Amsterdam – I Feel Welcome

I am happily enjoying the long-awaited summer holidays and have just embarked on a journey by train to a couple of capital cities in Europe. This is something that I had planned to do in 2020 but Corona got in the way. Anyway, here I find myself, emerging into a city full of interesting architecture and a general sense of busyness – beautiful Amsterdam.

Last time I was here was in 1998 as I passed through during a University residential trip to The Hague. I remember spending a few hours wandering around the streets, taking in the atmosphere and dropping into a rather peculiar museum about ‘romance’ (at least that is a cleaner way of describing it).

This time…

On my first wonder around the streets my mission was to buy a new coat, as I left mine at home in the rush to get a taxi. H & M provided a cheap jacket to see me through. After this I grabbed a drink in a lovely cafe, which looked more like a pub. I have come to discover that most cafes here are actually bars. Suffice to say, that first cold sip of Jack Daniels was much needed after a hot walk, seeking out H & M.

It had been a 4 hour train ride from London and I really enjoyed the journey. One of the great things about traveling by rail for me is the fact you can relax and watch the landscapes drift by. Grabbing snacks in the onboard food coach is always a highlight and provides an opportunity for leg stretching. Many people would opt for a 1 hour flight but I much prefer using the Eurostar which creates 13 times less pollution per journey. I guess if you take into account the fact that the journey is four times longer by train then you can say a plane is creating even more carbon per hour. In reality, the train is 52 times more carbon efficient.

Anyway, enough of the greener thinking for a moment. Here are some snaps from my first afternoon in Amsterdam.

I wanted to go to this Chinese restaurant but it was full.

I don’t want to bore you with pictures but hope you can tell just how excited I am about being here. The only downside is the constant smell of weed wherever you go. It can be a bit overpowering and has made my clothes stink a bit. It is all worth it though and I am really lapping up the sights and sounds of this fascinating city, nestled in the lowlands of Northern Europe.

For another of my travel articles, check out Five reasons to visit Brussels. Perhaps also consider following my blog or dropping a comment below.

Take Aways From The Heatwave

This week the UK saw its hottest temperatures since records began. An average July used to see temperatures topping at 23 degrees Celsius but this week we peaked just above 40 degrees, which would have been unthinkable when I was growing up. Working in such hot conditions without air conditioning was really difficult. If this is going to be the new norm, we have to change the way we do things.

With meteorologists now predicting a further ‘heat dome’ over Europe in August and the extension of hot weather into September (which has been apparent for the past few years), the time has come to think carefully about how we ready ourselves for such hot weather.

My thoughts…

Yes, in Southern Europe they are used to having very hot days, but they are also closed during peak sunshine hours for a siesta. As well as this, their homes are painted white colours to reflect the sun and have shutters on the outside of their windows to block out the damaging rays. Air conditioning is part of their strategy too. In Britain our homes are designed to trap hot air. We have double glazed windows and extra insulation which make things worse.

Governments need to start thinking about working conditions during such hot periods. Perhaps they will consider:

– funding air conditioning for key workers and hospitals as well as subsidising this for low income households

– making affordable shutters an option to darken houses during hot days and reduce internal temperatures

– adapting school days to suit the weather (perhaps starting earlier and closing at midday or having a siesta)

However…

I notice that President Biden has set aside 2 billion dollars for air conditioning and sun protection. This is great but I hope he and other governments are putting even more money into finding ways to counter the effects of global warming.

The following things need addressing right away:

– ensuring all power stations use renewable energy supplies such as wind, hydro or solar

– funding a better network of trains and buses to reduce the amount of traffic on the roads

-taxing and discouraging frequent flying and overuse of aeroplanes

– widespread tree planting schemes and re-wilding

Hopefully some lessons have been learned from this week’s heatwave. It would be sad to see no changes taking place, given this massive wake up call. We all know that climate change will become more of a problem over the next few decades. We really need to act now to protect our homes, our health and our crops. Thank you for reading my article. If you enjoyed it, please consider following my blog for similar future content.

Summer Heat

Summer is here,

Off we go.

Let’s drive to the beach,

Enjoy the sun’s glow.

Boiling our blood,

Making us sweat.

Slap on some sunscreen

Then go and get wet.

Ride on a donkey,

Build castles of sand.

Hop on a boat

Or chill safely on land.

Get out and about

Eat ice cream galore,

Then find somewhere shaded

And lay down and snore.

This was my little poem about hot days. Yesterday was the hottest day of the the year so far and was incredibly uncomfortable to work in. I hope that everyone is taking care in the sun this season. For another poem, check out One Of Those Days.