‘Visit to Amsterdam- Centraal Station’ This summer, I had the great pleasure of visiting Amsterdam, Holland, one of the most exciting, vital and beautiful cities in the world. The aura of freshness and energy vibrating in the very air are enough to relieve any traveler of exhaustion. I was actually a passenger in transit through the Amsterdam Schipol Airport. We landed there in the early hours of the morning and decided to take a cursory look at this city that is famed for its beauty and diversity. We were very short on time and had no idea how to go about touring the city within 5 hours. We were then told of and opted for the extensive train transportation system. We bought our passes from the ticket desk within the airport and then went to board our train. The train was speedy, efficient and comfortable. It took us to our destination in twenty minutes flat, zooming past beautiful greenery, canals, ponds, and people on bikes and in cars. It took us over small, quaint bridges and giant highways that are a quality unique to the modern world. We were exposed to some breath taking views along the way. The one I remember best is of the sun catching the horizon with a fiery reddish tinge and the beautiful feeling it gave to my heart. It was as if someone was playing a symphony on the violin and my soul felt like flying. The beauty of it was almost heart breaking. After we reached Amsterdam Centraal Station, an international train station whereby thousands of people travel every day, I came face to face with another magnificent surprise. What I saw was amazing. Though I have never lived anywhere but in major cities throughout my life, this ‘train station’ was no ordinary place. The colors, sounds, and sheer magnitude of it enthralled all my senses. The locals were friendly people who welcomed all of us foolish tourists who had no idea about where to go or what to do. Dutch, not English, was spoken locally. Wearing brightly colored jackets in July, people busily went about their business. They dressed in styles suited to fashion magazines, with their glamorous dresses and well-cut suits to the flowing scarves, knee length colored leather boots, huge earrings and necklaces and tiny to baggage-size purses carried by the ladies and the cutting edge hair styles and suits worn by the men. They were a wonder to look at with their beautifully tinted complexions and generally remarkable looks. Despite being in a hurry, they did not resent helping a complete stranger. At least three of them helped me. We kept getting lost trying to find the entrance and exit to the Amsterdam Centraal Station building. That is in itself is a testament to the enormity of this hubbub of activity. In spite of the extensive magnitude of the comings and goings of commuters, local and international, the system works like a well oiled machine. No holdups occur and no one is worried about missing their train since so many trains leave for the same destination at regular intervals. The brightly colored clothes of the people are a great compliment not only to the trains in which they travel, but to the flowers for which Amsterdam is famed.
Within the station itself, there are shops selling the most wondrous kinds of flowers, from tulips and roses to many others which smell and look fantastic. The heavenly fragrances drifting out of the flower shops throughout the train station are uplifting for any person with an appreciation of beauty. The colors the flowers lend to their surrounding are enough to cause a rise in anyone’s spirits, no matter how tense or depressed they may be. They gave me a sense of being in a peaceful garden under the new morning sun, breathing in exotic aromas, with little water fountains all around me. The memory makes me sigh with longing for just such a place.
The vastness of Amsterdam Centraal Station is a marvel to behold. It is one of Europe’s largest centers for train commuting. The foreign languages and cultures one sees in this whirlwind of motion are enough to awe any tourist. Walking for fifteen minutes and not getting any nearer to the entrance brought us to another platform where we saw hundreds of people converging to depart for their destinations. Some carried little briefcases or laptop bags only. We finally found the entrance to the building and walked out to see more marvels of Amsterdam, with its crisp morning air and dozens of bikers zipping past on side roads alongside clear blue waters. It is a true wonder to behold. However, my experience of Centraal Station itself was extraordinary and unforgettable.
Tags: EXPERIENCE, LIFE, TRAVELLOGUE
