Amsterdam

Amsterdam

January 22nd, 2013

All the photos on this page were taken by me! 

           1. Dutch people are so nice that they made this Canadian feel welcomed and comfortable

2. Coffee shops are sweet

3. Everyone speaks perfect English

4. Dutch is by far, the most hilarious language in the WORLD. 

5. Go to the Zoo. 

I was so excited to go to Amsterdam over the weekend, and this of course was before I decided on this blog, so it wasn't as share-driven as my future trips will be. It was great. Living in Germany has made me a little grey and socially awkward, more than I am by nature. The area isn't english-speaker friendly, nor are German people as a whole particularly easy to approach. Not to say that Germans aren't nice and soft and squishy, but at first glance they have a permanent hate-face. They are like the spikey sea-urchins of Europe. I digress. Dutch people are closer to what I grew up used to, which are overly-nice Canadians that will go out of their way to accommodate you no matter what you are asking for. Not only that, but people young and old will immediatley, and happily, switch to near-perfect english for you, without making us North Americans feel like uncultured twats. (I'm looking at YOU Offenburg.)

1. What did I think of the Coffeeshops? Awesome. Totally awesome. Being able to engage in casual smoking with fellow cannabis-enthusiasts was liberating, a great peak into what it'll be like when legalization of Marijuana sweeps the western world. Everyone was extremely helpful when recommending what to buy, very happy, and in true dutch fashion, extremely friendly.  I went here, and I highly recommend it. (you see what just happened?)

Photo by travelvivi.com

 You just go to the back bar, where the licensed dealer sits, and choose from a menu like you are ordering loose tea or coffee beans. Pay the man 12-15 euros a gram, (which WILL last you 3 or 4 joints) take a seat, help yourself to papers and filters (or at this particular location, not common to all, a bong), order a coffee and chill. Alcohol isn't served inside Coffeeshops, and most of the time smoking cigarettes is also not-allowed. Don't order the strongest weed they have, it'll make you throw up. Seriously, pot in Amsterdam is nothing to mess with, start off slowly, it is, guaranteed, stronger than anything you've ever smoked.

2. How was the red light district? It was exactly what I expected. Gorgeous half-naked women advertising themselves in the windows, hundreds of sex-shops, live sex-shows, Coffeeshops, souvenir shops, bars and clubs, under a blanket of sultry red glow.

Definitely one of my favorites, not because of any little thing in particular, but just because I felt extremely comfortable there with a strong sense of freedom. I enjoyed getting lost in the crooked walkways and maze of canals, and maybe I don't want to see whatever a "banana show" is, but I appreciate having the option. The red light district to me wasn't a circus side-show like it might be to a lot of people, it was a trip into the least-prudish, most easy-going and interesting, bursting with character, exciting places I've ever been, and it was a real treat to experience it.

3. Where did I stay? Here:

photo by designtripper.com

I have four words for you. Cheap. Comfortable. Shower/watercloset.

It wasn't gross, just a little surprising/funny. The Lloyd hotel has varying prices depending on the luxury-level but for 65 euros per night, you get a comfy bed, a cute little room, and a shower/toilet that looks like this:

It looks a little strange, but in reality, that's a nice shower with a TON of room. 

4. How about the food? We wanted to save on food so we planned for little eats here and there, bought some snack at the grocery store, (that we stored out on our windowsill to keep cold and evidently blew away into oblivion cause damn Holland, you windy)  and planned one big dinner, which we had at Pacifico in the red light district. The first mexican/argentinian restaurant of europe, and this is what we ate:

Those ribs. O.O 

40 euros for the two of us, not including my husband's beerfest. (Germans.)

We really wanted to try this 'authentic American' diner nearby, where we would have short stacks and (hopefully) real bacon, (oh bacon...how I miss you) but we passed, will give it a shot next time and report back.

5. My favorite part? It wasn't the weed. It wasn't the naked girls. It was the motherfucking zoo. 

THAT'S RIGHT.

Huge, elaborate, gorgeous building, with-get this, a free-roaming animal section, and interactive butterfly habitat.

 The Artis Royal Zoo contains an outdoor maze of animals, some of which you can get up close and personal with (like these completely FEARLESS LLAMAS)

Bird sanctuary,  reptile house, insect house (gross) a planetarium, and an aquarium. All of the original architecture still in tact, with tons of exhibits and animals to interact with, it was hands down my favorite part of the trip. Of course, the aquarium was my favorite part of the Zoo. That might just be me though, I dig animals.

Conclusion? Amsterdam is my new favorite European city, Sorry Berlin, your museums and historical sights really had me thinking you were the greatest European city, but then an adorable Llama invaded my husband's personal space and tried to eat my camera.