After a refreshing seven-hour sleep, Day Three started at around 7:00 AM with a hotel breakfast. We then once again returned to Amsterdam Centraal Station, where we boarded a boat docked at the mouth of the Amstel River (directly infront of Amsterdam Centraal Station). We were then taken on an in-depth historical tour of Amsterdam via the canal network, where we were able to view the city from a unique persepctive. Following that, we briefly split off into groups, and I was able to visit a Dutch supermarket. We then once again congregated at the entrance to Amsterdam Centraal Station, from which we split into two groups based on sex. While the men were taken on another fascinating and historical tour, this time of the red-light district specifically, and got to explore Zeedijk street, the women group did a chocolate-tasting activity at Cacao & Spice. The two groups then switched activities. The day ended early around 7:30, with a boys’ dinner at Casa Del Toro and a tram ride back to Sloterdijke.
An interesting part of Amsterdam’s history that I learned more about today was its deep historical connections to my home area of New York City. It’s a well-known fact that the original name for New York was New Amsterdam, named as such because it was first settled by the Dutch. The British eventually pushed the Dutch out and renamed the city New York, after the city of York in northern England. However, Dutch influence in New York did not end there. In fact, the very design of Lower Manhattan (the area of New York City first settled by the Dutch) once strongly resembled Amsterdam, with a series of canals and docks allowing for easy boat access (Canal St. was once an actual canal). Additionally, I discovered that Henry Hudson, which is also a name immediately recognizable to anyone from New York & New Jersey, is an important historical figure in Amsterdam. The Weeping Tower near the former docks of Amsterdam features a plaque commemorating Henry Hudson’s expeditions to North America, and untimately his role in establishing New York City as it is today.
Another observation that I made today, completely unrelated to the canals, was the price of groceries in the Netherlands. I briefly mentioned earlier that a small group of us had shopped at a small supermarket along the edge of the Oosterdok (Eastern Dock) to find something to eat for lunch. Straight away, this supermarket felt much more modern and advanced than many supermarkets in the United States. While its facade made it seem small in size, it went quite far back, and the selection of goods was remarkable. However, the most shocking thing about the supermarket was the cost of goods. After eating expensive resturant food the previous day, it was a shock to see just how affordable many groceries were. I ended up walking out of the store with a two-pack of large avacado sushi rolls, a 240ml can of Lemon Fanta (which is disappointingly not available in the US), and a bottle of Evian water for only about €6,00. I worked for Instacart last summer and shopped for groceries on behalf of customers, and I could tell that same meal would have easily cost more than $10 in an American grocery store. After talking about it with other people, we guessed that it came down to the fact that residents of the Netherlands are taxed significantly more than Americans (around ~50% of income in NL vs. ~25% of income in the US), which leads to a lower cost of essential goods like groceries in the Netherlands when compared to the United States.
This has been another thought-provoking day in Amsterdam, and the two tours we received were truly fascinating. I am excited for the tulip farm vand flower market visits on Day Four.