Rolling Traveler

The second day in Amsterdam was the day of Jonathan and Stan’s wedding reception. The heavy rain of Friday had given way to a beautiful cool but sunny Saturday, and the weather held for the whole day. The company was great, the beer, wine and food were excellent, and everyone had a great time. Traveling with a wheelchair, especially to a city like Amsterdam, takes planning and effort, and if I ever had any doubts whether it was worthwhile, days like this would dispell them. Being able to be there and be part of such an important event for two dear friends meant so much, and letting the wheelchair stand in the way of that would just be wrong. With effort and the help of the good people who were at the event, I made it to all the parts of the reception, and no barrier stood in the way of us having a first-class time.

We started off at De Bekeerde Suster (The Converted Sister), a brewery founded in 1544 by an order of nuns, not for profit, at least according to the official story, but because the beer was considered medicinal. The brewery has three beers brewed on site available year-round, and three more seasonal beers, and they also serve very good pub food, including some very healthy options. The atmosphere is great. The decor is dominated by old wood, with the copper brewing vats prominently on display in the main area, and the staff are very friendly and helpful with recommending beers, food, and other things to do in the city.

 At first glance, the brewery pub is non-accessible, with four large steps up to the front, but there is a side entrance with a ramp, so there’s no problem to get in. Once inside, there is a main floor area around the bar that is accessible, and a disabled access restroom. The other spaces, including the one the happy couple had rented, are not accessible. The steps up to the room we were in were quite steep, and it was a spectator sport watching the server and the increasingly tipsy guests negotiating them.

(De Bekeerde Suster, Good accessibility, Excellent beer, food and service)

 Once we’d gathered and everyone who knew each other had a chance to reminisce, and everyone who didn’t had a chance to introduce themselves, we moved on to dinner at the Ship Chandlers Warehouse. Formerly a food and beverage supply store for sea-faring ships, it is now a haute cuisine restaurant serving groups of 25 to 50. The building is almost 400 years old, still with much of its old interior. The main hall is the dining area, while the upstairs, where the captains would have been received when it was still a functioning warehouse, is now a smoking room. The setting of the banquet table and the decor of the restaurant is in keeping with the age and former purpose of the restaurant, and it creates a great atmosphere.

 Accessibility is definitely an issue in this old building. It has only one entrance, and the steps up to it are high and steep. The full banquet table takes up a large space in the center of the room, leaving just enough space for a wheelchair to get around the sides, and the smoking room and balcony are inaccessible. The restrooms are too small to ride a chair into as well. Help is needed at every stage, but as I said, I wasn’t going to let that stop me from being part of my good friends’ important day.

(The Ship Chandlers Warehouse, Poor accessibility, Excellent food and atmosphere)

 The Ship Chandlers Warehouse has its own landing stage on the canal, and after dinner, we had a cruise of the canals, which I’ll tell you about tomorrow.

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