Amsterdam, the Ladies, and Gay for a Day

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Off to Amsterdam for a few days and then we will meet our friends, Rhonda and Meecy. They will hang out for about a week and I'm so excited to show them all around! But first, to explore a very interesting city (without kids!) a little more in depth. No surprise, but the Dutch are a pretty liberal minded group. Not only liberal, but very pragmatic, too. It's very evident in how their society treats subjects such as drug use, prostitution, homosexuality, and the influence of the church on society. They figure it goes on -one can ignore it, preach against it, pretend it will go away, or criminalize it, OR, legalize and regulate it for safety and tax purposes. Prostitution is legal and safe - the girls must be tested every week and a positive test means they lose their license, they pay taxes, and there are no seedy pimps to take advantage. Marijuana is legal and sold nearly everywhere, but interestingly - cigarettes are not tolerated as much. We see signs everywhere in the window- your pot is welcome, but not your tobacco. There is a hard limit on how much can be bought. More serious drugs are not tolerated at all and are quite illegal. Alcohol is usually not sold or consumed in the same place as pot and that is also strictly regulated. The Dutch Protestant Church does not get involved in politics at all and has no say in legal or social matters. Nothing is "wrong" here so everything is accepted, but it's also not a place of lawlessness. It's very refreshing and hopefully, one day, the U.S. can get over it's nosy Puritan views on such private matters. OK, soap box is now taken down and put away, and off to enjoy Amsterdam!

We know the largest Gay Pride parade in the world is taking place on Saturday, and the city is getting ready. Signs and flags are everywhere and the town has the energy of a big party. Our hotel is quite lovely with a view of a tiny canal down below. I can drag a chair over to the open window and watch the world float by. We see little boats, graceful swans and large dinner barges drift down the canal and decide the cocktail cruise sounds the most appealing (I decide...). From the cruise, we can see most of Amsterdam AND have a drink! Excellent decision. Later, we walk by a Kilo store that I remember from Paris, and a favorite of Will's. Everything sold by the kilo and I make a note to go back the next day when they are open. We also find the very tiny Jewish Museum in a tiny old Jewish neighborhood - not too many Jews left in Holland after WW2. We also find the red light district, which is really quite a sight to see. Red lights illuminate the window/doors and the very scantily clad girls strike a pose (or not - some just chat on their phones or smoke a cigarette) and tap the window to attract some attention. No nudity, but darn close. No men in the windows either- and we found out that it was a past failed experiment to try to feature men in windows. I'm sure one could find it somewhere in Amsterdam. The red light district sprang up around the oldest church in the city, OudeKerk, and across it's narrow courtyard is a window featuring a nearly nude girl with a view of said church. Next door is a preschool. I guess that sums up Amsterdam.

The next day dawns quite rainy and seems perfect for a trip to the Rijksmuseum. Vermeer, Rembrandt, Steen, and the rest of the gang are featured side by side with a very cool exhibit by Alain de Botton offering huge Post it note commentary into art in general. Some of them were very clever, but by the end, I felt maybe a little distracting. Crowds of museum goers were gathered around the post its and almost ignoring the beauty of the other art. Perhaps that is the point of the exhibit - one note encouraged us to notice that art should make something happen personally - don't let others dictate their idea of "great art". And how do we view art today? Through the lens of a cell phone. So, while Lee took selfies with The Milkmaid, I took photos of art thru stranger's cell phone. Don't worry, I admired the beauty that surrounded me, too. Of particular interest were the remaining 4 Vermeer bringing me to the grand total of the 7 here in Holland. The Milkmaid, Woman Reading a Letter, The Little Street, and The Love Letter - now I've seen them all. I love I can peek into everyday 1660's life with such clarity and find people were really no different then. Jan Steen's "Children Teaching a Cat to Dance" was also a particular favorite. The children are being scolded by an older man for being idle and we all know trying to teach a cat to do anything is a true waste of time. We also saw rooms of beautiful Delft pottery and the enormous rooms of life sized Rembrandt - in particular, Night Watch. Later, in the middle of the city, we see a life sized bronze of the same thing as well as Amsterdam's version of Locks of Love. Locks can't be pinned to the bridges since they are full of bikes, but can be pinned to some chains on one of the canal drawbridges.

And now - Meecy and Rhonda join the fun! I've known them both for nearly 20 years, but we've never gone international. Palm Springs is no match for Holland! First stop - coffee, chocolate shops, a wander through the Rembrandtplein flea market (or is it Waterlooplein?) and a canal cruise featuring those yummy cocktails. We make a rule that we must toast and clink our glasses as we go under the bridges - and find we need to reorder very quickly! Back home to unpack and have a few adventures - but we are coming back on Saturday to see the parade. I'll write of those good times later - this post will jump ahead 3 days and get us back in Amsterdam.

Rhonda collects Hard Rock pins and needed one from Amsterdam. We celebrate finding the restaurant with lunch and pre parade beers (me). Fortified, we head off to find a spot - with about a zillion of our closest friends. Blue guys, drag queen cleaning ladies, and other partygoers are all around and we just take it all in. Many people- small children and grandmas alike are wearing pink shirts that say "Gay for a Day" in support, and down every side street are more parties and celebrations. We also see a free street clinic where one can be tested for hepatitis or AIDS or whatever - and people standing in the queue. Finally, the we see a bit of the actual canal parade - over 80 huge floats blaring loud music, shooting confetti, and tons of people - gay and straight, dancing and having a great time. One of the best floats was one featuring American soldiers stationed here - complete with American flag, and loudly cheered on. Amazing to see. A giant rainbow banner hung down the side of the steeple of a big old church and we could see the reflection in the windows of the home across the canal. Oy, and the aftermath of the party- I do not want to be the one to clean that mess as the many parties continue until long past midnight (we go home).

Although it may seem odd, we decide this was also the day to tour the Anne Frank House. We think Anne would not have minded. The house and center are directly next to the church featuring the rainbow banner, and the line doesn't look too long - 45 minutes. No pictures allowed, but I wish everyone could get a feel for how tiny the Secret Annex was to the 8 people who lived there for 2 years. It's a quiet, self guided tour and we were surprised to find the rooms unfurnished, per Otto Frank. We leave just a little more introspective and thoughtful, especially in these times.

Next post - Gouda (part 2), North Sea (part 2), bike riding to Delft and Leidshamden, Belgium featuring Brussels, Brugge and Ghent, and the biggest damn IKEA in the universe.

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Photos

Window of a "coffee shop"
A LOT of rules to follow.

Pee Here sign
So drunk men don't fall in the canal at 3am.

Getting ready
We are, too!

Get Away from the Crowd
Duck down a tiny alley and it's quiet

Getting Ready
Seen from the hotel balcony

Girls night out gone wrong
Police had to rescue

The Jewish Museum
Not too many Jews in Holland

Found a Kilo Store!
Everything sold by the kilo. A favorite from Paris

Cheap drinks
To lure you away from the coffee house.

Red Light District
No photos allowed....

Rainy line for Rijksmuseum
We bypass with our museum pass.

I actually like busy places
Maybe not in my museums, though...

Woman Reading a Letter
Not an email. Wouldn't it be nice to get a letter again?

Comments

[Ziv]

Great article. But a little outdated
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