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Published: October 5th 2007
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Determined to return to the Netherlands after our last trip was rained out, Andreas and I ventured down south to give the rainy city another chance. And, we are glad we did, because we had a wonderful trip!
Our first day we joined a walking tour of the city, and for the next 4 hours we saw the big sites. Dam Square, Red Light District, Anne Frank House, numerous churches and castles, Leidseplein Square lined with restaurants and bars, including the Heniken Brewery, art museums, canals, narrow houses, and thats not even half of the city!
Amsterdam has historically always been a merchants city, and there are so many different people. Everyone has a story to tell! And people are nice, and its easy to make friends. Except for the native Dutch, though. nah, they're nice enough, but they poke fun at tourists. I guess I understand, being that there are so many.
With the trade came merchants, and with the merchants came ... you guessed it - demand for sex and drugs. The Dutch don't partake in a majority of these activities, in fact, only 10% admit to smoking weed. But, it's been the tourists which ahve kept these industries
thriving. And, the Dutch support the safe transactions of these industries.
On our tour, we saw the Old Church, right next to the Red Light District. There's even a coffee shop called Old Church Coffee Shop. And all of this has been there throughout history. Apparently, after the merchants sinned, they went to church.
There is so much to Amsterdam, much more than just sex and drugs. THe city is alive at any time of day, bustling with a mixture of cultures and ethnicities. I think that this blend is impressive, that so many people can live and travel to a fun place and shop, eat, dance, drink, even have sex and get high safely.
Through my travels in my life, I've always wondered about different cultures, and how different societies adapt and grow depending on their cultural mix. For example, Denmark has been a relatively homogenous population up until recently, and you can see a mutual understanding and acceptance throughout their country, loving peace. America, on the other hand, has historically been a very heterogenous society with people who have moved and settled there from all over the world. Amsterdam has had international influences throughout history, but most people
visit, trade goods, experiences, and then leave. Perhaps they are able to share their culture with many others, and bring home what they see. What they leave behind in Amsterdam is a fun, happy, international mix of cultures all on vacation. Sweet.
The rest of the day was spend looking for a place to stay. May I suggest to my traveling friends, The Bulldog, smack dab in the middle of the Red Light District (muah ha ha thats right, mummy and daddy). Cheap, clean, fun, close to everything, and most importantly - Elevators. The Dutch buildings have the tiniest, windiest, steepest staircases I have ever seen in the world, and traveling with an oversized backpack and yoga mat, it is very hard to squeeze throught those corners without risking falling backwards and potentially killing yourself.
Well, it rained on Saturday, but Andreas and I escaped it and enjoyed the beautiful botanical gardens. Butterfly Gardens, Palm tree House, and a dome with 3 different climates under 1 roof. This got me excited for Africa - I can't wait to be out of rainy, cold Europe and under the hot, African Sun 😊
Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal for dinner.
Thats another thing about Amsterdam - Delicious food, everywhere! Cusine from all over the world, available in to-go, cafe or restaurant style. I love how many healthy sandwich shops and juice bars there are. Food is faster and easier to get than in the states, and yet they maintain a delicious and healthy standard. I love Europe. Oh, and the belgian waffles. Not so healthy, but oh so tasty. I had a few during my trip 😊
Some of the other things that we did included a canal tour of the city, and a visit to the Van Gogh Museum, as well as numerous cafes and bars. And, I was lucky enough to see Fabian, my German friend from Allianz!! He's studying nearby in the Netherlands, and he suggested that we visit Den Hauge to see more of authentic Holland. And so we did.
Den Hauge is beautiful. Capital of the Netherlands, home to the UN Peace Tribunal and covered with woodland, this city was the perfect escape from frantic Amsterdam. Yoga and Dance studios everywhere!!
We stayed in a lovely hotel close to Museumplein (the museum district), next door to a yoga center. I'm in love with
my Dutch yoga instructo 😊 Den Hauge is on the North Sea, so we ventured out to the beach and the boardwalk, caught a movie, saw a panoramic painting of teh old city, and visited a museum celebrating cultural uniqueness. And Apes 😊 We also walked alot, breathing the fresh sea air and enjoying the greenest city in Europe.
And, then it was time to go!! 24 hours of traveling later, I was in Johannesburg....
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