Today, I had the chance to learn more about the city of Amsterdam and really appreciate its unique charm–especially thanks to a healthy night’s sleep. We started off our day after breakfast with a chocolate tasting and walking tour of the city led by Salomé and Ian Wagenhuis, who own a chocolate shop in the old city called Cacao and Spice. Salomé, who led the chocolate tasting, led us through an assortment of single-origin, direct-trade chocolates of all varieties (milk, dark, and white) from all over the world. She explained how large-scale monoculture cacao plantations ruined soil conditions, produced poorer fruits, degraded the soil, which in turn would cause diminishing yields, and actually led to worse-tasting chocolate. Additionally, she elaborated on how exploitative the chocolate trade is and how it harms women and particularly children in the regions where cacao is grown. It was really wonderful because she had a background in nonprofit work and understood how some organizations, such as Fair Trade, don’t actually go far enough to produce meaningful change. I loved that she walked the talk too–the floor of her shop was made out of a blend of dried cacao husks, cork, and other natural materials–taking by-products of chocolate production and extracting further use from them. Additionally, the store sold bags made from the sacks used to transport cacao fruit. All the chocolate was absolutely fantastic, and it was brilliant to indulge in the luxury without feeling that your joy was coming at the cost of someone else’s suffering. I don’t think I’ll be able to buy regular chocolate again.

After the chocolate tasting, Salomé’s husband, Ian, took us on a walking tour of the old city center. One of the most interesting parts of the tour for me was his explanation of the city’s history of social policy regarding prostitution and drug use. Although Amsterdam is famous for its red light district, recent efforts have been made to shut down window brothels and replace them with local businesses owned by artisans and craftsmen, particularly run by women. This shift is helping to remove women from the sex industry and provide opportunities for economic mobility and empowerment, all while maintaining Amsterdam’s cultural identity and preventing gentrification. Additionally, the decriminalization of “soft drugs” such as cannabis and the implementation of drug rehabilitation programs have allowed for Amsterdam to greatly reduce its population of opioid addicts and make the city safer. Ian told us that the city was voted the safest city in Europe in 2019. Ian was extremely knowledgeable not just about the city’s attractions but also the city’s architecture, history, and culture. Both in the chocolate tasting and walking tour, it became clear to me how important social sustainability really is. Social issues like drug usage, prostitution, and fair trade have never really seemed to be issues of sustainability–more so moral prerogatives. However, from these two experiences, I learned how social equity is actually necessary to create societies that have stable economies, healthy populations, and ample natural resources. The city of Amsterdam has a culture that feels as old as the city is, yet also feels like it could persist for another 500 years–that is extremely powerful.

After the walking tour, my group got lunch at a Surinamese restaurant recommended by Ian, which was absolutely fantastic. Due to the Dutch colonization of Suriname, there is a significant Surinamese cultural presence in Amsterdam–the same can also be said of Indonesia. Then, we took a canal tour of the city, which explained the city’s geographical development and highlighted how wealth and class delineations helped to shape the city. It is extremely interesting how efficient the use of space is in Amsterdam, simply because any usable land had to be wrestled from the sea. This was a huge contrast compared to my hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, where suburban sprawl is the most economical option for land developers. After dinner, I explored Amstelpark, which is a large urban park South of the city center. It was an interesting park with a mix of open areas for picnickers, secluded trails through wooded areas, ponds, train tracks for an in-park train, and even a mini golf course. Personally, I would rate it just below Schenley Park–but that doesn’t diminish its beauty in any way. That’s all for today–I can’t wait to report on Royal FloraHolland, Schoonschip, and the Rijksmuseum tomorrow!