So in a way, we got to see Amsterdam in two different perspectives! When we first arrived last Saturday (sorry we didn't blog then, no internet!) we were exhausted from the overnight bus ride, and after our hike through the woods, I pretty much passed out on the lawn in front of our cabin. Christina's interpertation of those days were pretty accurate, I did try to go horseback riding since there are horsesd everywhere, but since I didn't have my gear I wasn't able to go. Such a bummer, it wasn't too bad though cause the stables were the cheapest place to eat! I love ham and cheese tosti's!!! This cabin proved to be are most relaxing home away from home. That's probably what made it so difficult when we traded our cozy (now smelling kinda funny) cabin for the most disgusting hostel in the red light district!!!! Lucky for us we didn't stay very long, I mean we had a Dave Matthews Show to get to! Yep that's right another show, which was soooo worth it. I got front row, my chest was against the bar. I'm fairly sure, Dave saw me and smiled (this may be wishful thinking, but I think we may have it on video!) At the end of the show, Carter (the drummer) throws his drum stix. Already aware of this ritual, I took my pencils and sketch pad to create three signs for us to hold up in the air at this time. I'd like to think that it was my creativity, ok and the help of Kup's sholders that helped me catch that drumstick. I wish we had that recorded! I don't know if I'll every be able to see a Dave Matthew's concert the same way again!
Now when I think of Amsterdam, I think of four things:
1. Pot- yes they have weed and hash everywhere! Although, it didn't seem like too many of the locals take part. It was mostly Americans in all of the coffee shops. It's pretty funny because the cops always get phone calls from tourists thinking that they've ODed on weed. According to our tour guide, Amsterdam is coming down on old traditions. Mushrooms are no longer legal, and they aren't issuing any more business permits for coffee shops. Its also super easy to close down a shop because the laws are so strict. After our explorations, I really don't understand why the stuff is illegal in the first place. Everyone was sooo relaxed, way better than drinking.
2. Red Light District- Ok so, to tell you the truth I expected a strip like Las Vegas with bright lights and loud people. So you could understand how confused I was when I walked into the district and had no idea! Yes there are prostitutes up and down the streets standing in windows as you walk by. But once you got used to the abundance of sex shops, windows, and naughty pictures, you were mezmorised (well maybe confused is a better word) by the walkways and canals!
3. History- Those of you who don't know, WWII was a huge thing around here. Well... it was a huge deal all around the world, but here there was more first hand information. In fact Anne Frank's annex is here! So of course we took a free walking tour of the city to learn as much as we could. I learned that the reason why the houses lean forward isn't because the foundation was sinking, they purposely did that because the stairs in the house were too narrow to carry things. So in the front of the house they put a levy, now the houses that lean to the side, their foundation is sinking since Amsterdam was built on a marsh and built with boards.
4. Bikes!- Ok so every resident in Amsterdam owns at least two bikes! And when the bike breaks, they just throw the old bike in the canal. A man with a boat goes through the canals collecting the bikes, fixing them and reselling them! Just don't get hit, they are maniacs on their bikes!
That should be it for now, if you want to see Amsterdam the way it is now I highly suggest going soon. There will be huge changes within the next year or so from what we were told! If you do go, I highly suggest the coffee ;)
~cheryl
1. Pot- yes they have weed and hash everywhere! Although, it didn't seem like too many of the locals take part. It was mostly Americans in all of the coffee shops. It's pretty funny because the cops always get phone calls from tourists thinking that they've ODed on weed. According to our tour guide, Amsterdam is coming down on old traditions. Mushrooms are no longer legal, and they aren't issuing any more business permits for coffee shops. Its also super easy to close down a shop because the laws are so strict. After our explorations, I really don't understand why the stuff is illegal in the first place. Everyone was sooo relaxed, way better than drinking.
2. Red Light District- Ok so, to tell you the truth I expected a strip like Las Vegas with bright lights and loud people. So you could understand how confused I was when I walked into the district and had no idea! Yes there are prostitutes up and down the streets standing in windows as you walk by. But once you got used to the abundance of sex shops, windows, and naughty pictures, you were mezmorised (well maybe confused is a better word) by the walkways and canals!
3. History- Those of you who don't know, WWII was a huge thing around here. Well... it was a huge deal all around the world, but here there was more first hand information. In fact Anne Frank's annex is here! So of course we took a free walking tour of the city to learn as much as we could. I learned that the reason why the houses lean forward isn't because the foundation was sinking, they purposely did that because the stairs in the house were too narrow to carry things. So in the front of the house they put a levy, now the houses that lean to the side, their foundation is sinking since Amsterdam was built on a marsh and built with boards.
4. Bikes!- Ok so every resident in Amsterdam owns at least two bikes! And when the bike breaks, they just throw the old bike in the canal. A man with a boat goes through the canals collecting the bikes, fixing them and reselling them! Just don't get hit, they are maniacs on their bikes!
That should be it for now, if you want to see Amsterdam the way it is now I highly suggest going soon. There will be huge changes within the next year or so from what we were told! If you do go, I highly suggest the coffee ;)
~cheryl
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