I Amsterdam

I like cities where you have a lot to do. Amsterdam is one of them, besides London, Barcelona, ​​Paris or New York. Here in Amsterdam, you can visit museums, spend all your money on girls or drugs, take a romantic walk through the city’s canals, spend the night in a coffee shop, or simply walk the streets. I thought I’d better document the next post so you can discover the city from inside too.

Some historical data. The first documentary attestation of the name Amsterdam is a document issued on October 27, 1275 by Count Floris V. Amsterdam is known to have been one of the richest cities in the world over the years. This is due to the geographic positioning and trade with the other states. Even though the Dutch had major conflicts with the French or the Nazis, had serious problems with floods, plague or fire, Amsterdam resisted and was reborn every time.

Architecture. The buildings in Amsterdam are very sloping. It’s like a rule in Amsterdam. The buildings are sloping towards the canals to gain space. To build a house in Amsterdam, the costs you have to pay to the state are enormous. That is why the buildings are very narrow. There is, for example, a narrow building of only 1.5.m. But overall, the architecture is impressive. Among the most famous buildings in Amsterdam are: St. Nicholas, the first and largest church in Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House, or the Royal Palace.

The Red Light District. There are over 50 girls who shows up at the windows of Red Light, once the night starts. For 8 hours a night, they have to pay a rent of up to 300 EUR. Yep, a lot of the money made by the Red Light girls goes to the state budget. For 50 EUR, you receive 15 minutes of action, maximum 2 positions. Anything you want extra you have to pay extra. For example, kissing costs you 20 EUR. The oldest woman in the Red Light District is 75 years old and has been practicing this job for over 35 years. Somewhere in the Red Light District, it is very possible to find a sculpture with one hand covering half a breast, with a padlock next to it. In that sculpture, you find the whole vision of “Red Light”. Red Light District means tolerating prostitution, but everything must be anonymous, and what happens in here must remain strictly secret, “locked”.

Drugs are tolerated. Like prostitution in Amsterdam, light drugs are illegal but tolerated. No one has been jailed for recreational drugs for 30 years. Why? Because they bring in a lot of money in the budget and because it reduces crime. You can choose between marijuana, the famous brownies, magic mushrooms, space cakes or other cakes. But you are only allowed to consume them in coffee shops. And you have a choice. There are over 200 coffeeshops in Amsterdam. The most famous is Drumpkring, where Ocean’s 11 was filmed. The most interesting, but also the most powerful cakes are the space cakes. But they should be taken with caution because they do not take effect immediately and may mislead you. Eat half of it first, wait 45 minutes, and only if you don’t notice any difference, eat the other half. Depending on the body, hallucinogenic effects appear in about 1 hour.

Other Stuff. There are several hidden churches in Amsterdam, which were used during the Nazi era, when Catholicism was banned. Enemy no. 1 of the Dutch is water. Every Dutchman pays so that the country’s lands are not flooded. The first international corporation was established in Amsterdam and deals with trade and shipping. A very important source of income for the Dutch was the “transactions” with slaves. Women have to pay to use the toilets. Men don’t. After tolerating light drugs, the use of strong drugs has dropped dramatically, with the Netherlands being among the last places in Europe in this respect. The highest drug use is found in New Zealand. The 3 Xs in the coat of arms of Amsterdam has nothing to do with the Red Light District. The XXX coat of arms was found on all armor and battleships. That’s how they differed from the others. There are over 1000 bridges in Amsterdam. Unlike Venice, the water in the canals of Amsterdam is much cleaner because it is changed very often. There are a lot of bicycles in Amsterdam. Over 5,000 “runs” daily. To rent a bike, it costs you only 5 EUR / day. Every year, more than 200 bicycles are taken out of the city’s canals. A popular practice among locals is the theft of bicycles. If you are in a crowded market and shout “Get of my bike!”, You will be impressed how many people will simply get off their bikes.