As we zig-zagged our way through the streets we passed over many a canal, such as this one below. Boats parked beside cars, and bicycles wizzing past.
There is a ton of art throughout the city, from the Van Gogh Museum (VG lived in Amsterdam for a while) to anonymous bronze pieces stuck surreptitiously on the cobble-stoned sidewalk....ok so maybe its not that discreet, but it's cool that you can just be walking around and come across something like this, no? Our tour guide told us that some authorities removed it some time after it was placed there, and the public made such an outcry that it was put back.
AHHHHHHH
Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle. We wanted to rent some for a day, but as you can see the weather was against us. We were warned that the people of Amsterdam like to play a game: points for every tourist you hit. The ringing of bicycle bells was constantly in our ears, and we were quickly trained to jump out of the way.
Did I mention that it's legal to buy and sell Cannabis seeds? While it is not illegal to smoke weed, it is not exactly legal. You have to go to a "Coffee Shop" to buy that stuff, and the shop owners aren't allowed to advertise that they sell weed....but they still make it pretty obvious.
Your eyes do not deceive you, these houses are leaning at odd angles, and it was done on purpose. I think it was because they seemed bigger and more impressive...ha. Imagine standing in front of one of these and looking up to see it loom over you...but then you see it from the side and it just looks like the builders were high (HA! PUN!).
'Nuff said.
Heineken Museum! We learned how this beautiful brew is blended together. At the end we were given two complimentary drinks. Geah. Later that night we went on a pub crawl, so the museum was both educational and practical, as we could get our drink on. Below is Meaghan and Kelsey and a brewing vat.
Erotica Museum, can't visit Amsterdam without a stop at this gem. We saw drawings by John Lennon, and a whole lot of naked people in interesting positions. At the top floor we tried on some costumes..as you can see from the pic below. That's me on the left, and Laura on the right... scandalous!
I don't want to talk about this one.
Hurray for Clogs! It's true, people in Holland used to wear wooden clogs for shoes. How they made those comfortable, I have no idea. You'll notice 'XXX' painted on top this shoe. It was also on the pink elephant's tie from the above picture. Those three X's are all over the city, on buildings, benches, trees. I don't think our tour guide ever explained why it's so symbolic of Amsterdam, but I think it's because...well, try saying it three times fast.
(From Left to Right, me, Kelsey, Laura C, and Meaghan)
If I've convinced you that Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and entertaining cities that I've visited so far (and I hope I have) then you should get on a plane at your earliest convenience and get over there before it's too late. The government is planning to shut down many 'coffee shops', and soon you will have to be a citizen of the country to engage with weed (however it is that you do it). The gov doesn't like the negative tourism that their city attracts. We were some of the last lucky ones to experience this city at it's best.
Once again, despite my previous words of urgency, don't plan your trip until Spring when you can ride bicycles and goggle of their splendid array of flowers. And take me with you.
P.S. You'll notice that there aren't any pictures of prostitutes. This is because if they see you taking their picture, they will hurl a jug of piss at you. Picture taking is viewed as incredibly rude, so don't even think about it!
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