Today was our second full day in the Netherlands, and I really enjoyed starting the day off strong after 8 hours of sleep. In the morning, I got to try my first European breakfast before heading into Amsterdam. The breakfast choices were certainly different than the United States, and I ended up with a coffee, some sliced meats, yogurt, mini pancakes and waffles, and a boiled egg. It was a decent breakfast, and it will be interesting to see if and how the options change throughout the week.
After breakfast we headed into Amsterdam, and we got to spend our morning with the couple that runs the Cacao & Spice shop. First, the husband took us on a very interesting tour of Amsterdam, and I learned a lot. For example, Amsterdam got its name due to the dam built on the river Amstel. I bet you can now guess how Rotterdam got its name! I also learned that Amsterdam first made a lot of money from the spice trade, since people were willing to pay 2000% markups due to the belief that spices could cure the plague.
One thing that I have been noticing is that many buildings in Amsterdam have a beam with a hook at the top of the building. During our tour I learned that buildings in Amsterdam were charged taxes based on their width, so people would build narrow buildings with narrow staircases. Therefore, they needed these beams to make it easier to bring items to the top of their homes. Additionally, many buildings even lean forward to help get items to the very top without them hitting the side of the building. Finally, I learned that a lot of housing in Amsterdam is rent controlled. This allows citizens of all economic status to live together, and it promotes social sustainability and the creation of a connected society.
After our tour of Amsterdam, we went back to the Cacao & Spice shop where the wife gave us a chocolate tasting while providing details on the chocolate making process. I learned that a lot of large chocolate companies make their products far away from West Africa, despite the cacao being grown there. This adds a lot of economic and environmental friction to the process, leading to farmers getting poor wages and the environment being harmed at the same time. Fortunately, chocolate can be made sustainably if it is made near where the cacao is grown. This improves the wages of farmers and reduces the amount of travel required in the process, promoting both economic and environmental sustainability. I also learned that the shell of the cacao pod can be turned into chips, flooring, and even soup to further boost the income of farmers.
After spending time at Cacao & Spice, I enjoyed the rest of the day with a canal cruise and by exploring Amsterdam on foot. Today was another beautiful day, and I loved learning so much about Amsterdam and the chocolate making process.
