Day 9
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday was auction day for us, meaning we had a very early start. Got up and ready at 6:15am and we loaded the bus at 6:45 to go to the famous Flower Auction. Unfortunately, Ben, Luke, and Chris accidentally slept in and we couldn’t be late, so we had to leave them behind at the hotel. We eventually met up with them later in the day, but they missed a great business visit. It is the largest flower auction in the world with approximately 22 million products up for bidding. The auction was formed in 1911 by a cooperative of local growers and has expanded ever since. It is a non-profit organization that belongs to member owners (5,000 members with 3-4,000 suppliers) who seek to sell the best flowers in the best conditions at the best prices. An interesting thing about the Dutch auction is that it is backwards from an English-style auction. In other words, instead of starting low and bidding up, there is a clock ticker that starts the price high and moves down until someone bids. They do this to make the auction faster and more efficient. The buyers have to know exactly what they want to buy a product for, how many flowers they want, and the entire auction is a game of strategy to outbid the other buyers. You don’t want to wait for the price to drop too low or someone else will snatch the purchase, but you don’t want to bid too soon and pay too high a price.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday was auction day for us, meaning we had a very early start. Got up and ready at 6:15am and we loaded the bus at 6:45 to go to the famous Flower Auction. Unfortunately, Ben, Luke, and Chris accidentally slept in and we couldn’t be late, so we had to leave them behind at the hotel. We eventually met up with them later in the day, but they missed a great business visit. It is the largest flower auction in the world with approximately 22 million products up for bidding. The auction was formed in 1911 by a cooperative of local growers and has expanded ever since. It is a non-profit organization that belongs to member owners (5,000 members with 3-4,000 suppliers) who seek to sell the best flowers in the best conditions at the best prices. An interesting thing about the Dutch auction is that it is backwards from an English-style auction. In other words, instead of starting low and bidding up, there is a clock ticker that starts the price high and moves down until someone bids. They do this to make the auction faster and more efficient. The buyers have to know exactly what they want to buy a product for, how many flowers they want, and the entire auction is a game of strategy to outbid the other buyers. You don’t want to wait for the price to drop too low or someone else will snatch the purchase, but you don’t want to bid too soon and pay too high a price.
The whole thing is incredibly interesting and very complex––at least in terms of the people involved, the system itself is very clear and relatively simple to understand. But both the auctioneer and the buyers must know everything about the product beforehand in order to make the best bids and set the right prices. It is highly efficient. The auction is held Monday-Friday starting at 6am and going until the last product is sold (usually around 10 or 11am). The auction ensures quality through standard grading and inspection procedures, and guarantees product delivery within an hour and a half from the time of purchase at auction. This kind of efficiency requires the help of 10,000 employees in a building whose square meterage (1 million sq/m) is equivalent to the size of Monaco. Yeah. Monaco the country. It is soooo big.
Once we finished our tour of the flower auction (by 9am) we still had the whole day to ourselves. Luke (not in the class, but our bus driver) dropped us off in downtown Amsterdam. I fell asleep on the ride there for about fifteen minutes (I was sorry when we got there so soon). Shardae and Christina had mapped out an itinerary of a few cool things to do and see in Amsterdam so a few of us decided to go around with them. Our first stop was a boat tour along the canals through Amsterdam. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made. The boat took us through the canals in the old town which was absolutely gorgeous. It was a lot like Venice, going through canals through the city, seeing the old architecture and buildings. However, it had a distinct atmosphere and look to it that was uniquely Dutch. Beautiful. It was also one of our first warm and sunny days we’ve had in a while, so I enjoyed just sitting on a boat soaking in the sunshine and loveliness of the day in this beautiful city.
Once we finished our tour of the flower auction (by 9am) we still had the whole day to ourselves. Luke (not in the class, but our bus driver) dropped us off in downtown Amsterdam. I fell asleep on the ride there for about fifteen minutes (I was sorry when we got there so soon). Shardae and Christina had mapped out an itinerary of a few cool things to do and see in Amsterdam so a few of us decided to go around with them. Our first stop was a boat tour along the canals through Amsterdam. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made. The boat took us through the canals in the old town which was absolutely gorgeous. It was a lot like Venice, going through canals through the city, seeing the old architecture and buildings. However, it had a distinct atmosphere and look to it that was uniquely Dutch. Beautiful. It was also one of our first warm and sunny days we’ve had in a while, so I enjoyed just sitting on a boat soaking in the sunshine and loveliness of the day in this beautiful city.
After the boat tour, we walked down a street in the famed Red Light District. But there wasn’t much to see. I guess the area has become pretty touristy and is more of a historic area now (at least in the day), so it wasn’t sketchy at all. We stopped on our way back to get some souvenirs (I bought another license plate to go along with my ones from France last year).
We then walked through the town over to the Anne Frank House around one o’clock to meet the rest of the class. We arrived a little early so I bought some more souvenirs in a shop on the corner (they’re gifts for my family though so I won’t disclose what they are and leave it as a surprise). We sat and waited for our tour for another fifteen minutes along the banks of the river. Then we went through the Anne Frank House.
It was an interesting experience. I was able to walk through all the rooms where she and her family hid, watch an interview filmed of Anne’s father relating his experiences, and I even saw the original diaries and manuscripts that Anne wrote on. Going to places like this can be difficult for me to relate to. I read Anne Frank’s Diary, I have studied the history behind World War II etc. but when I was finally at her very own house that I’ve read about and learned about for so many years, it didn’t feel real. However, it was definitely a humbling experience and I am glad I was able to get a more hands-on opportunity to learn about this history, tragic as it is. I think one of the most important aspects of this tour is the local attachment to the history and background of this story. Anne Frank is just one name among thousands and millions of others who suffered and experienced the events of WWII. The entire city of Amsterdam, not just that one house where one Jewish family went into hiding, carries that history, and it is evident in the psyche and human experience of the locals and their culture. That is one thing that really sets Europe and America apart, I think. Our own national experience is quite different from the European perspective, and just that difference makes these historic places, museums and tours that much more significant and singular from anything I’ve seen or done back home.
When we finished our tour of the house, we walked back to the main square and took the train out of town a little ways to the country where we visited a traditional Holland windmill village. It was so cute. There were about six historic windmills lining the banks of the river, and we walked through a cute little historic-looking village with cottages, fields, cows, and bridges.
It was really fun walking through and taking pictures, especially on such a nice day. Afterwards, we took the train back into Amsterdam where Heather, Shardae, Christina and I went and saw the Amsterdam letters. Basically they’re just big red letters that spell out AMSTERDAM in a park square. They were fun to take pictures with, although it was difficult to get a good shot because a ton of people got there about five minutes after we did, and started taking pictures and climbing on all the letters and getting in all our shots. Lame. Not a big deal though.
Once we finished taking pictures and playing around, we decided we were craving something good that was not weird and European. Our solution? The Hard Rock Cafe. I haven’t even been there in the states and I go when I’m in Amsterdam. Of all places. However, even with all the crap we got from others in the group for going to an American place instead of getting some sort of authentic meal, I have to say, it was one of the best meals I’ve had on this trip. I bought a delicious salad, which was perfect because I have been eating carbs almost exclusively since I left the U.S. And I never buy salads because European salads are typically disgusting. Well. Not. This. Salad. It was fantastic. Made American-style just the way I like it. We had a fun Dutch waiter too, who chatted with us, told us about some good places to get his favorite dessert in Amsterdam. Of course, we couldn’t eat it because he recommended...and get this... “Space Cakes.”
One guess what’s in a space cake in Amsterdam.
Yeah...
After dinner, Heather, Luke and I split off from Christina, Shardae and Ben (who had joined us a little later) and made our way back to the hotel. However, we weren’t exactly sure how to get back, so it took us a while to figure out which bus to take. Luke asked about five people, and we finally were assured by a lovely elderly lady that we were in the right spot. She was so sweet. I was sitting next to her on the bus bench talking with Luke and Heather about whether or not we were in the right place and she just interjected in her cute Dutch accent and asked us where we were trying to go and telling us which bus was the best. She was so kind and helpful. I’ve noticed that all the Dutch were that way too. Everyone was so friendly and patient and accommodating. For example, when I was buying souvenirs earlier, I was taking a while to go through my wallet to find the right coins (I had some British pounds mixed in so I had to sort them out). Normally I get a little flustered because the shop owners often get impatient and snappy waiting for annoying tourists to pay. However, the guy at the counter was super nice. He offered to help me count out my coins and was just generally friendly and patient. He was smiley and courteous, and actually sounded genuine when we said our thank you’s and goodbye’s. Now, that may sound like I’m making a big deal out of something ordinary and small, but I have had enough experience with annoyed shopkeepers that a smile and a little patience goes a long way.
And, SIDENOTE: they are also the most attractive Europeans thus far. I don’t know why, but they are just good-looking people. Much more so than in the U.K. or even in France, from my memory. But I digress.
Summarizing Impressions:
Amsterdam = A new city to add to my list of places I l.o.v.e.
Amsterdam is beautiful (something I wasn’t entirely expecting), fun, historic and exiting
The Dutch are some of the nicest people I’ve met––they are much more open and friendly than many of the other Europeans I’ve seen and encountered thus far. I like them.
Canal cities are great. I love boat tours (they are pretty AND you can sit and take pictures)
Amsterdam = A new city to add to my list of places I l.o.v.e.
Amsterdam is beautiful (something I wasn’t entirely expecting), fun, historic and exiting
The Dutch are some of the nicest people I’ve met––they are much more open and friendly than many of the other Europeans I’ve seen and encountered thus far. I like them.
Canal cities are great. I love boat tours (they are pretty AND you can sit and take pictures)
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