Amsterdam

As we enter the city of Amsterdam, I was not sure what the expect. As a college student, it’s reputation for sex and drugs precede just about anything else that you might hear about it.

We took the train from Den Haag, where we were staying with Mariah’s uncle to the main Amsterdam station situated smack dab in the center of the city. Exiting the train station, you are first met by a beautiful view of wide broad roads, beautiful typical Holland houses, large Cathedrals  and trams going in every direction. Amsterdam is definitely the tourist capital of the Netherlands and it’s hard to tell who is a tourist and who lives here. Considering that we were there during winter, I wonder how much more the streets could have been packed in peak travel time.

I was surprised to be met with a very beautiful and clean city, full of canals and channels that weave through every corner of the city. Like the trams, they span out in every direction from this central station. All the houses along the channels seemed to be hundred of years old, maintaining their signature dutch look. They  all feel like those little doll houses that I had always grown up imagining the streets of Europe are filled with - except occupied by modern shops and technology. As we continued to flow in the crowd down the sides of the canals, on our way to one of the most reputed museums in Amsterdam, we kept stumbling on different areas.

Not far from the train station, our first stumble landed us right in the heart of the red light district. Living in the beautiful century old houses like the rest of the city, the red light district was buzzing with people even in broad daylight. At first it seems like just any other street in Amsterdam, but a few steps down the block, you will know exactly where you are. Looking into the windows of the shops of the left and right, the products on sale are definitely very alive - waving and flirting with you, inviting you to come in for some “fun”. Women of all type, dressed in seductive lingerie stand in all the windowsills of this street, trying to lure in customers. The windows with closed curtains are the successful stores which have found a buyer.

As we make a few more turns, we stumble into a row of “Coffee shops” which don’t seem to sell any traditional coffee. The main products of these stores are mild doses of narcotics, blended into a hot drink of your choice - “just the right amount to keep you alert, like red bull” I was told. “ A little burst of stamina for whatever you may need to do ;) “. If you prefer to take the drugs straight, you can purchase them separately as well. The atmosphere inside this store is very lively, usually with hip music and very bold, unique decorations that promote the consumption of these narcotics.

People wander the streets  seeking enrichment in all forms. I found this as a very real reminder of how artificial all of our rules and laws are. Everyday we are told how smoking, drinking in public and prostitution are evil things that are against the law. But here in Amsterdam, these same acts are contributors to the revenue and taxes that keep the city going. Crime does not seem to have increased or injustice does not seem to prevailed either, as one might expect with the legalization of these things.

We continued to weave the city following the different canals and trams. Now or eye is set on seeing the largest art collection in the Netherlands - The Rijks museum. Like the Louvre, it lives in a large castle that has recently been under renovation that has expanded their display pieces to 8000 out of their 1 million objects. It was a very enriching feeling to admire the works of great artists like Rembrandt and Frans Hals, who where defining members of the Hollands art. It was a lot to take in. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned this trip is that it’s not about seeing every painting, it’s about enjoying the ones that you do see thoroughly.