But during those six months I got to visit him twice. And had a good time cavorting across the Dutch countryside. So here I show you Amsterdam, no passport required!
The first thing I noticed after getting off the train in Amsterdaam Centraal is that the primary mode of transportation in Amsterdam is by bicycle.
How would you like to have to find your bike in that mess?
Bicyclists have their own lanes, and if you dare walk in the "bike lane" at any time they will ring their bell at you to warn you to move. I was nearly run over a couple of times.
The second thing I noticed and loved is the tiny, narrow row houses. Looking at those reminded me of reading The Diary of Ann Frank and The Hiding Place.
Incidentally, do not have my pictures of the Ann Frank House because after my second trip my computer crashed and I lost everything.
The third thing I noticed were the canals. it is no wonder that Amsterdam is called the "Venice of the North."
And lastly, the infamous Red Light District. As we all know, Amsterdam is famous for things that most cities do not want to be famous for -- prostitutes and drugs. As a matter of fact, the city government is trying to clean up its image. Good thing I got there before that happened!
Even though my friend did not want to take me through the Red Light District, I insisted. I had traveled all this way, I wanted to see the naked women! The coffee shops offering you more than just coffee! My sister had just seen naked men dancing at the Moulin Rouge, I wanted to top that.
The concession, however, was no pictures. Apparently, there are unwritten rules outlining how to behave in the Red Light District and one of them is no pictures, unless you have express permission.
And it was.....interesting. We walked around during the day, because he absolutely did not want to at night. I sorta knew what to expect, but there really is nothing than can prepare for walking down a street and then all of a sudden seeing naked women on display in their little apartments. You can't just stare, that would be rude. So what do you do? Wave? Smile? Give a thumbs-up? The peace sign? I opted for a subtle wave and smile.
Some other sights around Amsterdam were the Royal Palace, which the Queen now only uses to receive some guests now and again:
This is the oldest courtyard in Amsterdam,
dating back to the late 1300's.
And now Blogger is throwing a hissy-fit so I shall publish this now.
Join me next week for the next installment of No Passport Required where I show you pictures from my weekend in Paris.
0 comments:
Post a Comment