Wham bam Amterdam. Or in my case, I don't smoke cannabis, I needed to drive later that day so no night out drinking, and I don't pay for sex, so just 'Amsterdam'. I feel with these constraints I didn't really get the most out of Amsterdam, I was probably the wrong person to go there. Maybe if my life collapses, I'll one day go and indulge in the vices. For now, really just a flying visit.

To get the boring stuff out of the way first, traffic from Rotterdam was awful. Parking in Amsterdam on the street costs 4 euros an hour, and only takes coins so if you've just arrived in Europe with a wodge of notes, you're a bit fucked. Luckily, I met three police officers who (of course) spoke English and eventually directed me to an underground parking lot for the museums, which cost the same but I could pay later. So I only really started my tour about midday, and due to being rushed, I missed out on the Stedelijk Museum and Nieuwe Kerk, which I should have seen. I also didn't know where I was going, and the tourist information center which I looked for for half an hour had been shut down.
Anyway, I guess my first impressions of Amsterdam was that it was a Brugge which had lived into the 20th century and been a little sullied by it. The housing was pretty, but with a air of maturity; an over-experienced middle aged man compared with the Brugge-jolly-old-grandpa who makes wooden toys for a hobby.

Three rings of canals circle the center due to an expansion by some king or other, and the land allotment was strictly regulated resulting in peaceful wide corridors of water surrounded by tall thin buildings. They are really nice to stroll down, generally free of cars and trams, and make Amsterdam seem a really pleasant place to live.

Just on the outskirts south of the old town one such ring contains a stretch with a flower market, consecutive greenhouses lining the street. Flowers are of course generally what they sell with the ever present tulip, but they are really small garden centres selling seeds, plants of all kinds, garden ornaments and so on. It's good to see that a flower market exists in a capital city - it shows that the people are willing to pay for small niceties which up the living standard a bit and make everyone just a generally a bit happier.
The radial routes are a bit different, generally big shopping streets with their fair share of kebab takeaways, as they suck you into the heart of the old town. The main street to the center from the south, Rokin, is wide with large tram routes and car lanes, and really, a bit concrete. Even the nice housing is made a bit grimy with functional shops at the bottom supplying the city. In retrospect, I should really have made more use of the side streets.

Rokin exits onto the main expansive square, I think it was called "Dam", which is host to several regal looking buildings and a large palace, and then continues as Damrak to the hub.

Parallel to this runs a pedestrian only shopping street full of cheap crap and fat citizens. Eventually, it leads to a slightly awkward looking dock containing the tour boats in front of the train station, and then to the east, the red light district.

During the day, the red light district seems a bit silly, as if the naked excitement of the night had just been embarrassingly exposed in the daytime. A bit like a nightclub when they turn the lights on at the end of the night and everyone starts behaving normally without the darkness. It's still full of people, quite a few tourists, but also quite a few people it seemed who were just waiting for it to get dark again; I came across two groups of confused american teenagers looking a bit disappointed, one of them saying "I don't understand - I'm sure it gets a lot better somewhere around here - trust me, it's awesome". I didn't go searching for strip joints or cannabis cafes so I can't tell you where it really was awesome just the next street over, or whether they'd just have to wait until nightfall, which is what I suspect.

Following my guidebook, I went to a church, Oude kerk, in the centre of the red-light district, a "haven of repentance". My concentration was on taking pictures of it that I jumped when a loud tapping sounded just behind me, and Iooked round quickly to find a clear door with two prostitutes in lingerie gesticulating at me to join them. Slow business, I guess, during the day. looking further at the buildings around the church, they all had fully plastic doors with bored looking prostitutes in underwear sitting on chairs. I didn't take a picture incase they charged me for it.

Given that it was a flying visit, I didn't go to any cafes, but I did go past a few, most of which were a little tacky, with names like "house of bongs" or "stoned palace" on them - names I've made up, but in that kind of mentality. I was a bit disappointed that they were a bit tacky, and not relaxed with a bit of classiness about them. However, I've since looked at http://matadornights.com/seven-coffee-shops-in-amsterdam-that-are-good-to-go/ which shows a few classier cafes.

Earlier on in the day but later on in the writeup, I went to the large expanse of green surrounded by museums south of the old town. It seems to be the primary place to come and relax, walk the dog, sunbathe etc. for the inner city. Further south west is the larger Volndel Park, which I have been told is more popular with the townsfolk. Expansive parks are always quite refreshing to go to after a packed town center.

And then, of course, the Van Gogh museum. Unsurprisingly, full of Van Goghs. (his paintings not shit loads of the man himself.) Good to see the famous self portrait and sunflowers; what I didn't know was that his early stuff was completely different from his famous works - so dark and dreary that sometimes is is hard to make out what he actually painted. Black, dark brown, dark green. Quite ugly, really.
So, I feel I've given a poor review of Amsterdam due to my speedy visit. If you go, I'd stay a couple of days to see the Red light district at night, as it's allegedly supposed to get strangely artistic in the dark; and I'd plan to go to a cafe rather than just planning on bumping into a good one. And take different routes into and out of town to see nicer streets than I did. And go for a boat tour. I think Amsterdam may be best appreciated not after fraught hours of driving and parking.

TommyG

United States102 Posts

July 04 2009 13:24 GMT

your trips seem really boring

ghermination

United States2851 Posts

July 04 2009 13:31 GMT

Seems like a really nice place, although i have to say that if i ever went there i'd probably be too messed up to appreciate the buildings etc. How many high/drunk people did you see wandering the streets?

On July 04 2009 22:24 TommyG wrote:
your trips seem really boring

never had a reason to use that before... Thats really impolite D:

Piste

6183 Posts

July 04 2009 13:32 GMT

is there a special reason why you don't smoke cannabis? (just asking becouse if you still drink)

4Servy

Netherlands1542 Posts

July 04 2009 13:48 GMT

Amsterdam is the best city there is :p, btw I work on the rijksmueum's renovation (3rd pic from below).
If you really want to see of all of it you gota stay like a week, for the real good pubs n clubs you gota know the town a bit but thats prolly normal for every big city.

betaben

681 Posts

July 04 2009 13:59 GMT

On July 04 2009 22:24 TommyG wrote:
your trips seem really boring

Well, it depends on what your situation is, and what you want to get out of it. I want to see most of a city, and get a feel for the people, architecture, etc, not really get smashed/take drugs/go out all of which I could do at home. It'd seem a pity to go to Amsterdam and waste the time there. And I can't really do any of those things traveling alone, because I'd lose my car or get mugged. Also, situation-wise if you're on a budget and time constrained, it cuts down your options for doing loads of stuff.

On July 04 2009 22:31 ghermination wrote:
How many high/drunk people did you see wandering the streets?

sorry, noone was absolutely out of their head. Maybe bcause I was there during the day.

On July 04 2009 22:32 Piste wrote:
is there a special reason why you don't smoke cannabis? (just asking becouse if you still drink)

Not really, I can't see the point in taking up another drug. I'm trying to cut down on drinking; My friends now live away from me, so I meet up with them in public places mostly, not really suitable for smoking. And as a group, we never used to do it socially.

Random()

Kyrgyz Republic1462 Posts

July 04 2009 14:14 GMT

I have flown via Amsterdam airport so many times, but never had an opportunity to visit the town itself. Sucks to be a national of a god forsaken republic that needs a visa to go just about anywhere.

Ziph

Netherlands970 Posts

July 04 2009 14:16 GMT

You are so fucking lucky with the weather man ^^ the weather is so goooooooooood FINNALY after fucking months and months of rain lolol.

FirstBorn

Romania3955 Posts

July 04 2009 15:19 GMT

Seems like you're having a great time there and by the looks from the pics the weather is favoring you.

This was an enjoyable read, I'm also a bit jealous.

gEzUS

Canada371 Posts

July 04 2009 16:38 GMT

#10

BEST CITY ON EARTH ! GREY AREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btw you should totally try some of the pot there, its somewhere in between coffee and beer

St0rmRush

Brazil448 Posts

July 04 2009 17:31 GMT

#11

On July 05 2009 01:38 gEzUS wrote:
BEST CITY ON EARTH ! GREY AREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btw you should totally try some of the pot there, its somewhere in between coffee and beer

this stetament is not true. coffee is totally oposite of pot. beer not so much,but still a lot different.

eXigent.

Canada2419 Posts

July 04 2009 18:19 GMT

#12

Ive always been curious about how much the sex shops typically charge. In Canada, to hire an escort for that sort of thing is usually around $3-500/hr. I imagine its alot cheaper there?

gEzUS

Canada371 Posts

July 25 2009 12:56 GMT

#13

k well escort in canada
100$ nasty ass hoe
200$ do-able but man you might regret it the next day
300$ hot to some maybe not to all
400$ + a Dime every TIME

not that ive tried...

and amsterdam 40 Euros for a BJ with condom i think 80 for doing the nasty

but the girls get boned by the oldest fattest dirtiest dudes, and its a party city so finding a girl isnt hard.

clazziquai

6685 Posts

July 25 2009 12:57 GMT

#14

Lucky.

Europe is a beautiful country.