Amsterdam - easily one of the more laid-back trips that I went on during my year abroad. I went on this trip with my friend Al, and by this point in the year we had already had our fill of big museums and trying to cram in every last tourist activity possible. For Amsterdam, we decided to try out a different approach. We did do a couple of typical touristy things during our four day stay, but most of the time was spent soaking up the culture of the city and doing what you're really supposed to do on a vacation - relax!
Two things that we did take part in during our stay was a trip to Anne Frank's house (Anne Frank Huis) and then we took a free tour of the city (they make their only profits off of tips - if you travel to a big city in Europe, you should really look into it). The experience of going to the Anne Frank house was indescribable. It's hard to explain what you take away from it (a once-in-a-lifetime experience), and I'd really recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.
The tour was great as well. We got to see all of the highlights of the city, as well as hear a few stories that we probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. History AND entertainment - what a combo! The tour guide himself was American, but he had really embraced the culture of Amsterdam. He summed up the city in a great way - he told us that people here are not necessarily all pot-smokers or sex addicts as one is prone to think (as ridiculous as it might sound). Their philosophy tends to be more along the lines of a "live and let live" outlook on life. They don't necessarily embrace prostitution or the use of marijuana, but at the same time they won't condemn someone for doing so. Judging from the livelihood of the city it seems to have worked for them at the very least economically!
Example of how the buildings in Amsterdam lean forward slightly. This was to keep cargo (which had to be hoisted to the attic due to lack of basement) from smashing into the side of the buildings as it was lifted from the canals
Amsterdam's narrowest house (the little red stripe there). This is because they used to be taxed by how wide your house was along the street.
Canal in Amsterdam
Baba - one of the many many coffeeshops
french fries with any kind of sauce imaginable!
The canals at night...
Front of the Anne Frank Huis
Anne Frank Huis
Bridge in Amsterdam - sooooooooo many bicycles.
More leaning buildings...
No explanation needed?
And they sold waffles with frosting.
See the red lights? Can you guess which district?
Sex shop about two blocks from our hostel... (This makes this blog post PG-13 I think...)
Two things that we did take part in during our stay was a trip to Anne Frank's house (Anne Frank Huis) and then we took a free tour of the city (they make their only profits off of tips - if you travel to a big city in Europe, you should really look into it). The experience of going to the Anne Frank house was indescribable. It's hard to explain what you take away from it (a once-in-a-lifetime experience), and I'd really recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.
The tour was great as well. We got to see all of the highlights of the city, as well as hear a few stories that we probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. History AND entertainment - what a combo! The tour guide himself was American, but he had really embraced the culture of Amsterdam. He summed up the city in a great way - he told us that people here are not necessarily all pot-smokers or sex addicts as one is prone to think (as ridiculous as it might sound). Their philosophy tends to be more along the lines of a "live and let live" outlook on life. They don't necessarily embrace prostitution or the use of marijuana, but at the same time they won't condemn someone for doing so. Judging from the livelihood of the city it seems to have worked for them at the very least economically!
Example of how the buildings in Amsterdam lean forward slightly. This was to keep cargo (which had to be hoisted to the attic due to lack of basement) from smashing into the side of the buildings as it was lifted from the canals
Amsterdam's narrowest house (the little red stripe there). This is because they used to be taxed by how wide your house was along the street.
Canal in Amsterdam
Baba - one of the many many coffeeshops
french fries with any kind of sauce imaginable!
The canals at night...
Front of the Anne Frank Huis
Anne Frank Huis
Bridge in Amsterdam - sooooooooo many bicycles.
More leaning buildings...
Sculpture re-creation of Rembrandt painting - The Nightwatch, I think?
Yet another coffeeshop...
No explanation needed?
And they sold waffles with frosting.
See the red lights? Can you guess which district?
Sex shop about two blocks from our hostel... (This makes this blog post PG-13 I think...)
No comments:
Post a Comment