EPT![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/canal2.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/firstsquare.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/canal-1.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/flower.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/mainstrret.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/palace-1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/square.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/shops.jpg)
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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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/redlight.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/kirk.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/museum.jpg)
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.
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/park.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt177/betaben/park2.jpg)
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.
