Its Am-ster-DAM good

So it is the 17th century in Amsterdam (possibly called Amestelledamme or Aemsterdam back than). It is the most important city of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and A LOT is happening. It is slowly taking over Antwerp (Belgium) for becoming the biggest gateway into Europe. The famous Cristiaan Huygens is busy with his time pieces because he wants to invest the pendulum clock for exact timekeeping. The legendry microbiologist Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek is figuring his ways around the soda lime glass as he is very close to inventing the microscope. The much more heard of individual, Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn is painting and etching his way to eventual greatness. And for the city itself, canals are being dug to form concentric belts, later know as the famous Grachtengordel. Dutch Golden Age indeed. 

Forwarding the next 4 centuries to present, Amsterdam has it all. History, science, art and architecture are in abundance and it is far from its general conception of a city to visit for your bachelor’s party (surely I have disappointed some of you). Where the happenings in the Rossebuurts (Dutch for ‘red’ neighborhoods) are a major attraction, the city of Amsterdam is alive with its beautiful people and greatness in art & architecture.

My visit to Amsterdam was no accident and I certainly didn’t loose way on my Euro trip to land up in this unique city. I was just one of the 99.99 % of educated men who wanted to check out the very famous red-light district area in Amsterdam. And honestly my desire to visit Amsterdam was supported by the beautiful architecture, museums of Van Gough, Rembrandt and many more, road side cafes and culture of this city which is arguably the most liberal place in the world.

Just like all the major cities in Europe, Amsterdam is also very easy to get around. Efficient transportation systems of trams, busses & trains make it very smooth to travel within the city. The Amsterdam Central Station being the main hub of all. As most of the tourism surrounds the red light district area, we shall start from there itself. Much to convenience of the tourists, it is only a 10 minutes walk from the station. Almost every block has a small tourist information stand on the streets. You can easily find a city map, places to visit with brief descriptions, listing of the current shows, a street map which is very handy, calling cards and virtually everything you would need. You can ask for a few suggestions also and surprisingly they would all tell you about the famous red area of the city. At least they all told me that. It is taken for granted that tourists would definitely want to visit that section of the city (or maybe it was just my face that made them direct me to the red district, I will never know). So I made my way to the most crowded three bocks of the city. Sex shops, brothels, bars, restaurants, toy stores, lingerie stores, museums, everything together forms this legitimate business center. We are not talking about a dingy neighborhood in the corner suburbs of the city. It is the oldest establishment of the so called oldest profession in the world.  History always intrigues me (one of many reasons why I love vacations to Europe) so I started to talk it out more from the streets of Amsterdam.

As during the 14-17th century, Amsterdam was fast becoming a major entrance to Europe. Sailors use to arrive here after long journeys from different parts of the world. Amsterdam (which was much smaller than) became host to a range of travelers who rested here and looked for female company. There streets consisted of numerous brothels which glorified the business of prostitution and became a prominent reason for men around the world to come to Amsterdam. Today the situation is more or less same but what stands out is the beautiful 14th century architecture where 3 blocks of red light district area are situated. This is one of the oldest areas in the city (which explains why the red light district is here) build with the canals that run as concentric belts which symbolizes Amsterdam.

Coming to present, the Dutch Government – on realizing there is no way out - legalized prostitution in 2000. Situated at the back of Dam Square, it is amazing to see how systematically everything works in this neighborhood. The modus operandi is simple. The entire lane of the blocks has got small cabin with a queen size beds in them. Beautiful girls from all regions are displaying themselves in skimpy lingerie or bathing suits behind the glass walls and a red bulb on the inside of the glass wall is switched on. When occupied, this bulb is turned off and the glass wall is curtained up. The women are respected and nobody misbehaves (FYI, ever since the legalization they all pay taxes). Photography is strictly prohibited and much to my surprise nobody breaks the rules. The area is monitored by policemen on bicycles, which is also very unique. Most of the tourist visit here just to see what the big deal is all about. They stop, they inquire and they move on.

Talking about bicycles, it is one of the most beautiful cultures in Amsterdam (also in Eindhoven and other major cities). In most area you will find more bicycles than cars or any other vehicle. Most people prefer to walk or use cycles (it keeps the city clean if nothing else). They are given most respect and you will find all the cars and other vehicles stopping for a tiny bicycle to pass by in front of them.

Moving out of the Rossebuurts, there is so much more to visit in this city. The main tourist attractions, which defines Amsterdam also are, the 50 or so intriguing museums in the city. Science, art, culture, sports, technology, jewelry, photography, liquor, adult entertainment, there are museums about everything. It is astonishing to know how much Amsterdam/Netherlands has contributed to the development in all these fields. For the historians, there is the famous Anne Frank House in the center of the city. As a man of art, I was most impressed by the Van Gogh Museum. It contains Van Gough’s largest collection of paintings. The famous style of short stoke is wonderfully displayed in the paintings like starry night, a pair of shoes, sunflower and many others which includes some astonishing self portraits. Apart from the painting you can also learn a lot about the painter’s life, his struggles and his tragic death at 37. It is hard to believe such a painter never found fame in this short lifetime and surprisingly he could sell only one painting out of his massive collection. For a fine arts enthusiast this place can eat up your whole day. It is big, beautiful and very intriguing.

Not very from the Van Gogh Museum is the largest and possibly most renowned museum of Amsterdam. The Rijksmuseum is the biggest in the city in every sense. It is situated in a historic building which adds to the pleasure of visiting this place. It’s a museum of its own kind. Visited by more than a million people in a year, the museums is devoted to numerous activities relating culture, arts, exhibitions, publications, scholarships and education etc. This place has so much to offer one can just go there to get a glimpse of everything about Amsterdam and Netherlands. 

Night life in Amsterdam is as exciting and friendly as it can get. The streets are filled with tourist and small alleys are lively with the street cafés and food joints. Again the place to be is near and around Dam Square if you want to have some local fun experience the real Amsterdam. Filled with tourists and local people alike, it is one of most lively places. The Square always remains busy with random performances, music shows, dance competitions and flee markets. Bars, sports joints, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, everything is a part of this area but what really steals the show are the street cafés. Furniture is lying around in front of joints for you to relax and enjoy the lively and beautiful streets of Amsterdam. People are much more friendly than you would estimate and you can grab the most amazing Italian food from these street joints. I was not surprised to find that some of these cafés had long waiting where as other proper restaurants were running empty. 

Other places to visit for some night time action are the Erotic Museum & the Sex Museum in the red light district area. Believe it or not, they happen to be most intriguing of all. Together they display vast history of pornography, especially in Netherlands, interesting pieces of art and unique object. Some rare photographs and old-fashioned décor make it far from vulgar. These museums go on till midnight and are a must go for people genuinely interested in the subject.

Another widely-known-but-not-talked-about thing in Amsterdam is the drugs. The “magic mushrooms” and the “snake of the South East” are just as popular as anything else. Now clearing the air, drugs are NOT completely legalized in Amsterdam but they are more like regularized. One can get caught while buying them of the streets from local dealers. They are categorized into soft and hard drugs. Obviously the soft ones are quite legalized. If you are 18+, than you can take about 5gms and not possess more than 30gms. They can be found in street cafés and restaurants primarily in the red light district area. Hats off to the govt. that realized, lets control something that cannot be stopped. The places can easily be recognized as they have a green leaf sign in the front or in many cases you will find a proper food menu looking like list taped next to the front door. One of the cafés I visited had a two page menu stamped on every table. There were drugs of different blends, intensity, combos, hard, soft and all by very relative names. I mean there is science behind these things in Amsterdam.

So many thing here show that Amsterdam truly belongs to its people and they are at full liberty. Legalizing a profession which is looked down upon in the whole world, dealing in drugs, graffiti at every corner, 60 year olds riding bicycle, they are living their lives to the fullest. Who is to care? But the best part is that none of this has taken its toll that would not make this a wonderful city to live in. The beauty of its old architecture and the unique culture still remains.

To summaries, Amsterdam is not only a place of historic importance but a truly travelers destination. It is unique in every sense. Art can be seen not only in museums but at the corner walls of buildings in form of beautiful graffiti.  Night life is superb and people are most friendly. No wonder it is one of the most visited destinations in Europe. And with the Amsterdam Dance Event this October, the city is going be rocking even more. It will also bring the 14th International Conference & Festival for Electronic Music to the city. Artists from 35 countries are already participating and more are ringing bells to get a fix in the 4 day festival which will surely cause stir in this colorful city.