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Travel: Amsterdam, Netherlands 2024

 









Amsterdam, Netherlands was an amazing experience. The streets are full of bicyclist, the buildings have amazing architecture, and the people were very kind and personable. The Dutch pride is evident amongst its citizens. The city obtains unique character correlating to its 17th century Dutch Golden age. The city is known for outburst of rain from time to time so I assured to equip with a rain coat. I was shocked to find out the sun doesn't set until 10pm in the month of June. What I loved the most about this city is how environmentally conscious they are. The Netherlands energy grid is very progressive in its wind, solar and geothermal. Additionally, according to side note (1) Parkmead discovered a massive gas supply off the coast in 2023 that the Dutch will hold as reserves and distribute to compensate for Russia gas supply in Europe.

My trip was centered around Ripple XRP Apex convention. Finance and technology leaders traveled from all over the World to attend. At the event Ripples CTO - David Schwartz announced RLUSD alignment for Ripple's blockchain ledger and significance the technology will hold in the future of finance for cross border payments. The team introduced updates to Xaman Wallet and XRPL ecosystem capabilities. XRPL developers building on its blockchain attended, XRPL Grant Funding team presented requirements and hackathons were on full blast. I had the honor of meeting the entire HelvetX German team (Photo: W/ COO - Andreas Morczinek) and Futureverse Cofounder Marco Brondani. Futureverse was one of the most fascinating projects I came across. They have partnered with Think agents ASM AI protocol as the evolution of AI agents grows in popularity. The future of blockchain infrastructure is promising as we see virtual reality, AI and fintech gain momentum in the coming years. The grand finale was held at the Amsterdam Maritime Museum and the Berlin band Parcels jammed out to end the celebration. 

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, Euronext was an amazing site to see. There were many historic buildings and monuments close by. Euronext is located in the tourist epicenter, so you can find great Netherlands Cheeses and restaurants to dine. The cheeses and drops were my favorite discoveries. Drops are a candy with a sweet salty flavor similar to black licorice but more intense.

Dutch Republic history dates back to the year 1200, and they played a significant role as a World power. The Dutch war escalated in the 1600s-1700s. Rijks Museum holds artifacts of innovations in weaponry and maritime technologies as their Navy grew in size. They secured many international trade routes and built relations throughout the World in this Dutch Golden Age. There are unique paintings of the artist Rembrandt. He was known for painting on black canvases to create depth and drama within his masterpieces. 

I had the pleasure of visiting the Luther Museum. "Martin Luther proclaimed his thesis on the reformation of the then church in 1517, which led to the reformation. Built in 1772 as the Evangelical-Lutheran Diaconal house for the elderly. It played a big part in the care of the poor, the elderly and orphans"​ as stated (2). He was born in Germany in 1483 and had a profound impact on Western Christianity. "Luther translated the Bible into German, making it more accessible to the laity and significantly impacting both the church and German culture according to sidenote (3)

Da Vinci Genius was the next stop for a digital immersive experience. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest geniuses of our time combining science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and art. The Litta Madonna, Virgin of the Rocks, The Baptism of Christ, his ornithopter are a few of his greatest creations. (4)

Last but not least was a visit to the original oldest standing Coffee shop Cafes in the Red-light district The Bulldog Cafe. Henk de Vries founded The Bulldog in 1975 with a mission. "I want to create a living room atmosphere. A good vibe, relaxed. A place where people can smoke, talk and feel good. It simply doesn't get any better than that."(5) These coffee shops don't just serve superb coffee but also cannabis. The store front is decorated with hippie paintings and street art. The inside had historical memorabilia of the revolution impacted by this founders vision.

1: Parkmead’s new gas discovery in Netherlands comes on stream

2: Luther Museum Amsterdam , Over het museum

3: Martin Luther - Wikipedia

4: Da Vinci Genius. A new art experience.

5: The Bulldog


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