Amsterdam

Such a wonderful city! Right now it's on my top list, on the #2 spot (Paris is #1). I still have a lot to see there, but so far I've only been there three times, and only for a few hours. Most of the streets are divided by canals, so you can move around on land or on water, although water is a little more expensive. At night, the city lights come up, and every bridge has a set of lights that are beautifully reflected on the water.

It is a very colorful city and definitely not for the narrow-minded. Coffee shops (shops that sell cannabis, or "pot", whatever you wanna call it) are everywhere and so are prostitutes (I was greeted by one on my way to the Anne Frank Museum), although they all conglomerate on the Red-Light District. The girls all inside their little rooms, standing in front of the window, under a red light, flirting in their skimpy clothes, one window after the other. They look like scantily clad Barbie dolls on shelves at Wal-Mart (that is if you keep away from the Big Mommas section). And even though they may seem very inviting and open, DON'T EVEN THINK of getting a picture of them. They're surprisingly camera shy (the only thing they're shy at, I guess), and you could get in serious trouble.

There is this one peculiar street that is so narrow only two people side by side can go through, so there is a line of people coming and another line of people going, and there are windows with red lights on every side. Go in there if you want to see a** and ti**ies and a bunch of lame dudes who have to pay to get some... LOL! I find it hilarious, but also, very sad...

- Boating through the Red Light District.

- Walking into the seedy, dirty area of town LOL.

If the weather sucks, spend some time in the Sexmuseum (4 euros, smaller and cheaper than any other museum), filled with erotic art, gags, and the history of sex through the eyes of different cultures. Seriously, you will laugh your socks off with the pornographic photo collection from 18 and 1900's. If you thought threesomes and dildos and strap-on's were from the degeneration of or time, think twice! Just be careful when going up the stairs or walking through the hallways, you might be surprised by some moving mannequins.

- Thi is from inside the sexmuseum. The mannequins here are wearing authentic lingerie from last century.

- Oh, and one more thing! They call it the Red Light District because the lights on the bridges are red. Duh!

On my friend Marieke's birthday, we went boating around every canal in Amsterdam, drinking, listening to music and having yummy snacks. The boat was orange, even Dutchy-er! Amsterdam is even more beautiful by night, when they turn the city lights on and they reflect on the water. It has a very cozy feeling.

- This is DAM square. Most buildings here are under refurbishment right now and it doesn't look that amazing. The monument on the back is for the Dutch people who perished during WWII.

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Picture of the canal next to the Westerkerk, you can see the main triangle of the the Homomonument on the left.

- Inside the Oude Kerk, the oldest church in Amsterdam. It's located in the middle of the RLD, and it is surrounded by prostitutes. Behind it, Belle (the monument for respect to sex workers all over the world) is waiting for the next customer. Interesting facts about this church: Rembrand and his first wife Saskia got married here, and her mausoleum is inside.

- View of Amsterdam from outside the Central station.

- The children-friendly NEMO museum.

- Part of downtown Amsterdam. You can buy souvenirs here.

- The Vondelpark. It's huge and it's gorgeous. Marieke and I had rosé prosecco, cheese, and stroopwafels here while we catched up.

I still have a lot of sightseeing to do in Amsterdam, so I'll continue on this subject on another post. I'm waiting for my family to come in and go together to the Anne Frank museum, the Van Gogh museum, the Iamsterdam monument, etc. For now, I leave you with a picture of a handsome lil' elephant sailor. Knock yourself up!