Moving to Amsterdam, first impressions

(I had initially planned to write this blog after just a month in Amsterdam (so in July 2021) but am writing it almost after a year. So obviously these are no more first impressions, but still initial impressions)

My first view of Central Amsterdam,
in summer

As I moved to Netherlands in the middle of the pandemic, getting to know the city took time. But it was quite an exciting journey for me, discovering a new city, a new culture and a new people while limited by the pandemic rules. Let me start with two statements. One, I love Amsterdam (or at least in summer😊). It’s a gorgeous and a crazy city. Or town I must say (it has less than a million people!). It’s small and cosy, and it is extremely easy to get anywhere in town within 20 mins of cycling. And within 10 mins, you can be in the countryside next to canals and cows and farmlands and so on, as there is a lot of nature nearby. And in either direction, North. South or anywhere - very quickly you are in the midst of rural life. The city is extremely pretty. And so chill! It’s like having the best of both worlds, small town life with all benefits of a large city.

Second, unlike my initial expectations, there was a lot that was different about Netherlands than the UK. Some of these differences came as a surprise to me while most of them came with a laugh. I don’t know why, I thought most European countries would be more similar than dissimilar. But that is not the case as I slowly learnt. I've finally come to the conclusion that even though Netherlands is a small country, the Dutch are quite a different kind of people. They have their very own culture different from their neighbours, and with a lot of unique quirks. And so it has been quite an interesting journey to find out about these differences.

The gorgeous Centrum canals, in fall

The city is gorgeous, and its beauty grows on you even more with time (instead of feeling like the same old). It is stunning across all the seasons, as you can see in the photographs on this blog. During my first month in Amsterdam, I lived in the central canal area called Centrum and walked around a lot during this time. I was blown away by the gorgeousness of the historic centre - criss-crossed by canals, lined with green trees on both sides, the narrow streets full of cyclists, and the towering old style colourful Dutch buildings on both sides. It was a pleasure to walk through this area, again and again.

Tree lined Centrum canals,
in summer

Some streets felt full of tourists and busy. And then suddenly you would come across a street completely empty and extremely charming. With its own canal, trees and flowers along it and not a soul to be seen. And just like that, you could be cycling along a zoo in the middle of the city, with flamingos along the road. These were always fun to explore. Amsterdam never fails to surprise me, there is always something new to discover around the corner. And so I still feel the same excitement about Amsterdam’s beauty today as I did when I first moved here.

Amsterdam at night, in winter

Amsterdam has many canals – wide and narrow, flowing and stagnant, and so on. Apparently, all the canals have their own character and story, but it takes time to figure that out. Some of them have houseboats lined along them where people live for the real Amsterdam experience. Some of them are lined with boats which people use when its sunny. Most of them are lined with trees and lot of them bloom with tulips during spring. I still can’t identify the canals from each other but will get there one day.

Canal bridges, in summer

And there are thousands of cute bridges everywhere. Different styles and all stunning. Some are even lighted at night. Most of them are also lined with flowers during spring and summer. Also at times you run into brightly painted cycles on these bridges decorated with flowers, for tourists to take photographs with. Each one of the bridges is a pleasure to walk along and always a fun to discover. Apparently, Amsterdam was a sea port for a long time, but after they built the dykes, the sea became the lake or a river Ij (there is confusion over what its called), towards the north of Amsterdam. But even now, some of the ships come all the way to the Amsterdam port. And some of the bridges even open up to let large boats through.

Trader houses, in summer

The old 14-15th century trader houses all along the canals also lend it a lot of beauty. The slim tall colourfully painted houses with huge windows just add so much charm to the views. And most of the windows are always open, so you can get to see quite a lot of what is inside (Apparently that’s an Amsterdam thing 😉). Also, after a while you start to notice how many of these buildings are tilted. Quite a lot! They are all leaning one way or the other, and lot of them have blocks now to keep them from falling over.

All these old Dutch houses are all painted in different bright colours which is one of the biggest reasons for the beauty of the old city. They also have their own unique architecture - narrow floors, with narrow winding staircases to go up. And some weird setups inside too as they were modernised much later. Like walking through a bathroom to get to the bedroom, having sinks in the bedroom and so on. Some of them also have sloping walls inside because of the leaning walls. They are always a pleasure to explore.

Unlike other European capitals, Amsterdam does not have a lot of grand stone buildings. Only a few that you can count on your fingers. Like the Centraal Station, Rijksmuseum, Royal Palace and a few others. The rest are just the trader canal houses. And this is also a Dutch thing – trying not to be too much of a show-off. This shows in its buildings, architecture as well as its people - as a country, they are not focussed on show of wealth at all..

Quieter streets in Pijp

The different parts of the city all have a very different feel to it. Centrum is stunning but always crowded with tourists. So it’s avoided by the locals as much as possible. But it’s definitely the most gorgeous part of the city. (Btw its beauty can best be appreciated on Sunday mornings when the whole city and its tourists are sleeping. I have cycled and walked so often around town on Sunday mornings, its fabulous). Jordaan in Centrum sometimes is quieter and fun to walk around. Outside the Centrum, Pijp is full of restaurants and has quite an active vibe plus is a lot more spaced out. It is quite a popular place with the locals. The east felt more industrial and modern in its buildings. The west has a more edgy feeling. And the north is being developed now, it felt emptier than the rest of Amsterdam. It feels more industrial, as well as has lots of highrises. But it is still not easily accessible as taking the ferry from Central is the best way to get there, and takes quite a bit of time. 

Street in Zuid

The South (Zuid) is more suburban living. It has the Apollobuurt and Riverenbuurt which are fully residential and have huge wide roads and parks around to give it a homely feeling. And they also have their own tree lined canals within them which make them feel as charming as the rest of Amsterdam.

Beatrixpark, in fall

I walked through the Zuid area when I had got out for the first time in Amsterdam to get a covid test and fell in love with the area. I walked through Beatrixpark that day and I felt I had come out to the countryside, had left the city, the crowded Amsterdam behind. It had been such a great experience in the park. Who knew I would finally end up there itself😊.

Noord Amsterdam, in summer

Amsterdam is quite small (as compared to London), and the advantage of living here is that you can have a suburban life, with quiet and peace while being very close to the city. Like the Zuid and North Amsterdam area which felt suburban, while being just 15 mins cycling from the city. And these parts of the city are what the tourists never get to see as they always tend to stay within the Centrum. What a miss.

Streets in fall

Amsterdam has a predominantly windy, cloudy and rainy weather. Being near the sea, Amsterdam is never very warm (or at least I feel so). The winds which mostly come from the north sea side bring the temperature down from what it shows on the apps. So when the sun does shine (which it did a lot in June 21), all of Amsterdam is out! And half of them are on the boats in the canals, with their friends, just sitting in the sun, tanning themselves, listening to music and having a beer. And lots of them also take to kayaking or paddle surfing or stand-up paddle or other such activities in the water.

It was quite impressive to see people being able to do so much right in the centre of the city. All of summer, starting from early mornings, every day of the week, including weekdays! They definitely make the most of the few sunny days of the year, and being in the water is definitely the most popular way. I also saw some children living in the houseboats jumping into the canal every time a boat passed by, to splash water on them! It was funny to watch. And must have been even more fun for them. (In my first month, I was so impressed with all the boats, I almost wanted to buy a boat, even before finding a house for myself 😉.)

Fall colours

Amsterdam has all the four seasons, and looks different in all of them. Summer is warm and green everywhere. In fall, it has the fall colours and looks spectacular. Especially all its parks. Winter is dark and gloomy, with bare trees everywhere. And then it totally sparkles in spring again, with flowers springing up everywhere. I don’t remember when have I ever noticed all the four seasons in a year, like I did in Amsterdam.

The whole vibe of Amsterdam is very chilled. No grand buildings, not too much of a show-off. And so are the Dutch. Everyone cycles everywhere. So everyone is dressed up to cycle, not really “dressed up” much for anything else, which gives everything a very relaxed vibe to it. And high heels are a no-no, as they just don’t work well with cycles and all the walking around.

The culture is quite open and forward looking. So people are quite chill about most things, and no one is bothered by what others are doing. There is also very less judgement of what others are doing and less poshness about what they are doing, unlike the UK. It’s quite ok to just be yourself and unposh. Not sure if I am explaining it the right way but people just do what they want, like take chairs and put it outside their doors on the street to enjoy the sun. No one cares how it looks. And that's very different from the UK where being proper is more common.

The downside of this though is that people are quite individualistic here, and much less considerate of others (again unlike the UK). There is a lesser sense of fair play, and I notice it most around how cyclists ride the bikes around the city. With total disregard for anyone other than themselves, flouting all rules to get ahead (It felt like only expats and tourists were following cycling rules!). As well as drivers, trying to get ahead as much as they can. Unlike UK where there is more consideration for other’s comfort and convenience, and queues are so sacrosanct, I find that care and consideration missing here. The neighbours still talk to each other and help out more though, which is different than in the UK. And quite a welcome difference.

Cycling in the local forest, the Bos
 during winter

The focus on work life balance in Netherlands is unlike anything I have seen anywhere else before. There is a lot more acceptability of doing personal errands during the weekdays. Or of taking it easy when the weather is good. It somehow feels like work is an option most people “are choosing to exercise”, it’s not really a need😉. Talking about exercise, the Dutch are so active, its impressive. Everyone is always exercising it looks like! Running, boating, doing water activities and so on. It has inspired me to start exercising a lot more too.

Things can be quite bureaucratic in Netherlands especially with processes linked to the government. You must register at multiple places before you can start living here. And submit so many documents, it feels like there is no privacy possible from the government. There is too much paperwork involved for the first few months, really too much. There are also too many rules everywhere and they are followed to the T even if they don’t make sense. Which is a bit of a surprise as the Dutch don’t believe in following many rules themselves😊. I saw this everywhere, around driving, cycling, lockdown rules etc.. So I guess all the roles are mostly for the expats!

Almost everyone speaks English, so that is helpful if you are an expat. And the best part is, they are open to speaking in English (unlike the French!). That being said, Dutch is still the official language, and all written and automated communication is still in Dutch. For example, local and government websites, local apps, emails from utilities, housing contracts, packaging and instructions on everything in the supermarkets, road signs, letters from the government and so on are all in Dutch. So it is not easy to get by without knowing Dutch thought definitely possible. (I must say though, kudos to Google translate for having developed such an awesome app – it is a life safer, really!)

There are some other typical Dutch characteristics that I can vouch for, and some not. The Dutch are supposed to be direct, but I don’t believe it. In my experience, I haven’t seen everyone always say what they really mean. Though they do love to complain, so then of course it’s all communicated directly. And going Dutch is really a thing😊. They do love to split the bill, accurately! And for that, they have their very own Dutch app, called Tikki. Which can do the splitting and transfer of money extremely conveniently. And the last thing, they really do eat early dinners. Like at 6pm. This is followed quite commonly and is something I find tougher to get used to.

Vondelpark in spring

Cycling and cyclists are quite the soul of Amsterdam. Everyone cycles. Everywhere. All the time. There are separate paths for cyclists, on both sides of the road. Sometimes wider than the car roads even😊. And there are separate traffic lights for cyclists – the whole infrastructure is setup to provide enough space and convenience to being a cyclist. A lot of people buy bakfiets, which are special cycles with space in front for children to sit. As a lot of parents pick and drop their children in those family cycles. That is a scene I haven’t seen much earlier. Also the cyclists in Amsterdam don’t wear helmets as its not considered the norm or needed to wear one. Which is found quite suprising. Overall cycling is quite convenient in the city.

Cycling in the countryside,
10 mins from Amsterdam

Can’t say the same about cyclists though. They apparently own the roads in Netherlands but are not a nice bunch I must say. They are the ones to be most careful of on the roads, not the cars. If a pedestrian is on the cycling path, be prepared to be told off quite rudely. Cyclists themselves though don’t follow a lot of the rules – like stopping for red lights, only sticking to the cycling lanes and so on. Also overtaking and trying to get ahead is quite common. And racers are quite aggressive with city bikers especially when in the countryside. I really find this behaviour quite bothersome, and so different from the UK. This isn’t something that I will get used to soon, I think. And would be nice if this was a bit different too.

Also given how safe the city is, one kind of crime is quite rampant - cycle theft. Locals suggest buying cheap bikes but spend 3 times that amount on buying strong locks! Cycles are stolen so regularly, that it’s not even reported to the police. And lot of them find their way into the canals, wonder how. So people buy multiple bikes. Cheaper city bikes for biking in the city which can be parked anywhere, and more expensive ones for longer range cycling which are kept safely inside.

The roads especially in the Centrum are quite narrow but support different means of transport - trams, cars, pedestrians, covered "scooters" (they look like half cars) and cyclists (along with boats in the canals), with the cyclists ruling the road and being the most aggressive. Driving on the centrum roads is something I still haven’t tried; it feels so daunting. But one day surely, I will try it.

The Rijksmuseum, in spring

Summer is a popular time for lots of events to happen in Amsterdam. Everyone is out in the boats enjoying the sun. Or sitting at terraces (it’s a name for restaurants which have outside sitting). To be honest, terraces are just restaurants keeping chairs outside on the pavement or next to the canals, right on the road with cyclists and cars moving next to them. But still its something everyone enjoys a lot. Something unique that I saw here was that lot of people just take their chairs and tables and keep them outside their doors on the pavement, sitting there and just enjoying the sun. They really don’t have any hesitation in doing something like this. I love that!

In addition, during summer there are loads of festivals happening all over the country. Last year they didn’t take place given the lockdown, but apparently they are quite a highlight in the calendar. But there are smaller events happening within Amsterdam too during summer. One day, I saw a theatre performance happening inside a shop window on the street, with people standing outside and watching it. And another day, some children were dancing to Spanish music in a restaurant on one of the sunny afternoons. Basically in summer, anything goes 😊.

In the first few months in Amsterdam, there were some more interesting quirks I noticed around me. Which made me laugh, or say 'are you kidding me?' Am listing a few here:

• Bank accounts in Netherlands are not free, plus they pay 0 interest. And if you have cash beyond a certain amount in your account, you need to pay an interest rate to the bank! Plus there are no free bank accounts, credit cards etc.. You need to pay for everything, which is a first for me.
• Also supermarkets and smaller shops in Netherlands only accept local Maestro cards; global cards like Visa and Mastercard are not accepted (in this day and age!). So as convenient the payment system is, it works well only if you are a resident of the country.
• Taxes are super high in Netherlands. Still I was surprised to know that healthcare is not free in the country. You must buy expensive insurance even after paying all the taxes, to take care of your health. So it’s not as all like in the UK where you have the NHS for free.
• Apparently the Dutch are one of the most heavily insured countries. There is insurance for everything and anything. And people actually buy all those types of insurances, especially the third-party liability one. Everyone told me to definitely buy that. It protects you from things like if you visit someone and drop drinks on the carpet or couch, just exchange the insurance numbers and you are done!
• Netherlands has been an open minded country from the beginning, preferring the republic to monarchy, and being independent often. And apparently for Amsterdam trade has been the biggest religion forever, not really real religion. Also supposedly nationalism is low in NL but I didn't feel that. I think the Dutch are quite proud of their country.
• Processes in Netherlands are quite bureaucratic. I don't even remember the number of times, I had to fill up forms for so many things or filled the wrong form because there were multiple versions of the same form online, or had to call multiple numbers to get some information. Things were not clear a lot of times, and a different person on the government customer care line would give a different answer than another one! I found it quite surprising to be honest to see how things work here sometimes.
• Finding good housing (rental or sale) is extremely tough in Amsterdam. Prices have been skyrocketing for a few years now, mostly driven by expats. Places are bid for and go 20-30% above the bid price. And this is when a lot of the houses in central are so small, stuffy and old. They have narrow staircases, less space and so on. Its tough to find good houses in Amsterdam. But they still go at a high price! It’s a supply demand problem at a completely different level to what I have seen elsewhere.
• There was no lockdown in Netherlands during the first wave. And even during the second wave, all there was, was a night curfew which led to serious rioting as the Dutch thought this was like taking away their freedom. Most people were not wearing masks even in 2021 summer, and just did not care. This laxness felt very different from London for sure 
• Even though for tourists, Amsterdam stands for weed and red-light areas, the locals don’t talk about it much. Like at all. Maybe because it’s just there and been there always, its lost any of its appeal.
• There are multiple red-light streets in the city. While walking on a normal street, you can suddenly come across a few red lined windows, and then back to restaurants with people sitting outside in the sun and enjoying a nice brunch. It was quite jarring to see how streets change so quickly.
• Netherlands is not a religious country anymore, lot of people are atheists. So a lot of the grand churches in the city have been turned into non-religious places. In fact, the two biggest churches in Amsterdam, Oudekerk and Nieuwekerk have now been transformed into exhibition venues.
• There are loads of museums in the city – the Dutch love their museums a lot. There must be 100s of them, big and small in the city. But these are also tucked away along the streets, and it’s very easy to miss them most of the times.
• Netherlands has its own types of bikes where the brake is in the pedal!!! A lot of people own those, as do the rentals. I was like, really? Why make them so different?
• Dutch food doesn’t have a lot of dishes. As the Dutch were primarily farmers for a long time, their food is quite simple. As are their habits and customs, as they were all farmers earlier and led simpler lives.
• The sun is as revered here as much as in the UK. The days the sun was out, everyone was out (even if it was a weekday). And the Saturday when it was cloudy, everyone was inside 😁).

And so the journey continues for me. Each day is about finding something new, something different about this city. And it’s quite a fun experience. I am very impressed with Amsterdam and enjoy it a lot – it’s a lovely place, with a lot to offer – small town living, relaxed lifestyle and nature close by. Totally a place to live.