LIZ SAYS: My balance seems to find itself, regardless of me. Today, I am speeding back to Paris for all the Mediterranean, sunny, soft, fluffy, kissy kissy, poo poo. A week ago, I was speeding toward Amsterdam for no nonsense, in your face matter of fact industriousness. Amsterdam's canals, made for business more than pleasure are treated like the business routes they are. The locals may cruise them like high school boys on weekends. Turning the boats into techno pads or booming rock floats,woo woo, yeah, yeah, but its the tourists who notice how special the canals really are. Photographing the serene floats for more water fowl than Paris, but the soft green parks and jewel toned flowers are pulling my senses back towards mon Paris (Paree). The Seine is a beautiful reason to build spectacular bridges honoring all that is France and beauty, but mostly France. After all, monsieur, is not Paris the center of culture and beauty? (The answer is 'Yes', by the way.) And, while they are at it, put a few parks along the river and celebrate summer with a beach scene. Paris offers benches everywhere, sitting, watching and reading is a respectable pastime, not to mention walking the streets nibbling on your stick (baguette) or chowing down on a mondo sandwich whilst walking or sitting on a bench. Amsterdam, you get a hard seat canal side, if you want to carve it out for yourself. There is a bench every now and again, just to make an exception to prove the rule. Amsterdamers don't eat on the streets as much, save for the occasional tourist with the obligatory frites and mayo. Everyone drinks everything all the time in both places, but it's a little tacky or low rent. After all, both places are full of pleasant, welcoming places to eat and munch. The French let you hang forever. The Dutch want to know what you want next or if you are finished. In Paris the waiter or waitress will feign tears if you don't clean your plate, in Amsterdam it's an American burger joint,"You done?" Maybe its because I am American that I understand the Dutch so well and appreciate the Parisienne approach so much. Amsterdamers seem sort of cold and distant at first, but as soon as you talk to someone, they are usually delightfully friendly, even if the language is a bit stiff sounding. A lot of the action there may seem like roaming frat parties, if you only stay in the no nonsense partying part of the city. But, there really are charming areas with calm canals and streets and cafes for people watching and chatting. WiFi is not so common in Amsterdam , so one is less likely to see a person working in a cafe with a stained espresso cup next to them. In Amsterdam, you work in an office. In Paris, all the parks have free WiFi, and most cafes do too, so people work everywhere. Its common to see a woman working on her piece work, sewing, next to a suit with a laptop, while giggly girls text each other assuring each other nonstop, while a group or family lying in the grass eating their boulangerie lunches. Rain in Amsterdam is a given, one just presses on prepared or not, its not about the look. Tourists wear hastily purchased plastic raincoats and umbrellas with Amsterdam's three black X's on them. In Paris, but, of course it rains, so you pick your perfect rain shoes, either hippie, Anglo Saxon wellies or something cute and shiny with a bow. And then, there are the frilly umbrellas, which I found the cost an outrageous, and ghastly expensive! And little dogs with rain coats, and everyone gabbing on their phones to someone else walking in the rain a few streets away.
Leaving Paris' Gare de Nord, the beggars descended on the taxi like pigeons on a frite. Amsterdam Centraal is a mass confusing tangle of keeping your hand on your wallet while watching out for the tram tracks and people looking for a clue, with the Dutch boldly weaving their way through with a ding, ding of their tyrannical bike bell. At the moment, I can't imagine life without either city. As soon as I hit Amsterdam, I'm ready to write. As soon as I hit Paris I'm ready to live in the warren of manners and language, traffic rules you obey and rules you ignore, and kisses on both cheeks. Sent from my iPad
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