Amsterdam

I was lucky enough to be able to house/dog sit for a friend in Amsterdam. He lives outside of the center so it was nice to kind of get a feel for real life there. Unfortunately, every time I tried to walk to the center I got irrevocably lost, and ended up resigning myself to the bus after the first couple attempts. The first day there I walked into a bar way out of the way of everything to have lunch. Again, I was a little confused by the Dutch menu, but cheated by using my guide as opposed to ask for one in English.

The sandwiches were inexpensive and as I couldn’t decide between the ‘cheese’ one and the ‘hummus with roasted veggies’ one I ordered (and devoured) them both. They were delicious! I got some weird looks for also drinking both coffee and a glass of beer, but hey, what can you do. The bar was really cool, I’m fairly sure it slanted oddly, but floor, walls and angled ceiling were all a dark rich wood and the furniture was all old with a lot of character. There was a giant brown cat walking around, but politely staying off the tables and not bothering the patrons.

Damrak Street

After lunch I headed to the center and walked down some of the more touristy and well-known streets. I headed down Damrak, past all of the souvenir shops to the main plaza, Dam square, and from there into the red light district.

The Prostitute Windows
(I stole this picture from google
images- they get mad if they see
a camera)

It was surprising, yet not entirely unexpected to see all of the prostitutes in their little windows, especially the ones immediately opposite a giant old church. There was also a preschool between the church and a smoke shop, across the street from some of the prostitutes, which I decided I liked in theory.

The basement cultivation in
Cannabis College

There were also a ton of bakeries with the most beautiful pastries in the windows- some (but not all) containing special ‘happy’ ingredients. Out of curiosity I bought a space muffin to try later on back at the house.

Scandalous plates
recovered from Pompeii

After a while I decided to warm up inside somewhere, and it was then that I stumbled across the Sex Museum. (There was another ‘erotic museum’ that looked sketchy that I had passed earlier.) This one featured art about sex- dating from ancient Greece to present day, and it was actually fascinating! I felt a little dirty going in there on my own, but then really who cares. My favorite pieces were little porcelain figurines from Japan in the 16th century, as well as the photos from the late 1800s (They were the most creative).

Bloemenmarkt

The rest of that day was spent exploring the center, the canals, and even accidentally what seemed to be a little china-town section. I also stumbled across the Bloemenmarkt- the flower market- which was lovely. There you can find all sorts of bloomed flowers, as well as bulbs and seeds for tulips, orchids- you name it.
That night I bought some groceries to cook with at the house (And a block of Dutch cheese, of course). After dinner, I had one tentative bite of my Space muffin and passed on out nice and early. I had no desire to finish it and that was the extent of my Dutch drug usage.

Gassan Diamonds
(notice the ring on my pinkie!)

The next day I walked around some more (took Hercules, the dog, on a long walk in a nearby park) and ducked into a lot of shops for a break in the cold. One of the things the Netherlands are known for are their diamonds. I went into one of the largest manufacturing names- Gassan Diamonds- for a free tour. As I was the only one there at that time, I got my own private tour guide. We walked through the area where they were measuring and polishing the stones, then where they were setting and creating the jewelry. She described all of the ratings of a diamond, as well as the whole process very thoroughly. At the end, we went into a private gallery where one of my tour guide’s friends had been showing her designs. She opened it all back up for me and let me try on everything. While the 800,000 € earrings were a bit gaudy for my taste, there was a lovely, elegant white gold with diamonds and an emerald ring that was, in my opinion, very ‘me’. Finally I had to give it back and the tour continued, culminating in a free cup of coffee. A highly enjoyable event.

Van Gogh, self portrait

My plan for the following day had been to rent a bicycle (EVERYONE there rides them EVERYWHERE.) it was even colder and drizzlier than the previous days so despite my layers of long-underwear under my normal clothes I was so cold and miserable by the time that I arrived to the rental place that I just told them nevermind. Instead, I headed over to the museum district and decided to give the Van Gogh museum a go. (I van went? I gave it a gogh?) 

It was really interesting to see the progression of his work and actually very comparable to the Picasso museum in Barcelona. Sadly, there was only one reference to the ‘unfortunate ear incident’- I had kind of been hoping for the juicy details. Anyway, lots of gorgeous paintings (my favorites were the ones of the forest undergrowth and almond tree blossoms), as well as some live music on the ground floor.

Fun Dutch Facts

(from the Prostitute Information Center and Lonely Planet guidebook)

Cute little Dutch Pancakelets
(not sure what they're really called)

• One in ten Dutch youth aged 15 to 20 years has smoked pot in the past 30 days, one of the lowest rates in Europe.
• Prostitution was legalized here in 1810; brothels in the year 2000. All prostitutes must pay taxes.
• The nation that provides the most clients for the prostitutes is (big surprise here) England.
• The typical base-cost of a sexual encounter is 50€. This is usually a 15-minute ‘quickie’.