We are lucky enough to have our own personal guide, Peter who works with John and lived in Amsterdam for a while, to escort us around the town. He suggested things and we picked the ones we all wanted to do and see.
While we are waiting to meet up with Peter and JF, John and I explore a little bit on our way to the meeting spot. On our way to the Dam square, we walk by the de Bijenkorf, a high-end department store, all decorated with lights. John said he wouldn’t want to be the electrician that had to untangle those curtains of lights!
The area we are in right now is a shopping district but that doesn’t mean that the art world hasn’t seeped in. There are connecting alleyways that have been turned into works of art. This alleyway has been covered and decorated with mosaic tiles floor to ceiling.
Speaking of alleys, the streets in Amsterdam are so narrow that other than the small smart cars, I don’t know that any will fit. With such a dense population and lack of modern road infrastructure that allows for motorized travel, bicycles are the way to get around. They don’t have car parking decks, they have bike parking decks and parking lot after parking lot of bicycles.
The Dam square is the home of notable buildings such as the Royal Palace. Very much like the Cathedral in Cologne the stone work changes color depending on the time of day. At night, all lit up, it has a pleasant golden glow.
We hit plenty of the bars around town after meeting up with Peter and JF. Most of them are so crowded we can barely move around. There is one that we think is particularly unique, though I can’t tell you which one it is.
Love the skeleton guy riding the motorcycle.
And the funky taxidermy.
Hey Zane, check out these suit of arms! Thought of you when we saw them. The guy showing us around, Peter, is jealous that you have one.
This place has a cool ceiling fixture that we all like.
No trip to Amsterdam, the weed capital of Europe, would be complete without a stop for some cannabis. There are coffee shops and cafés. Cafés serve wonderful pastries and delicious coffee. Coffee shops sell okay coffee and okay weed. Unlike the Canada and US there isn’t a lot of regulation so no description about what it is, potency or whatever. Very tourist trappy but hey, they aren’t hurting for business and well, we are tourists!!
Though it isn’t legal to smoke weed it has been decriminalized. With that said, these people smoke weed from bright and early in the morning to….I don’t think they stop actually. For tourists, its a novelty to be able to smoke it while walking down the street so….everyone is very mellow in Amsterdam. No fighting, just smiles.
As we make our way into the Red Light District, we bid you all good night. This is no place for sensitive eyes…or cameras.
