Overview
My 5 days trip to Amsterdam was a unique experience and I learned a lot and enjoyed my short stay. Colorful, quirky and charming, the old-world city is lined with 17th century buildings, canals, and the constant sight of bicycles whizzing by. But it also bears the hallmarks of a thriving and downright lenient metropolis. While many young people visit Amsterdam for entertainment, the city is teeming with high culture, from the world-class art in the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseumn, the shopping street where you can find plenty of the contemporary, cutting-edge design that has become a source of pride in Amsterdam and the Netherlands.
Transportation
Amsterdam is compact, and on the roads, bikes have priority over other vehicles. Other modes of transport such as Trams, Trains and Buses are also very developed. Buy a chip card at a ticket vending machine or counter, or ask the driver for a tourist pass (there are one- to seven-day cards starting at €7). You can travel unlimitedly the whole city with only €7 per day. Public transport stops at midnight but uber is available 24/7.
People
The Dutch are generally nice people. They are helpful, courteous and friendly. They may even suggest cool hangouts, tourist-traps, good eats and other useful titbits after a short conversation with the locals.
Food
I found the price of food a bit higher than we are used to in Mauritius. However the food quality is excellent.
Coffeeshop
Coffeeshops in Amsterdam are allowed to sell small amounts of cannabis and are strictly regulated and taxed. Hard drugs are strictly prohibited. Although Amsterdam coffee shops are not allowed to make any advertising, they can be found everywhere easily. I don’t think this concept would work in Mauritius, due to the difference in culture.
Conference at Theater Amsterdam
Vuejs Amsterdam is the largest Vue Conference & Community Event in the World with 2,000+ attendees flying in from 50+ Countries over 3 Full Days. We have been using this technology in our products for over two years, and meeting the people who built it. I managed to meet a lot of the speakers and converse with them. I was able to confirm that LSL Digital is indeed at the forefront of front-end tech, unlike many local companies. I seized this opportunity to make some contacts and invite them for the Developer Conference Mauritius next year. Another important aspect I noticed is that LSL Digital is currently using technologies which have been unveiled during the conference. Therefore, our early adoption of such technologies gives us a competitive edge.
Vue.js Amsterdam networking at Theater Amsterdam
Everyone involved with the conference was welcome to join the networking session where I have met and got a better understanding of the people from all over the world, including their culture, history and background. Such an experience is difficult to gain by watching online tutorials or just reading software documentation. Conversing and learning from the people heavily involved in the development of those software is a privilege. I noticed that those people find it exciting when I mentioned I am from Mauritius, a tiny island in the middle of an ocean. Instantly they want to connect and share more. Opening such networks will only be another advantage for our development team as we are now not only using Vue.js but this experience makes LSL Digital also involved in Vue.js.
Van Gogh Museum
After the conference, I had one final day to explore the city and decided to visit the Van Gogh Museum which Loic(LSL Digital director) suggested is a must-visit place.
The Van Gogh museum is a very busy place. I patiently lined up in queue for about an hour to get through the museum. I am not a “connoisseur” of art but in front of Van Gogh’s artworks one cannot simply not appreciate it. I stood for about 10 mins in front of one of his works only later to realize that I have been standing and staring at a painting for so long.
There is a lot of interesting information displayed about Van Gogh’s life and work, and even some hands-on displays, but often need to wait for other visitors to move out of the way to have your turn; especially for more famous paintings. This is a great museum that takes people through Van Gogh’s life as an artist, step by step. I found out new things and his most iconic paintings look even more astonishing in real life.
In a nutshell
My time in Amsterdam came to a close but made for an unforgettable trip. It is a beautiful, clean city, making every walk a scenic one. While I made the most of my time in Amsterdam, there is plenty I did not get to do and see this time around.
I am eagerly awaiting the day I make it back to the next Vuejs conference. I am also hoping to see some of the speakers next year in Mauritius at the Developers Conference. If that happens, hopefully, we can also invite them to visit us at La Sentinelle. Their input will be extremely valuable for our front-end development team.
As I always liked to travel, make new acquaintances and discover new places I had a wish for quite some time to stay abroad, to get to know a particular country and its people better but mainly to get a more open & creative mind. This conference trip helped me achieve some personal commitments, complete a few wishes and set new goals.
