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International Marketing Study Program 2007
Amsterdam
17th - 19th January 2007
The first few hours in Amsterdam were full of local Dutch culture. It began with a windy walking tour led by a very funny Dutch man by the name of Roland. His English was quite good, but a few slight misinterpretations led to much laughter. He led us through the many streets and canals of Amsterdam, where we were shown the skinniest house in the city- only 1 metre wide!! Also noted was some original Dutch architecture, as well as many churches and historical sites. By far the most interesting aspect of this tour was Roland’s insight into the “legalised” activities of Amsterdam. Beginning in the Red Light District, where at 6pm not many ladies had ‘clocked on’ yet, we were shown the alley of ‘beautiful women,’ where we could return later on to find the most glamorous ladies in the city. After further investigation it was found that in our opinion these ladies did not exist, it was really all much of the same. After this Roland informed us of the activities going on in the local coffee shops. He also said that while Marijuana was tolerated “harder drugs” were not, and the authorities were quite strict about that. However “soft drugs” could be bought in “coffee shops” but he added that again the authorities would not tolerate these drugs with alcohol – altogether confusing but true!
It was here where we left Roland, and his funny Dutch phrases, to sample some of the local cuisine. Fries with mayonnaise were a popular choice, and as we soon discovered mayonnaise is the choice dressing for any dish! After the local food we all returned to our home base, some to the local steak house, others returned to China town for dinner. Despite our exhaustion, we decided to kick on after our walking tour and dinner, to what other place in Amsterdam, but the Grasshopper: a 3 level “coffee shop”, restaurant and bar. But don’t worry mums, dads and future employers, the group strictly stuck to one level: drinking only. Finally after a leisurely stroll through the red light district again (the shock had already worn off) through to our hotel we were in bed, unawares of the day that awaited us
Despite storm warnings broadcasted, for some reason the MIMSP 2007 team didn’t feel that we had to pay attention, probably because we are from Australia, we are students and we are invincible…. However, you would have thought that the many flying branches, crushed houseboats, smashed car windows, shutdown transport system and the need to dodge flying cardboard boxes would have signalled for us to stay indoors! It wasn’t until we saw an hour feature on the news of many serious injuries and even fatalities across Europe that we realised the seriousness. Unfortunately our visit to Nike Europe headquarters was to be by train, and with none in action, we had to make do with the hotel conference room. Christy Kilmartin impromptu visit was much appreciated and very informative.
Maybe it was because we only had 2 nights in this uninhibited city, but no gale forced winds almost blowing us off our feet and into the many canals was going to deter the group from getting to such sites as the Anne Frank house, Madame Taussaud’s or the Van Gogh Museum. Further, if we had not ventured out bravely, we all would have missed out on the delicious and famous huge Dutch Pancakes (we recommend the spinach and ricotta as well as chicken, cheese and tomato, with the banana option to ‘top off on’). With some students getting to experiencing quite an adventurous day, chasing lip gloss tub lids in the wind for meters until it found the river and rescuing (holding in laughter) when one of the hundreds of cyclists (more bikes than double the population) met the cobblestone pavement in a gust of wind.
To finish off a crazy day, a few students decided to have a very “interesting” experience at the famous Amsterdam ‘Escape’: a huge electro dance club; unfortunately for some, like many other venues, is was 75% male, with interesting characters and scenes in breathtaking surroundings…. a description that almost sums up Amsterdam.
Alana and Marni
Airport |
Dinner, First night in Amsterdam |
Drinks at the Grasshopper |
Walking tour |
Karl in search for his favourite monument |
Ian and his favourite store |
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