Amsterdam : City of the Lowlands

There are some countries that tend to achieve more than what they are entitled to by dint of sheer grit and genius. The Netherlands is one such country. Lying on the northwestern lowlands of Europe the Dutch overcame their geographic hindrance and went onto establish one of the earliest modern republics, build an empire, define a new motif of Renaissance art, and most recently consistently produce world-beating Football and Hockey teams. It is to this great European country i bustle into on my Eurotrip and first up is its Capital Amsterdam!

July 2, 2011, Saturday

The Plane makes a nervous and bumpy landing on the runway at the Schipol airport. Just as well, as it wakes up my fellow travelers who have got into a slumber on this early morning flight. The landing notwithstanding it seemed to be a particularly nice morning in the Dutch capital however the fickleness of the Dutch weather keeps my happiness in check as i eventually find out later on.

The Schipol airport is one of the biggest airports in the world and as i walk towards the exit its size is quite telling on the feet. After what seemed like an eternity im finally out of the airport and onto a bus bound to a suburb of the Capital called Amstelveen. The climate seems to be a touch cold and for the first time the Gothenburg i left behind seems quite warm. However the scenes outside resemble that of back home in Sweden. Orderly roads, neatly trimmed greenery, laid back wondering people and generally an air of calmness giving one a feeling that everything's alright with the world. After a short bus ride i arrive in Amstelveen and the suburb seems to be still waking up from the previous night's revelry quite oblivious to my arrival. After a quick fresh-up it was time to jump into the great city.

I hop onto a tram bound to the city center and am filled to the brim with expectations. My earliest memories of the Netherlands was not surprisingly related to the arena of sports - Football specifically. Back in the early 90s i was still a wide-eyed boy in one of the most prestigious schools in Bangalore. I had just come from one of the smaller primary schools and most things looked alien to me - the books, the big movie screens showing cartoons, the funny language and a strange game played with the feet. Football was the obsession in the school and my first attempt at it was quite disastrous for my team as i innocently caught the ball in my hand displaying great agility only to result in a penalty kick for the opposing team! The bad start notwithstanding i grew a fascination for this game and one of the first superstars i came to know was in fact Dutch. This was the entertaining Dutch Footballer Ruud Gullet and at that time he was part of the all conquering AC Milan side. I was as much impressed by his football as by his long mane and dashing red and black AC Milan jersey. I remember collecting his sport cards and reading that he is from 'Netherlands' wondering where it was. Lo and behold twenty years later i'm in Gullet's country!

The tram had moved on without being bothered by my little flashback and was entering the city. For a city mostly on water and joined by canals the roads looked quite wide. One road was infact named after the great classical maestro Beethovan, not sure what connection he had with the city but it was another example of genius transcending space and time. Here was a German musician being honored in a Dutch city which goes to show the broad mindedness of the Dutch too and Europeans in general. In fact Nationalism is a tricky subject for the Dutch. Since the time they suffered at the hands of the highly nationalistic Germans the Dutch have always been wary of the threats of nationalism and hence have kept it at a safe distance in the national discourse and the attitude has been that of Internationalism rather than Nationalism. And this road named after Beethovan is a great example of this Dutch progressive Internationalism.

As i entered the city the first place set for the visit was the famous Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum is one of the great museums of the world and has the best collection of Dutch art in the world. It is located in the MuseumPlien area of the city which consists of a beautiful garden in the middle with the Rijksmuseum at one end and the National opera on the other. The remaining sides are filled with other famous museums including the Van Gogh museum.

The Rijskmuseum is housed in a magnificent neo-gothic building which is as beautiful as it is huge. Unfortunately the museum has been in renovation for sometime now which is slated to end in 2013. Fortunately however all the major art works are assembled in a small part of the museum building called the Phillip's wing. Entering the Philip's wing is like jumping into an ocean of Dutch art.

Although much of Dutch art was Renaissance in style it was completely different from the Renaissance style of the Italians. While Italian Renaissance art dealt with more religious subjects with some interplay with characters and motifs from Classical Greece, the Dutch departed markedly. The Dutch Renaissance art on the other hand was more secular and dealt with such subjects as portraits, still life and paintings of everyday village life. This difference can be traced to the religious backgrounds of these two countries. While Italy steeped in Roman Catholicism got its inspiration from the Bible the fiercely Protestant Dutch got their inspiration from the secular everyday world around them. Hence over the years Dutch art developed its own niche and became a different branch of Renaissance art altogether.

As i walk through room after room of the Museum the collections bewilder me. The paintings are from the legendary 'Golden age' of Dutch art which was in the 16th century. The 16th Century was really the Netherland's greatest century. At the start of the century they were ruled by Spain which was in turn was controlled by the Hapsburgs. However the Dutch waged a valiant freedom struggle and managed to overthrow them and establish a republic. What is amazing is that this was still a full hundred years before the French revolution and was one of the first republics in the modern world. During the century the Dutch not only freed themselves but went onto colonize the world. They even came to India but were thwarted by the British and French. However they moved further east and colonized the Indonesian archipelago. Its the ultimate irony isn't it, the Dutch did not have qualms about snatching the freedom of another people right after they got theirs!

Since the Dutch had just attained their freedom from Spanish rule they were filled with creative energy like any new republic. Also the colonization had resulted in a mercantile boom which had made the Netherlands the most prosperous country in Europe and had resulted in the creation of a wealthy merchant class who were willing patrons to the many artists. For the first time in feudal Europe there was a class which was not from the aristocracy or the clergy and was still rich enough to fund art. This fact was evident in the kind of art that was commissioned. Instead of the religious art these merchants preferred art forms taking the shape of portraits, still art and depictions of everyday life. In a way Dutch art was trying to elevate everyday life into the realm of the larger-than-life and almost the divine. In Italy exactly the opposite was happening where the path breaking artists there were trying to give a sense of reality to the paintings of Gods and saints.

During the 'Golden age' the Dutch were lucky to have a group of artists whose mastery has been barely touched let alone surpassed. Artists such as Rembrandt, Frans Hal, Vermeer and many others introduced a new dimension to European art. As i browsed through their paintings i was mesmerized by the attention to detail that these masters displayed. I was particularly impressed by the paintings of Vermeer. He left behind a very small collection of paintings but each of them is a gem. His most famous painting in the museum is titled the 'Milkmaid' and depicts a young woman pouring a jug of milk into a bowl. Such a mundane act is elevated to the point of divine by the artist as you can almost see the milk being poured and filling up the bowl. The painting also shows his mastery over light as the painting also shows a window from where light enters and illuminates the setting. The way in which this light is distributed over the painting is a work of genius, you can almost be excused for thinking of it as a photo taken from a camera! This is what Dutch art was all about, it was a celebration of the everyday life and even i started to think the significance of the mundane in our lives. Maybe that's a lesson for us from these great artists to not neglect the everyday life but to enjoy it as even it is special.

It was mid-afternoon by the time i came out of the museum and the weather had turned a bit cloudy and threatening even. From the Museum i made my way into the heart of the old city. Along the way i passed the famous Vondel park which is the most famous green space in the city. After a short walk i came to the central square of the city called the 'Dam Square'. It was a beatiful square filled to the brim with people. It consisted of the Royal palace on the one side and the Nieuve Kerke or the New Church on its side. Opposite to the church was the famous wax museum of Madam Tussauds and opposite to the Royal palace was the National monument which was erected in memory of the sacrifices of the Dutch people during the second world war.

The Netherlands as everyone knows is one of the most liberal countries in the world. However they take this progressiveness to its extreme, in a way they are the mirror image of a highly conservative country like Saudi Arabia but on the other side of the spectrum. Its an extremely liberal society where such things as Sale of 'soft' drugs such as Marijuana is legal and are infact sold in the euphemistically named 'Coffee shops'. Also there is the infamous red-light district where prostitution is legal. The Dutch argument however is that these are societal evils that happen despite the strictest laws, hence by legalizing them they can regulate them and earn extra revenue instead of criminalizing them which they say does not wipe away the evils anyway. The counter argument would be that legalizing these activities might induce innocents to fall prey to them who would not have indulged in them if they were deemed illegal. The jury is still out on these highly liberal Dutch moves even as other countries including the US mull over following suit. However the Dutch are comfortable with it and only time will tell.

From the Dam square i took the central street of the city called the Damrak which ended at the Central railway station. Here i decided to take a cruise through the magnificent canals of the city.

Amsterdam is made special because of the water that covers it. In fact the city derives its name from the river Amstel that envelopes it and cuts through the city in the form of various canals. Most of the canals are man made and were constructed to join the city to the North sea thereby building Amsterdam as a major trading city. The canal system is brilliantly constructed and is made up of three principle canals - the Herengracht or the gentlemen's canal, the Keizersgracht or the Emperor's canal and the Prinsengracht or the Prince's canal. Each of these canals is unique and offers a different facet of the city. Here too one can sense the Dutch bias for progressiveness as one out of the three canals - the Herengracht - is named after the regents of the republic who ruled the city! The Canals provide a great view of the city with the water giving a splendid backdrop to the city's various buildings. No wonder they call Amsterdam the Venice of North i thought. As i had been to Venice before i could see why it was called so. It had a striking resemblance to the Italian city although Amsterdam was much bigger in size comparatively.

Water though has had a great role to play not only in Amsterdam but also in Dutch history. The name Netherlands infact means the 'Lowlands' and it was named so for the reason that almost half of the country is below sea level. This fact is almost unbelievable as in many coastal areas of the country one has to go up a staircase to go to the sea! The Dutch have been able to resist the sea by building dykes and also through the windmills that pump out the water from the mainland back into the sea. No wonder the windmills are such a symbol of the Netherlands!

The cruise also passed the famous bicycle parking lot of the city which is near the railway station. To my amazement the parking lot was huge. In fact it was three-tired and each tire was packed with cycles and the entire lot must have consisted of atleast a thousand cycles. How anyone can find his cycle in this parking jungle confounded me. The bicycle is probably the most ubiquitous object in the Netherlands, apparently there are more bicycles in the country than people. In fact i think it could be argued that the bicycle could be a better symbol of the Netherlands than the windmills. In a way it represents the Dutch progressive value of equality better than anything. The bicycle rider - be it a King or pauper - is on his own. Its man and machine together fighting against the force of gravity. Gravity neither cares nor gives concession to the rider whatever his status maybe. What could be more egalitarian than the bicycle i mused.

After getting down from the cruise i made my way to probably the most famous attraction in Amsterdam, the one i had read about when i was in school and had always dreamed of visiting.

The Anne Frank House stands on the banks of the Prinsengracht canal and is a city icon on its own. This was the house where the famous and unfortunate Anne Frank lived in hiding along with her family during the second world war. I had read the famous 'Anne Frank diary' when i was in school and always imagined what it was like to live in such an unreal and dangerous atmosphere. Luckily here i was right at the house where the diary was written by Anne. It was a surreal feeling for me , one that gave me goosebumps all over again!

Legend has it that the nickname for the city of Amsterdam is Mokum which is a Hebrew word for 'safe haven'. The name came into being during the second world war when Amsterdam became a haven for the persecuted Jewish population of Europe. Anne Frank and her family too hid themselves in Amsterdam after escaping from the clutches of the Nazis from Germany. The Franks as with most Jewish families ran a prosperous business until the ghost of Holocaust started to haunt them. Once they fled to Amsterdam they felt as if they had escaped the torment. However within months Hitler declared the second world war and subsequently occupied the Netherlands and with it the Franks safe haven came under threat. In order to escape the Nazi persecution the Franks decided to build a hideout in the attic of their house and thus hid from the infamous Nazi Gestapo. However their story had a tragic ending as the Gestapo were eventually tipped off by an anonymous caller and thus the Franks were captured and sent to various concentration camps. Anne Frank herself was sent to the camp at Bergen-Belsen where she died of Typhus. However her father Otto Frank survived and when he came back to his former home in Amsterdam found the diary that Anne had written during the time of hiding. Upon publishing the diary as a book it became an overnight sensation as it voiced the tragedy that was the Holocaust. Millions of people around the world learnt about this human tragedy coming from the pen of a teenage girl.

As i was still thinking about the tragic life of Anne the long line had snaked into the premises of the house. Since it was a regular house the number of people entering was restricted and so i had to wait for a while for my turn. There were several booklets there informing one of the life of Anne but interestingly there was a booklet in Hebrew which was quite apt i thought. As i entered the house it was one of the most moving experiences i had ever had. The house was described at each step by using words from Anne's own diary and this made the effect so much more deeper. I could almost feel as if Anne was talking to me and walking me through her house describing in painful detail the ordeal she had to go through.

The lower rooms of the house was where the Frank business was and they are preserved the way they were during the Franks' time. The story of the family right from its origins in Germany to their flight to Amsterdam to their hiding to their tragic end was described very touchingly. I was also informed how during their hiding some of their Dutch friends and colleagues had helped them out. This was really interesting because it showed the dual character of humanity where it is as capable of doing evil as it is of showing love and mercy.

As i moved to the higher rooms the staircase became smaller and smaller and finally when i reached the attic it was narrow enough just for a single person to pass through. The Attic was where the Franks hid by constructing a hide out behind the psedo walls. The hide out is hidden behind a large bookshelf which was a red herring that opened into the hide out. The hideout consisted of a couple of rooms, one for Mr and Mrs Frank and the other for Anne and her sister. The windows were sealed off from the outside world with black curtains and it was strictly forbidden to open the curtains during the day time. The facilities were very basic as can be imagined and one could almost feel for the Franks' plight. Amazingly the house also showcased some of the pages of Anne's diary. They were written in beautiful cursive handwriting in German and described the feelings of young Anne in captivity. One got a feeling that Anne was a young girl after all and yearned for the life of a young girl of going out into the outside world, to ride a bicycle, to hear the birds sing. Alas the world is a less than perfect place and such was the tragedy of Anne's life that you almost felt a sense of pain inside you. If anything Anne's diary shows us the power of the written word, the way it can outlive its creator and influence people across different countries and languages even beyond the imagination of the creator himself.

As i exited the House i felt how important such places are to us even after so many years have passed. Although bad memories should be wiped away it helps to keep some alive in order to remind us of the evil that was done. This will prevent us hopefully from committing such evil acts in the future. In fact i think we should have similar things in India. We could have similar memorials for the victims of past riots in Bombay and Gujarat where the victim's side of the story, their pain and suffering is portrayed. This will at least make people realize the horrors of a riot and the next time a politician incites them they would think twice before they join the mob.

On my way back to my place though i saw a very interesting sight. A young girl in her teens boarded my bus with a hockey stick in hand! It was incredible to see our National game being played and followed here in Europe. Although this puzzled me initially i reminded myself that hockey was one of the more popular sports in Netherlands and in fact the Netherlands were the best team in hockey today surpassing the great Indian teams of the mid 20th century. A hockey stick in a Dutch girl's hand, that is one sight from Europe that i would never forget!

With that the day came to an end and thus ended my trip of this great city. A city which showed me amazing beauty as well as poignancy and i am ever the more lucky to have visited this great city.