Amsterdam was an EXPERIENCE, to say the least! The instant we drove up to Dam Square..I fell inlove with the place! Amsterdam is obviously quite famous for it's liberal take on drugs and prostitution, but many people don't actually know how beautiful it is. It was one of the prettiest and cleanest cities I went to in Europe. There are a million canals, bikes, wide array of food, and friendly people everywhere. Nearly everyone in Amsterdam speaks English, so it was fairly easy to communicate with people.
Our very first day in Amsterdam, we were given a few hours of free time to explore the city. We took the city head-on and just aimlessly walked around. We took pictures at Dam Square, and then wandered off into one of the many narrow streets.
I didn't feel like I was going to Europe even while I was on the plane headed to Heathrow (our layover). I didn't feel like I was going to Europe even when I was already at the airport in Amsterdam, but I finally felt like I'd arrived when I saw the old buildings in Amsterdam. They looked simultaneously historic and modern all at once, and I felt that I was living in the middle of such a rich and interesting culture. This is where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary (yes, we got to tour the house), where marijuana and mushrooms are legal, where prostitution is legal, where there are a million well kept canals, and where bikes outnumber cars (yes, we rented Dutch bikes). It's a wonderfully interesting mix of chaos and order. While contemplating the city's beauty and culture, a woman in her underwear appeared in a window. We'd stumbled into the red light district! There was no warning, no signs, it was just THERE. We learned, over the course of a few days, that the hotter women come out at night. The gross pregnant looking women were out by day just talking on their cell phones, and looked totally unappealing.
OK, so Amsterdam is a little scandalous, but it's also very beautiful at night! Lookie:
Some random stuff:
- Because their stairs are so narrow, people have to move their furniture in through their windows. Almost every building has a little hook attached to the top, in the event that you have to move in the old way: by rope.
- Buildings are typically slightly tilted forward. This is to prevent furniture from rubbing against/hitting the building when it's being hoisted up.
- Frites are HUGE in Amsterdam. There are different flavored toppings that go with it. Dan had garlic mayo topping on his frites. It sounds gross, but they were fricken delicious!
- These are the male porto-potties in Amsterdam. I saw a man peeing like this one night. It took me a while to figure out what he was doing, but eventually realized that he was relieving himself. It was gross at first, but think about how much SPACE these things save! Instead of four big porto-potties, you have one.
- This was taken at a diamond factory in Amsterdam. I am wearing a ring with 120 facets. Apparently, Amsterdam has a patent on this type of diamond cutting. It's beautiful and just makes it blindingly sparkly.
- Everyone's been asking if I tried absinthe while I was there. I didn't, but a few friends did. Here's how the bartender was prepping it:
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