Source: MSNBC
Website: http://www.msnbc.com
Pubdate: Mon, 20 Jul 1998

THE BIG EXHALE IN AMSTERDAM

Netherlands capital proves a great place to decompress

July 20 - Marian Rivman begins her three-month, round-the-world voyage with
a stop in Amsterdam, where the commuters use bicycles, marijuana is legal,
and its easy to make friends with heavily pierced teen-agers.

SCUBA DIVERS KNOW that when theyve overextended the time they can safely
stay at any given depth, they must decompress before they can surface.

Decompressing -"gassing off"- releases gases that have accumulated in the
bloodstream that could be dangerous on the surface. So its been in my life.
After Ive been submerged in the details and stress of both my personal and
professional responsibilities and commitments for an extended period of
time, I need to decompress - to gas off - to exhale.

Scuba divers hang on to a bar thats attached to their boat for their
decompression stop. I hang out in Amsterdam.

12-YEAR TRADITION

Amsterdam became my decompression stop in 1986. A good friend, Lianne
Sorkin Fisher, and I had our first contract with the United Nations. We
were consultants for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which
is based in Nairobi. We made four trips to Africa that year. Each time we
went, we stopped in Amsterdam on our way to and from Nairobi. I thought of
it as my "decompression stop" because I always arrived breathless having
spent the days before my departure from New York in a frenzy of activity
and Id return to Amsterdam from Nairobi reeling from sensory and
information overload. My limited time in Amsterdam always mellowed me out -
it was like one massive exhale. Amsterdam is the place where my dream of
being an international consultant was born 
 and came true.

Every time Lianne and I were in Amsterdam, we stayed at the Pulitzer Hotel
- - and I stayed in the exact same room. "My room" was a garret bedroom with
a sitting area that had doors that opened onto the roof. I daydreamed the
big dreams in that room. I pondered my life much the way I plan to do on
this trip. I relished the time in Amsterdam and refused to fly to Nairobi
via any other route.

Amsterdam is the place where my dream of being an international consultant
was born 
 and came true. Marian Rivman enjoys the view from the Pulitzer
Hotel, Amsterdam, in this 1986 photo. The city and the hotel continue to be
an important rest stop for the weary.

Im in Amsterdam now - at the Pulitzer Hotel - at a make-shift desk in the
sitting area of my room. I cant believe its been only 48 hours since I
arrived. Amsterdam and the Pulitzer have worked their magic again. I was so
tense by the time I had left New York, I felt like I didnt have the
strength, stamina or desire to travel eight hours, let alone 80 days. Im
now in a completely different frame of mind. Ive had a terrific two days.
The cost of parking is so prohibitive that people leave their cars at home.

Amsterdam is a mellow city. No major traffic jams or the clamor of honking
horns - the cost of parking is so prohibitive that people leave their cars
at home. Instead they speed (and I do mean speed) around on bikes or use
the first-rate public transportation or walk. I chose the latter. I love to
walk. Ive spent endless hours the last two days cruising the streets of
Amsterdam. When I finally got tired, I took a canal ride.

Amsterdam hosts a lot of tourists from everywhere. The place is packed,
hotels are fully booked and the museums all have queues. In the area around
the Dam and Central Railroad Station, it seems like everyone on the street
is reading a map for directions.

One of the things I like best about traveling and particularly traveling
alone, is that it gives you license to talk to strangers something I rarely
ever do when Im in New York. I practiced exercising that license here in
Amsterdam; not all that much of a challenge since the atmosphere here makes
both natives and tourists open and friendly.

Yesterday, I decided I would plunge into the "talk to strangers"
phenomenon. My first encounter was definitely off the deep end. I overheard
an exchange in what was obviously American English between a young, heavily
pierced, backpacking couple who had just been asking directions to the
Heineken Brewery. I went up to them and asked where they were from.
Sacramento, Calif. We were headed in the same direction and started walking
and talking together. In Amsterdam, it's easy to make friends with
travelers of all ages, including Chad Conners, 19.

I invited my newfound companions, Chad Conner and Jessica Maldonado, for a
cup of coffee. We shared our stories. Chad is 19, Jessica 18. They are on
their first trip through Europe and plan to travel for six weeks. They both
had worked and saved their money so they could make this trip. Theyll camp
out and travel around on a Eurail Pass. They were both smart, enthusiastic
and earnest. I gave them tips on how to stretch their money and offered
them the use of my shower if they decided to stay in Amsterdam for the
night. Chad, Jessica and I hugged goodbye on the street after having walked
through the red light district.

Chad, Jessica and I hugged goodbye on the street after having walked
through the red light district (we all said it made us feel a little
creepy), stopped by a coffee house where we could have had legal marijuana
in addition to our cappuccinos and snapped photos of each other. They went
on to the Heineken Brewery and the promise of free beer; I went on a canal
ride.

On the tour boat I sat next to Lina Kits, a large, imposing Dutch woman
from the most northern region of the Netherlands who was in Amsterdam for
the weekend to shop and visit with friends. Lina visits Amsterdam about 10
times a year and always takes one of the canal rides. Her running
commentary was far more interesting than the canned presentation of the
tour company. By the time the boat docked, I was so relaxed I felt like I
had been on a three-day cruise. Lina and I bid each other farewell and I
was back on the streets.

CONVERSATION AT THE BAR

Over a club soda at the Pulitzer Bar last evening, I met Doug McDermet, 26,
and Maureen McDermet, 27, from Montpelier, Vt. Like Chad and Jessica, this
was also their first trip to Europe. Doug is a speech therapist; Maureen
teaches sixth grade. Theyll be traveling for a month. Each has a backpack
and a Eurailpass and Id venture to guess, a whole lot more money than Chad
and Jessica.

Ive spent the morning holed up in my room (for those who want to follow in
the wake of my rumpled sheets - its Room 375) at the Pulitzer. Its rainy
and windy and Im perfectly content to read travel books and write e-mails
(oh, the miracle of modern communications). Im a mellower Marian than the
one who arrived 48 hours ago, thanks to Amsterdam and the Pulitzer Hotel.
Ive had my decompression stop. Im ready to surface. I leave this evening
for Istanbul and the start of my adventure.

THE LOGISTICS
The Hotel Pulitzer has 24 renovated canal houses dating back to the 17th
century. Its conveniently located within walking distance of most major
attractions.
Hotel Pulitzer
Prinsengracht 315-331
1016 GZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0) 20-523 523 5
Fax: +31 (0) 20-627 675 3
Amsterdam Tourist Office
Postbus 3901
1001 AS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Telephone: 020 - 5 512512
Fax: 020-6 252 869
E-mail: - ---
Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)