We travelled from London to Amsterdam very early starting at 4a. It was 11pm California-time so we felt ok. Our new hotel was fantastic! It normally costs 300 Euros a night and we stayed for 2 nights, the included 2 breakfasts we had costs 30 Euro per meal and worth every penny! Of course everything was included in our package so we basically got everything half off through our travel company Trafalgar.
We went through a guide tour of the canals and the red light district where we learned about the history of how it all began. Amsterdam was built on water and every square inch is expensive because they literally have to create land to build on. Many of the buildings are very old and tend to lean into one another due to the underground shifting of the man made foundation over the water. The canals all smelled very clean because they are constantly being "refreshed" with the nearby salt water from the ocean. We visited just after the King's Day celebration and the big soccer win which created some excitement in the city streets. The city is always maintaining the buildings, streets and canals with constant renovations so as to keep everything safe and secure.
The Red Light District... The last time I took a picture here I was beaten over the head and my camera was stopped into the ground! I didn't know you weren't suppose to take pictures of the perdy ladies in the windows... This is not allowed. We had a marvelous Dutch guide named "Lanika" but she told us if we couldn't remember that than we could call her "Heniken" :) She fearlessly led our group of 20+ through the chaos of the busy streets talking to us through walkie talkies with headphones so we could hear her every word within a block radius. We passed all the marijuana filled coffee shops, massive snack shops with giant displays of decadent pastries, pizzas, etc for the late night snackers. We passed through tiny alleys on cobblestone streets that we could barely pass through. We walked past the small glass windows containing Red Light Ladies of the Night in their UV hot pink lit rooms which illuminated their brightly colored lngerie which glowed neon colors. It felt a bit like we were in a haunted house with strangely lit creatures lurking around every corner. We watched as groups of guys pushed their friends into these rooms while shouting "happy birthday!" Our guide told us that the Dutch look at these women as doing a public service as they started by offering the sailors who ported there years ago many of whom had been away for many years, holding up lanterns from the land so the ships could see them as they sailed in. Flash forward a few hundred years, the Red Light District Escorts take in men of all psychologies and statures sometimes even keeping the psychos from raping women by providing this service. The Red Light District has churches and schools on the same block as marijuana cafés and prostitutes. It is widely accepted by the Dutch people that this is all just a part of life and should not be hidden, and even regulated as any other legit business.
That night, we went to one of the oldest Dutch restaurants in the area which served basically the same menu as they did 400 years prior. The building was an old Dutch house with dark wooden walls, lots of paintings and very steep stairwells primary because the buildings are tall and narrow. We had prearranged three course meals with unlimited wine that flowed nicely as did the conversations with our fellow travelers. The waitstaff still dressed in the same red and black attire as was depicted in the many old paintings throughout the building. The food was amazing as was the service, I'm so glad we went!
