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Good Friday We arrived in Amsterdam late in the afternoon on Good Friday. Finding the hotel proved challenging to us. We walked straight past it, around the block, into the next square, and then back to the hotel over the course of one hour - just to find ourselves back to where we started. Next time we may just print the map before we leave, because Stacy’s 'photographic memory' seems to be rather dim! Once we arrived at the Jolly Carlton Hotel we dumped the bags and headed straight out into Dam Square (the heart of Amsterdam). We spent the rest of the afternoon on foot exploring the town and its sights. By sunset we just happened to stumble upon the Red Light District and the string of local coffee shops.
The Red Light District is a major tourist destination. It is a network of alleys containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by female prostitutes (and some ladyboys) who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, with the exception of streetwalking. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows,
a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana.
Coffee shops in Amsterdam are not your typical coffee shops! They deal strictly in the cannabis trade. Technically, it's illegal to sell and consume pot, but years of tolerance have taught the Dutch to look the other way. At least that's what they print in the tourist books. In reality, use is permitted only in designated areas so Dutch officials can keep an eye on people.
Saturday Mmmm…..2 degrees, sleet and wind - awesome - can’t wait to go out and explore the city! But we did brave it. We stood in a long line of loud American tourists for almost 2 hours waiting to get into the Anne Frank House. Anne Frank became world famous with the diary she kept whilst hiding in the house for more than two years during the Second World War. The story of what happened during this period of time is told in the place where Anne Frank actually hid.
Following the Anne Frank House, we had planned to go on the highly recommended ‘Heineken Experience’, which is a tour of the old brewery.
The Bulldog Coffee Shop
Coffeeshops in Holland are allowed to sell small amounts of cannabis and are strictly regulated and taxed. Coffeeshops must not sell to anyone under 18 and they must not sell more than 5g to any customerAfter strolling across the city to take the tour, we arrived only to be confronted by a sign that stated “this tour is currently closed until the summer”. After taking a “thumbs down” photo of Erin out the front, we then opted for a canal tour instead.
The canals are home to hundreds of house boats. Some are your traditional boats, some are traditional house boats, and some are even brick veneer houses built on an old barges! Thanks to the thousands of tourists though, most people who live on house boats don’t get much privacy, but it certainly seems to be a great way to live in Amsterdam.
By the time we had toured the canals on the riverboats, the sleet has turned to beautiful big snow flakes! The city looked absolutely gorgeous. Check out the video we have posted.
Easter Sunday Whilst we waited to go on the Keukenhof Gardens tour we decided to go to the Sex Museum. The museum houses an extensive international collection of historical art, literature and artifacts…..yes that’s right….artifacts. I think you could call them that!?
The Keukenhof gardens are only open for about 2 months each
year, and fortunately we were there at the right time! The gardens have over 7 million spring flowers planted, including daffodils, hyacinths, narcissi, orchids, azaleas and hydrangeas. We spent hours wandering around the breathtaking gardens in the rain, sleet and snow - but it was definitely worth it! They are truly spectacular and shouldn’t be missed if you visit in spring.
Easter Monday Before leaving the city in the early afternoon, we went for our final walk around town, taking in the sights of Dam Square, the 17th century architecture, canals, galleries, museums, coffee shops and red light district. Once again it was snowing and the novelty certainly hadn’t worn off!
We both agreed that Amsterdam is incredibly ‘colourful’, simply stunning, and definitely a must see city in Europe.
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Nadia & Clarkey
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Another great blog guys. Keep them coming. Stace you look a little bit too happy at the sex museum!