16 TRAVEL
Going Dutch Varun Khanna Deputy Travel Editor
Okay, so there I was, standing in the airport with a couple of friends, and we had just missed our flight to Amsterdam. Our friend, who had left earlier was already over there waiting for us. Our two-day weekend with the Dutch was in jeopardy of ending before it had ever left the ground. This was disastrous, perhaps the worst thing that could happen. My world was falling apart. I, ladies and gentlemen, was freaking out. I had a plan for Amsterdam: peruse the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in the aptly named Museum Quarter, take a gander at Anne Frank’s House, visit the infamous Red Light District and the legendary coffee shops I kept hearing about, and enjoy the wonderful food, pubs, and people. I am usually not one to go on trips without a clear itinerary, or at least a loose plan of what I want to do. For me “the plan” consisted largely of museums, which is not necessarily for everyone, but it was my reason for going. Clearly, this was not going to happen now. But my arm was twisted, and we decided to shell out the extra cash for the next flight and try to salvage the trip. This was unfortunately the next morning, leaving us a day and a night to enjoy the city. I was a little crestfall-
lar activity. In fact, when I look back, most of our day consisted of walking around the city, rather than actually doing anything. We were only there for a painfully short time, and the plan, as it was, lay in ruins. I knew, when we decided to continue to Amsterdam after missing the first flight, that we we wouldn’t be getting much done. And therein lay the beauty of the trip: completely relaxed, without any pressures to “get things done” and see everything on a list, we were able to truly enjoy the beauty of Amsterdam. After some wonderful waffles at a loc a l eatery, we finally met up with our lost compatriot, and st a r te d our
travel@trinitynews.ie
After the harrowing realisation of a plan gone awry, Varun Khanna discovered the benefits of a trip to Amsterdam without an itinerary walking tour of Amsterdam. What you find is that Amsterdam, though beautiful, is physically small, which is perfect for the wanderer. Whether you choose to walk or adopt the bike as your preferred mode of travel, as most Amsterdammers do, you can travel most of Amsterdam in a day. It’s easy to take advantage of the plethora of cafés, wonderful architecture, and beautiful concentric rings of canals. We made our way to the Museumplein for a nice stroll, and it is a great destination for all visitors. It’s an open park right behind the Rijksmuseum, with three other museums surrounding it (the Van Gogh, Diamond, and Stedelijk Museums), and on the other side a concert hall called Concertgebouw that
should draw all the classical music lovers with reasonable prices. It is also a wonderful spot for those delightfully clichéd photos: the IAMSTERDAM letters are located here, and depending on when you go, the Museumplein boasts an outdoor ice rink (doubling as pond in the summer), and a skate ramp. Not too far away is the even larger Vondelpark, which hosts free open-air theatre in the summer months. All in all, whether you like to throw a Frisbee around, have a picnic, see a concert, or whatever your cup of tea, it is highly likely you can do it here. Now we were hungry, so we went strolling around, on the hunt for good eats. And boy did we h a v e options, among t h e
“Sleep was no longer an option. It was messy, I won’t lie to you. It was very messy.” en, I will admit. What were we to do in the intervening period? Bemoan our collective misfortune at missing our flight because someone (not I, of course) had forgotten their passport on the way out, costing us precious time? No. We decided to head back home, and find ourselves a party (or maybe three) to get ourselves appropriately pumped for a very hectic weekend. Sleep was no longer an option. It was messy, I won’t lie to you. It was very messy. The important bit is that we made it to the airport on time. Despite an arduous and almost unbearable flight – alcohol and flying, not such a good idea – we soon found ourselves in Schiphol Airport bright and early at 7am. Schiphol is an incredible airport, and you find yourselves rapidly processed and ready to board a train to take you to the city. After a short train ride and a shorter yet tram ride, we were in the city centre. We had made it. Finally. What followed was a day of fond memories, and not for any particu-
MUSEUMS NOT TO BE MISSED IN AMSTERDAM • Van Gogh Museum: houses 200 paintings and 550 sketches by Van Gogh as well as hundreds of the artist’s letters • Flourescent Art Musuem: Also known as the Electric Ladyland in honour of the Jimmi Hendrix album, this museum exhibits artwork
created with (you guessed it) flourescent materials and minerals. • Amsterdam Tulip Museum: located across from the Anne Frank House museum, visitors can learn about the history of the tulip or purchase rare tulip bulbs at the gift shop
most bizarre was a vending machinelike food chain, where you insert coins, and a glass window opens to offer you a cheeseburger or hot dog or even a deepfriend chicken burger. While I was not nearly brave enough to test the food, one of us was. Strangely enough, the
“Whether you choose to walk or adopt the bike as your preferred mode of travel, as most Amsterdammers do, you can travel most of the city in a day. verdict was “edible” and the benefit is that these food chains are available late into the night and into the early morning. What we finally settled on was a delicious all-you-can-eat rib restaurant. It was phenomenal. An hour and a half later, after stuffing ourselves with unholy amounts of ribs for only €12, we made our way to Dam Square, the historic centre of the city. There, you will find the Royal Palace on one side and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) beside it. The National Monument that commemorates the victims of WWII lies opposite. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is nearby as well for those interested. By this time, we needed some rest, so we opted to crash at a friend’s apartment in Amsterdam. Two hours later, we were awake and slowly gearing up for the night. First stop, the infamous Red-Light District. A walk through these streets is probably something everyone should do. It was strange to say the least. Though it is completely safe, it was slightly nauseating to see the women selling themselves behind windowpanes and more so the men who enter and exit those rooms. However, as a significant part of Amsterdam, it’s worth a look. Lastly, we ended the night with a circuit of pubs and the occasional snack from a street vendor. But before you knew it, it was time to start heading back to the airport. Our day with the Dutch was up. My trip to Amsterdam contrasted greatly from the trip I had initially planned – no museums, no list of things to do, just sheer, unplanned joviality. It was relaxing, and remains one of my fonder travel memories, leaving me with the desire to return, one day, to Amsterdam. So when disaster strikes and catastrophe seems imminent, fear not. It may just end up being one of the better trips you’ve had.
Would you like a seat with your flight, M’am? What’s blue and yellow, often delayed, and costs under ten euro for a round trip? Travel editor Jimmy Lee looks at Ryanair Jimmy Lee Travel Editor
WE’VE ALL been there. Whether it’s a strike in France or a freak snowstorm, cancelled flights aren’t fun for anyone.
“When you purchase a round trip flight to Barcelona for the cost of a McDonalds Big Mac, can you really expect your flight to come with chips and a Coke?” Least of all for the customer service representatives dealing with the wrath of the merciless mob, taking their vitriol with a smile (for the first hundred people anyways).
In reality however, our anger is misguided. No one is to blame, least of all Ryanair. After all, when you purchase a round trip flight to Barcelona for the cost of a McDonalds Big Mac, can you really expect your flight to come with chips and a Coke? You are getting exactly what you paid for: terrible service, uncomfortable seating, and the reliability of a Dublin City bus. Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary, being the smart businessman he is, has never once yielded to complaints knowing that when it comes down to it, his market, like his company, is concerned with one thing only: the bottom line. You see Ryanair is a special airline in that it isn’t a real airline. Other discount airlines like Aer Lingus and Easy Jet have maintained their relatively cheapfare status, while upping the quality of
their service, fleet, and even in-flight entertainment. Ryanair on the other hand, has been trying to do its best to see just how far its loyal customers will go to save a few euro. O’Leary has even recently suggested removing co-pilots from flights in order to save costs and is also entertaining the idea of offering “standing-room
only” tickets for standard short-haul continental flights. While standingroom only tickets may in fact draw even more customers to Ryanair’s infuriating website, removing co-pilots from the cockpit may be where customers draw the line. When flights are as cheap as five euro, do you really need it knocked down to €3.49, at the expense of a pilot and someone’s crotch in your face for a few hours? I say nay. So the next time you find yourself complaining about Ryanair, swearing you’ll never fly with them again, re-
member: you did this to yourself. And more than likely, you’ll do it again, cursing their name the whole way to your gorgeous European destination. A FEW GEMS FROM THE ONE AND ONLY MICHAEL O’LEARY • “In economy no frills; in business class it’ll all be free including the blow jobs.” • “At the moment the ice is free, but if we could find a way of targeting a price on it, we would.” • “Our strategy is like WalMart: we pile it high and sell it cheap.” • “We don’t fall all over ourselves if you say, ‘My granny fell ill’. What part of ‘no refund’ don’t you understand? You are not getting a refund, so f*ck off.”
TRINITY NEWS