Prostitution the New Window Shopping?



Amsterdam

You guessed it, we spent some time in Amsterdam after Belgium. It's a nice city with canals running through the center, although it's below sea level and is sinking. You can tell because the buildings drastically lean to the side, it's pretty crazy. An American man we met who has been living in The Netherlands for 15 years or so said that every few years, the Dutch have to completely repave their roads to make them level again. We were at a bar, and the ground was ridiculously slanted. He said that the Dutch know how to keep down water, and when the levees broke in New Orleans during Katrina, they were called in to help.

Anyway, I know everyone thinks of legalized marijuana and prostitution when they think of Amsterdam, and of course it's true. Along with cigarette smoke, the smell of weed drifts through the air. There are hundreds of "coffee shops" where all different kinds of marijuana are available on a menu. It's considered rude to roll up a fatty and smoke outdoors, just FYI. I'm sure you're wondering if we partook, and so I'll just tell you that the answer is no. It's not something I'm personally interested in, and we thought we'd not participate in the cliche'. Some friends of ours said that most Dutch don't smoke marijuana, even though it's legal. It's mainly for the tourists, sheepish-looking British boys wearing goofy grins as they go into the coffee shops. I'm not judging anyone for doing it, I'm sure it's an experience and in this instance a legal one, but we just didn't seek it out.

They ride alot of bikes in Amsterdam

 ...now the prostitution on the other hand is a different story...just jokin' of course. I have to say that I found the Red Light District particularly shocking. I know in my head that prostitution is legal here, but I guess I didn't expect to see it out in the open at 2:00 in the afternoon. Imagine a window display of home decor with dishes and vases, except in Amsterdam, there are women in the windows. And they come in all varieties. Collect the whole set!


The girls rent out the window space and draw the curtain when they have a client. I just found this crazy, and it really made me rather sad. Women beginning at 16 can choose this as a profession. My friend and I were talking about how it happens everywhere, so at least here it is a legal profession with rules and regulations to protect the women, but it's still so weird. And how does a transaction take place? I obviously found this very interesting and frightening simultaneously. I don't think any woman dreams of this profession, so what leads them to it? Joey said I just had this look of fear in my eyes the whole time we were walking through the Red Light District. It was an experience, but I'm okay if I never go back.


I thought about how the Dutch must feel about Amsterdam and how it represents all of The Netherlands to the rest of the world. I'm sure there's so much more to the country. Probably similar to how Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street represent Louisiana to the rest of the world.

Flying Pig Hostel, downtown Amsterdam

We had some trouble booking accomodations since we were coming in for part of the weekend (two guesses why...), but luckily we were able to stay in one of the most famous hostels in Europe, The Flying Pig. It's in a great location, but after exploring more of the city, I think we would have been better suited uptown. The Flying Pig in downtown Amsterdam is probably so well known because people are there to party. It even has its own "happy room," where you can smoke it up. Uptown Amsterdam is more low-key, much greener and prettier.

It's also where the Van Gogh museum is located, which we loved! I'm sure you know the artist Vincent Van Gogh, his works are some of the most influential in the world. This museum has hundreds of his works, and they are beautiful. We really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, they have a strict no camera policy. We also walked through the Vondel Park.

I amsterdam...can you find me?

Workin' the 'd'

Vondel Park

Much Love!