the Amstel, the Hermitage is directly across the river from you. 

She said she is staying on Nieuwe Prinsengracht. This is an extension of the canal where we were standing. It begins on the opposite side of the Amstel. To get there, you follow the canal. You may have to walk out of your way to cross the Amstel.

I cannot express what this incident did for my self-esteem. I swung onto my bicycle, like bona fide Euro trash, and headed confidently for the Keizersgracht and Haarlemmerstraat. By the way, Keizersgracht just off Utrechtsestraat is where I stayed the first time I was in Amsterdam, in December 2010.

I was a little early for my meeting with Larry. I had an espresso at Barney’s Uptown. Then I ran across the street to Barney’s Coffee Shop to get a space cake. 

Larry showed up during the five minutes I was out. I ate the cake with another espresso. and then we went to Larry’s place for dinner.

I have been snapping shots of some of the crooked houses of Amsterdam. Larry’s place (the house in the middle) is one of them.

Larry had picked up some good lentils in a market and made a combination I had never tried before. It was lentils in tomato paste with maybe some onion and definitely some chile. Larry mixed that with orecchiette, the little-ears pasta.

That meal with half a bottle of wine, on top of space cake and a few short beers earlier in the day, caught up to me. I was balanced on a high stool at the kitchen counter where we ate. I was wondering how I could move. That is, get down and stand on my feet. 

Next minute I was wondering how to stay awake.

I managed it, though. We went for a short walk, which helped me a bit. We stopped at a bar, where Larry may have had brandy and I had green tea. 

I didn’t even try to fetch my bicycle. I wasn’t fit to ride it. I may have been able to walk it back to the Season Star, but in my state, there was little chance that I could negotiate the narrow hallway to the courtyard out back. So I left the bike chained to a traffic sign outside Larry’s building, came home, and passed out.

Green tea, a varied diet. You can see I’m taking care of my health.

Be well, all.