Sweeeeeeeet: Going to Amsterdam in the new year, top gear there...

I amste-(me)-rdam

From Muenster I took a train to Amsterdam. My plan was to meet up with another intern from the Transatlantic Program who was coincidentally there at the same time. He had already booked a hotel room for himself and two visiting American friends, and I was planning on crashing on their floor. The problem was that I had just found out about his travel and housing situations that daz, and I had just emailed him my travel info just a few hours before I was set to arrive. I didn't know if he was going to get the email that I had sent him, and he didn't have a cell phone, so I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to be able to meet up with him and that I was going to have to go hunting for something on my own, at 9:00 pm during the high season. I just crossed and assumed everything would work out... It did.

I arrrived and set out fin the direction of the hotel. As I was making my way there, but still quite a ways away, I suddenly heard my name shouted from across the street. It was my friend. By complete chance he and his party were returning at the same time as I was arriving.

Dam Square and Koninklijk Paleis.

I had planned on just crashing on his floor, but the hotel was such that the guests had to leave their keys at the front desk when departing, and they had to be buzzed back into the building when returning, with video surveillance monitoring the front door. (I suppose to discourage guests from bringing in prostitutes, and to keep the potentially drugged-up riff-raff out). Anyways, so I wasn't able to just stroll in as I had planned, and insted had to argue my way into the room and pay an extra fee to make it official. It turned out to be more expensive than if I would have just stayed in a hostel, but it was well worth it, as the place was nice and I was able to explore and experience the city and its legalities with friends rather than alone.

Not only did they spell 'brewery' incorrectly, but they misspelled 'Budweiser'!

I was only in Amsterdam for one full day, but I was able to see quite a lot. We went to the Rembrandt house, which houses many of his and his contemporaries' works, to the Van Gogh museum, to many cathedrals and palaces, and generally strolled along the winding streets and canals. Pretty city. We tried to visit Anne Frank's house, but we would've spent the whole day in line.

My friend outside the Van Gogh museum.

At night we hit the town and made a point to walk through the red light district. The district literally glows red. Every street within the district is lined with windowed doors framed with red fluorescent lights. Inside the doors are scantily-clad sirens seductively soliciting sex. The environment was really interesting, with the crowd a mixture of drunken/drugged groups of guys, curious tourists (including guided tours, elderly grandparents and all), and lone stags on the prowl. They were few girls (outside the prostitutes), and the girl that with us, my friend's friend from the US, was none to thrilled with the district's goings-on and frequently voiced her disgust with the male gender. I found it interesting. The district was completely non-intrusive and free from touts and harrassment, the women just sold themselves. To me, I guess it was like visiting a zoo. We walked through the streets in long processions and stared at the women, many of which weren't bad, through the glass. The district is lined with bars and coffee shops, adding a background of music and marijuana smoke to the proceedings.