Red Light District Amsterdam

A bit of rain this morning when we headed out, but we were prepared so off we went rugged up. Vernon has a new name as he looks like a smurf with his blue "mac in a sack" rain coat. Smervin.

Huge boat went thru canal while we were waiting for tram which Vern findsvery fascinating I found the herring truck more fascinating and had one this …

Okay so Amsterdam was nothing like what I was expecting. I was actually expecting to hate it, but agreed to go since everyone else in my program was. So glad I went. Don'r worry mom, it's so much more than prostitution and marijuana haha.

First off, we stayed in a Marriott, which was ideal considering we heard awful stories about the local …

We made it safely to Amsterdam last night. The flight from Oslo was on time and we even managed to figure out how to get train tickets and get on the right train :)

Our hotel is right across from Centraal Station---a perfect location. But, what a crazy place this is!! First, you have to make sure you don't get run over by the buses or …

First on the list for today was to visit the diamond factory!! This was good plan for both of us....Amy got to look at some diamonds, and Mike got to check out the red light district again, since the fastest route to the diamond factory was to cut through the red light district.

Mike got a little more than he bargained for this time in the …

Today we got up early and had doughnuts for breakfast. We walked to the Bloemenmarkt and saw all the flowers. Tulips everywhere. They sold bulbs for any plant you could imagine and everywhere had cannabis starter kits. Bought a few books for the long flight ahead at an American Bookstore here. From there we walked to the Waterlooplein Market and …

We have checked into our extremely budget hotel. It is pretty bad, possibly worse and smaller than all the others we have stayed at. Also there is only internet in the lobby so I may not update the blog in great detail until we get to our next accommodation.

There is a large cat snoozing on the desk at reception and this place smells like …

April 13:


Arrive in Amsterdam after a 6 hour train ride that put us in the heart of the city and did not fail to make an interesting first impression. As we walk through the streets with our baby elephants in tow, there were streets of bars full (this is 5:00 mind you) of tourists with girls …

After an 8 hour Delta red eye, I finally made it to Europe! With a 7 hour layover at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, I discovered that Amsterdam is only a few minutes away, with plenty of tour offerings for those with several hours to kill. I met up with my pre-reserved guide, Frank, from ToursByLocals, and was escourted to Zaanse Shanse. This still- …

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We finally have some downtime......we are on the bus headed towards Germany. Amsterdam was very busy. Laurie went to so many museums I can't remember them all! It has been an interesting place to visit. We arrived at Schiepol …

Day 36 - Bruges to Amsterdam
After managing to crawl out of bed at a reasonable time, Shardee and myself headed to the chocolate museum/factory ¨Choco Story¨ for around an hour. After half an hour of somewhat interesting chocolate history, we attended the demonstration of making a chocolate praline cream. They made it look easy, and the free …

... planner and talker - and, of course, haggler in places where you bargain. How's that for division of labour??? The Red Light District is truly a unique and interesting place with a relaxed and casual atmosphere. You see all sorts of people here - ...

... back home.  Even more historical in Amsterdam is the oldest profession of all.  I had to walk through the red light district.  At the recommendation of a friend, of course. It was kind of shocking - the legality and openness of it ...

... it started raining for a short while so we had to hide in a portal. Kind of lost we headed into the China town / red light district to find some food. Linda wanted to make a photo of a nice scenery (not a window!) and we were very unpleasantly ...

... a great day. We walked the streets, crossed canals, sniffed out a few "coffee shops", and hung out in Dam Square. The red light district is a weird place, and somehow walking it in broad daylight makes it even weirder. But the truth is all this only took ...

... hope to take a few days and go to the ones in Bavaria. On Saturday night we went on a walking tour in Amsterdam's red light district and learned more about Sinta Klaas and the surrounding legends. One new fact is that Sinta Klaas is the patron saint ...

... it more! We also visited the Our Lord in the Attic church, located in the top floor of a canal house in the Red Light District. After that, we wandered through the red light district, making sure to show LeeAnn the penis fountain. She thought it was ...

... was crazy, people were constantly crawling all over it. When we finished we walked back towards the city centre and through the Red Light District on our way back to the train station. It was only around 6pm and so most curtains were drawn, but the ones ...

... I don't feel the need to visit" list. After that "fun" we grabbed some dinner and took a stroll through the Red Light District. The girls walked ahead slightly disgusted and wondering how the women can do that to themselves. Steve and me were a ...

... . If only they knew baseball. Later that night: Our Internet booked hotel is near the train station, adjacent the Red Light district. An enormous streelight hangs right outside our third floor window. Across the street is the Happy Sex Shop where a ...

... . -- We started to go to the Niewmarkt, in the middle of Chinatown, but would have had to go through the crowded Red Light District, so decided against that too. The pictures on TV today show a very crowded area, but lots of fireworks and lights. It ...