Well, here it is: Eurotrip 2009! I'm finally here after two whole years of making and changing plans! After a long, painstaking wait in the Calgary International Airport, another painful 8 hours in the air, and a delayed flight in London Gatwick airport, we landed! So far I've only been in Amsterdam for a day and a half, but after 8 ish hours of walking today, I can safely say that I've seen a whole lot of the original Sin City!
After arriving at the Schipol airport, buying a ticket and catching a train last night, we were given some vague directions to our hostel...and after wandering with increasingly heavy backpacks, and stress levels hitting the roof, we made it! The Stayokay Stadstoelen hostel is pretty big, and extremely expensive, but for two nights in Amsterdam, it has proven clean, and it's near all the good stuff.
Today, Shayla and I met up with her friend Sjoerd, who is local to Holland, and he took on the role of tour guide, which he perfected! He took us all around the city. We saw gorgeous old churches, went on a canal tour around the city (the canals, might I add, are the only reason why The Netherlands aren't under the sea right now), sampled Jupiler beer (excellent), and of course, walked through the infamous Red Light District...much of which has been shut down.
It's pretty mind blowing to see all of those women of all nationalities standing there behind the glass wearing fancy lingerie and doing their best to lure men their way. Although it's a must for any traveller in Amsterdam, I found it quite sad. The Red Light District is peppered with sex shops, peep shows, sketchy nightclubs, and "coffee shops" (where you can buy all kinds of dope). Photography is prohibited in the Red Light District, so despite how badly I wanted some visual memories, I had to restrain. Not only did I want to be respectful towards the prostitutes (laugh if you will), but I've heard that they can get pretty angry and sometimes violent...which I think I'd like to avoid if at all possible...after all, I've only been here a day.
Despite all the "be careful" warnings I received before leaving, I can honestly say that in Amsterdam, I did not feel threatened or uncomfortable at all. It was nice to have a local with us - especially in the Red Light District, but for the most part, everyone is friendly, and if you keep your wits about you and are aware of your surroundings - like you would be at home - you're guaranteed to have a lovely time!
Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com
I promise that I'll get some pictures up soon! Also, once we move on to Cologne, Frankfurt (where we meet up with Steph and Julie) and Heidlberg, expect some more blogging!
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