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Published: August 9th 2005
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Canals
There were about 50 corners that looked exactly like this one (I'm still having trouble finding a place to upload photos. Check back later and I'll have some up hopefully.)
If I had to sum up Amsterdam in a phrase it would be "getting lost". You can interpret that however you want, but to me it means taking comfort in having no control over where you are and what you do. Specifically, I'm speaking about letting fate take you wherever it's irony and whim can take you. While Nick and I have spent the severe majority of the last couple of days pretty lost (we walked around in a circle for an hour), I've never been so pleased with not having an agenda, or means to accomplish one for that matter.
Amsterdam is magnificent. Nick and I got in on an afternoon train to a very bustling, saturday crowd of locals. The city was very busy - and for good reason. Of all the weekends to visit this playland of cities, we chose this one. Unfortunately, so did Gay PrideFest. Thousands of them, flocking. Heavy Club Dance music on every corner. Assless leather chaps, see through pink mesh t-shirts, buckles, chains, boas. I've seen gay people before. THESE people are
I....love a parade!
See if you can make out the white thongs in this one really gay. Nick and I watched a parade of boats go through one of the canals - each one spilling over with men in tight speedos rubbing all over each other. As much of a spectacle as it was to watch, we'd had enough after a short time, so we decided to head as far out of city centre as we could. And you could probably imagine my concern regarding the fact that Nick and I were traveling together (just the two of us), and we just HAPPENED to be in Amsterdam during that weekend. We managed to be on the receiving end of some gay-bashing, which I must say is yet another first for me.
I absolutely love it here. I'd heard about it being the Venice of the north, but I had no clue is was going to be like this. You can't walk a block without running into a canal. They are everywhere, and each one has its own charm. We've ended up spending a lot of time talking to the locals, finding a bench, and just sitting and watching. This is by far the most diverse population we've seen in any city up to this
part of our trip. It turns out that 45% of the people who live in Amsterdam are foreign-born. The people watching is fantastic. Sitting on a bench, you see every culture of the world pass you by either on foot, on bike, or on boat. Essentially it's like going on the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland, but you sit still and the cultures pass you by.
And I can't help but think that this society is much more advanced than ours. There are a number of things about the city that make so much sense, I don't understand why they aren't more readily available in other cities. I'll list a few:
Intricate and useful bike paths: Bikes are everywhere here. Any spot where there is a rail or a street sign, there is a bike strapped to it. The city is small enough that there really isn't much need for a car. And a lot of people make good use of it.
Successful health care system: Pretty much self-explanatory
Legalization of soft drugs: If there is a problem with drugs in the world, it's the idea of people having to hide their habits, doing
their drugs alone, and doing them the wrong way. The way the legalization process works here seems to be an ingenious way of combating these issues. Essentially, the system in place is Holland's way of saying, "People are going to do these drugs whether we outlaw them or not. Why not offer them an environment where these drugs can be regulated and clean, and the retailers of the drugs can educate the users on the right and wrong way to do it". And if statistics are any indication, there decision to do so has been a huge success. I suppose you could apply the same logic to the prostitution industry as well.
Outdoor, open-air urinals for men: ABSOLUTELY GENIUS!!! They aren't on every corner, unfortunately, but the city offers a number of spots where you can just unzip and let loose in public. I couldn't believe it.
The locals here are the best I've ever experienced in my life. Everything about them is great. They are easy to deal with and they seem to really enhance the experience. And you can meet them everywhere. There are plenty of great places to just meet and chat. Nick and
I, after unsuccessfully trying to meet up with some other, potential travel buddies decided to just head to a shop and get to know some people. We ended up spending the first night just walking around going to different spots to taste the culture. It was a very eye-opening experience to say the least.
We then decided, why not go to the Red Light District? Which we did. THAT was utterly insane. It's essentially just a bunch of brothels where they literally put women on display like a butcher shop. And as you walk by they beckon at you and blow kisses. It was interesting, but I couldn't help but feel a bit grossed out. And as much as I wanted to leave, I couldn't look away. It was all so bizarre. And you should see the one's they put on display during the daytime. They're very "busted can of biscuits" as Nick would say.
We woke up on our first full day and decided to go to the Amsterdam Museum of History to get an idea of where this city came from. It ended up being a lot more interesting than I'd expected, and it did a
Canals
I had to get a shot of at least one windmill in Holland good job of explaining the canal system and population growth of the city. After that, we went to the Museum of Locals and Culture. It was a quick tour, where we actually got to take some pictures of locals and have some good conversations.
In the afternoon, we decided to go to the Heineken Experience, which was really fun. Actually, as far as the brewery tours in Europe are concerned, this is my favorite. Very futuristic, very easy to manage, and a good sampling. They even had some rides that were kind of silly, but pretty fun nonetheless.
The second day we...shopped. All day. Nothing but shopping. There are a lot of shops in Amsterdam, and we made the most of them. It was amazing.
On our last full day, we went to the Anne Frank House. Disregarding the long line to get in and the crowded old building, the visit was extremely powerful. On display were a number of personal items of all of the members of the house, next to entries where Anne had written about them in her diary. I haven't read the book since I was in middle school, but I still remembered
The bookcase door
This is the door to the hideout in the Anne Frank House. I wasn't supposed to take this picture, but I did anyway. I'm a rebel. the items from her narrative. The tour also included the original diaries, which I couldn't get a picture of (for obvious reasons). It ended up being a much more valuable visit then I had expected. Toward the end I stood in the doorway to the attic and just stared at the back of the hidden bookcase door at the bottom of the steps, contemplating how the group must have felt as they watched the door be broken down and entered by Nazi's that would eventually lead them all to death from the very same spot. It was moving.
In the afternoon we went to the Van Goh museum. (yawn) It was really interesting, and I'm baffled at how I can still do all these art museums. (yawn) I guess I'm just an art nut. I'm kidding of course. It was a great exhibit although a bit overpriced.
Amsterdam has been really great, and a definite highlight of our travels so far.
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