Travel| EuroTrippin Part 9: Amsterdam, The Tale of Two Cities

I've been trying to find the words to describe Amsterdam. I should preface this story by saying, I've never smoked cigarettes or pot in my life. I've never been high on any substance or drunk to the point I've blacked out or thrown up or even been disgustingly hungover the next day. I don't judge people who do but I don't like not being in control of my body/actions or that uninhibited in public. I say this because when I told people I went/was going to Amsterdam, everyone assumed that I was going to be high off my ass in a cafe all day...and maybe I should've taken in some debuachery but that goes with one of my travel tips: Be who you are where ever you are and remember who that person is...Meaning, if you don't like to wake up early, being in a foreign country is not going to motivate you to wake up early to check the sights. Don't schedule early things. ConverseAdditionally, if you don't smoke pot, don't do it just because you're in Amsterdam where everyone else is smoking pot.

Well, not everyone.

When I talked to my host about why he moved from Israel to Amsterdam, he told me he moved for love. He met his girlfriend on a long weekend and never went back home. Romantic, yes? Whatever.
I also asked him about how he felt about the reputation the city has for being home for all these vices. He didn't care. He felt like Amsterdam was much more than sex shops and cafes. After spending a bit of time there, I agreed.

When I got off the tram, the first sights I was bombarded with were young tourists looking like the cat that ate the canary: eager to indulge in whatever they wanted for the night and a black man preaching the gospel of Jesus in Dutch in the middle of the crowd. Amsterdam is a verrrry religious city but yet you can basically take drugs, buy a hooker and eat a cheeseburger out of a vending machine. Liberating, yes? It had me thinking about how Amsterdam would fare as an American city with our crazy religious fanatics. I don't think it would do well. Our religious people condemn instead of help. I didn't get that feeling in Amsterdam. I told a coworker of mine my philosophy about religion which is...they all say to love one another. I can love my hooker friend without stoning her to death or paying for her services, no?
What I also noted about the city was how even though you know people are getting high and doing whatever, they weren't acting crazy in the streets. I never felt unsafe or like some man high on shrooms was going to push me in a canal or take advantage of me. Maybe they have it right. Allow people to do what they want in a safe environment and that makes it safer for the community as a whole.

Also, the city was super clean and they are really green. On many streets, you have a choice to throw your trash either in a regular waste bin, a bin for plastic and a bin for glass. Who knew? The city encourages bikes and many people use them as their primary source of transportation. I also loved their tram and bus system which all have maps of where you're going and where you are at that particular moment.

Bike parking....all over the city

Tram. Line 13

I started my day with a sandwich at an Irish pub. It was the only place open that had free wifi and food where I could seek asylum from the rain that randomly fell out of nowhere (European weather)....

ham cheese with onions, cucumber, tomato and egg...would love to say it was delicious, but....

I then walked my way to Museumplein....to take pics next to the I Amsterdam sign

 

Some kids were ice skating right next to the sign. I wanted to join but couldn't risk getting hurt in another country. The clouds in this picture are amazing and representative of my time in Eurpe. It's sunny but there's always the risk of bad weather looming.

I did what I do best and that was get lost. All I wanted to do was find a windmill! It took me some time but I found it! There are only 2 left in Amsterdam.

It was getting dark and I decided to check out the other side of Amsterdam...the seedier tacky side.

 the shops are straight forward....you know what you're getting into...okay!

 

The Nazis didn't just try to extinguish Jews but they also hated gays. The gay community in Amsterdam is now becoming more prominent.

 

gay Ken dolls

 By the time I made it to the Red Light District, it was dark. I caught a small peek of it before I headed the other direction. Photography is not permitted. Women alone at night are not encouraged to go...anything can happen. So, I ate another waffle. This one is a liege waffle which is thicker than the light crispy ones in Belgium.

tipped with chocolate sauce, strawberries and whipped cream

 

Tram

I hung around some more before taking the tram to the Megabus..

Back to London!

More Europe stories here
More Amsterdam photos here.