Amsterdam is my kind of place. Not only does everyone cycle everywhere but they know the meaning of having a good time which is exactly what I did in my time in Amsterdam.
I stayed with a friend made in Peru while on the Lares trek. Kim lives in the eastern part of the city and managed to secure a bike from a friend of hers for me to use for the weekend. She had also planned lots of activities for us taking in the tourist sights as well as some fun nights out on the town.
The first night I was there we headed out to meet some of her friends at their favourite bar. There were about 15 of them and I was shocked to discover that I was average height and that all the men were taller than me by a considerable amount. I was also shocked to discover how hard Dutch is to actually speak.
After quite a few drinks though my Dutch improved quite a bit, so much so that I felt confident enough to order a round of drinks in Dutch. I sauntered my way up to the bar and managed to actually make myself understood. Apparently I must have sounded good enough when a person near me at the bar started to speak to me in Dutch. The following conversation ensued:
Me: Eikven vater, donkuvell.
Person: Hooveyly woovely woolly moodooly
Me (after a blank look): Je ne comprend pas (which is of course French)
Person (in perfect French): Vous avez la petite encore ma chere, recontre la meme chose etc
Me (after another blank look): I'm sorry I don't understand you
Person (in perfect English): So you're not Dutch
Me: No
Person: So you're not even French
Me: No
Person: So what are you?
Me: Australian
Person: Oh. Well have a nice night
Me: Dankashein (which is German I think)
After which time a made my way victoriously back to the table with only my pride left at the bar.
The next day Kym and I went cycled into city and checked out some signifacant places in Amsterdam including museams and the red light disctrict. I don't know what I thought about the red light district. It was a bit like a car accident where you don't really want to look but can't help yourself. Basically it is streets of women standing in windows in various states of undress while groups of British men leer into the windows and after looking for a while get invited into the room for you know what. Kim and I only lasted a little while before we felt our moral fibres being sizzled and we left.
On my last day we headed to Anne Frank's house and the accompanying museam. I was really impressed by it; the information was presented simply but effectively and at the end you could leave a message of hope for people all over the world being oppressed for religion, race and all the other things people are oppressed for.
I had a fantastic time in Amsterdam and having a friend to show me the sights really added to my time there.
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