Amsterdam, The Netherlands: (18 pictures) – Days 32 and 35
Danish guys from night train - These are the guys I shared an
overnight compartment with on the night train from Copenhagen to Amsterdam.
We stayed up almost all of the night drinking beer and having a good time
talking since they spoke English very well. They were all excited
because they were just starting their European trip together.
Koninklijk (Royal) Palace - This is located in the main square
in Amsterdam. It's about 350 years old and was built as a city hall.
Now it's the official but not actual residence of the Queen.
Former Heineken Brewery - Of course I had to check out the place
where they used to make Heineken beer. They now have something called
the Heineken Experience located here. It's pretty cool because it's
a combination of a museum, interactive exhibits like motion simulators,
and it even has a bar at the end that has samples included with the admission
price.
Rijks (National) Museum - This is one of the two famous museums
in Amsterdam (the other is the Van Gogh Museum). I decided not to
go to either one because they were both too expensive, and more importantly
I was burned out on museums by this time and I wouldn't have even enjoyed
them if I did go.
Canal - Amsterdam actually has more canals than Venice and over
90 islands. This is just one of them near the main street in the
city.
The Old Church - This church was right in the middle of the
red light district.
Bike Garage near Train Station - It seems that everybody
in Amsterdam must have at least two or three bikes. They are everywhere.
This is a three story garage right outside the train station just for bikes.
It was totally full and there were still bikes everywhere else surrounding
the train station.
Train Station - The Amsterdam train station is right in the
middle of the city. All of the roads and canals spread out like a
fan from the pretty building.
Bookcase and hidden stairs from Anne Frank House - I didn't
have time to take a good picture here because they weren't actually allowed
inside the house. But this shows the bookcase that was opened to
reveal a hidden staircase that Anne Frank used to get to the attic area
where she hid.
Anne Frank House - This is the outside of the house, although
it has been renovated since the museum was located here. The building
was originally a warehouse on the bottom floor with offices and storerooms
located above it. The area where Anne Frank and the other people
were hidden was in the back of the building near the top.
Red Light District - This is the famous Red Light District of
Amsterdam. I had heard stories about it, but still the whole thing
still surprised me. There were hundreds of women all behind glass
doors. It reminded me kind of like a pet store where all the dogs
look at you as you walk by and are just begging to be picked. The
Red Light District is actually a pretty part of town though with all the
old buildings and canals everywhere.
Red Light District - My first night in Amsterdam was a Saturday
night, so the streets in the Red Light District were packed with people
all walking around looking at all the women. Each one of the red
lights in the picture has a prostitute "working" underneath it. The
hostel I stayed at was pretty much right in the middle of the Red Light
District, but it was a Christian hostel, so I had to be in by 1 a.m., and
it was safe.
Red Light District - Here is one more picture of the Red
Light District where you can actually see a couple of the girls behind
the windows. They were usually wearing very little clothing and positioned
in very suggestive poses. As you walked by sometimes they would tap
on the window and motion for you to come inside. I wasn't supposed
to take this picture, but I was across a canal, so nobody stopped me.
Leidseplein Square - This is where I ate my final dinner in
Europe. They have a lot of restaurants, bars, and theaters in this
area of Amsterdam.
Flower Market - Amsterdam has a huge flower market. The
Netherlands are best known for their tulips, but they also had all kinds
of other flowers.
Canal on Damrak Street - This is the main street in Amsterdam
. There is a canal to the right and you can just barely see the train
station in the center of the background.
Marijuana Plants- This is the other famous plant, besides tulips,
that is grown in Amsterdam. No Mom, I didn't try any, even though
it was entirely legal everywhere in Amsterdam.
Coffee Shop - Marijuana was only sold in "coffee shops".
So anywhere you saw the words coffee shop, you would know they sold marijuana
there (they sold coffee in cafes by the way). These were everywhere
in Amsterdam though. Usually you would smell the smoke coming out
of them before you even saw them. The marijuana is smoked only
inside these places also, as it is frowned upon if you smoke in the streets.
Continue on to Bruges, Belgium
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