Having lived there for almost 2 years until
1998, I know my way around Amsterdam pretty well. At least
I thought I did til I went back a few weeks ago. Since leaving
the place 7 years ago, I’m not sure why, but I never
returned. Not even for a weekend break.
I didn’t expect to see much changed in Amsterdam, even after 7 years, but
as I rode a tram from central station I recognized just about every shop, café and
restaurant along the main roads. Nothing seemed different at all, apart from
the modern trams. And later, as I walked about town, I spotted plenty more familiar
places and spaces. I still know the place fairly well - I’ve been very
stoned, pissed, sick, mad, and happy in Amsterdam. I have great memories and
can’t understand why it took me so long to go back. Although most everything
seemed immediately familiar, it took a couple of days for me to really get my
bearings, even though I wasn’t pissed and stoned (well not everyday).
It was damn cold when we arrived and it was already late in the day. Unlike
a lot of visitors to Amsterdam, we weren’t in a hurry to hit the coffee
shops and bars to get trashed. We went straight to a friends place, a 6-story
squat just outside the center of town. The next day we picked up a bike for
10Euros from someone on the street and 2 of us wobbled our way around town ‘Dutch-style’ – me
pedaling and my friend side-saddle on the back rack.
The day after that we woke up to about a metre of snow on the streets! The
bike wasn’t much use in the snow but I had a whole heap of fun in the
park where loads of people were making snowmen and lobbing snowballs at each
other. On the tram ride from the park, every time the tram stopped at a stop
and the doors opened, a barrage of snowballs would rain in on us from random
groups of kids lurking behind walls and bushes.
When I lived there years ago we’d lived in a squatted block of flatlets
and this time I stayed with friends in squatted homes. We basically hung out
in squatting circles for the week we were there. I ate, slept and partied in
occupied buildings, including some great info shops and social centers. AfricaHuis
being a good example; a huge warehouse/hangar now fitted out with a live music
venue, café/restaurant, and cinema. Great cheap food and booze and good
music. After watching a few short films in the cinema, which has real, tiered
cinema seating, we all sat around the big solid fuel burner in the middle of
the café to chat n chill…and get warm. Another day I ate a lovely
2-course vegan meal for free upstairs in a tiny café bar with activists
and squatters (aren’t squatters activists, actually?) and re-learnt some
useful Dutch words and phrases…that I probably needn’t repeat
here.
And, yes, I made the predictable trip to a coffee shop to have a wee smoke.
Par for the course really. After 5 days of alternative living in Amsterdam
I wasn’t in a great hurry to get back to south London, but luckily I
had a few days in the south west before heading back to New Cross.
