Adventures in Amsterdam

Hello all! 

Max and I had a great time in Amsterdam this weekend! It was definitely one of the most exciting cities I have visited so far. We only spent two days there so it was a pretty whirlwind trip but we managed to squeeze in a lot of sight seeing. 

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and took the metro down our hostel, which turned out to be kind of sketchy. It was odd because, it was very run down and dirty looking but there were some surprising comforts. For instance, the shower looked a bit like a scene from Saw (flashback to terrible Beausoleil basement shower), it was dark and dirty but then it had one of those amazing rain-like shower heads that hangs straight down from the ceiling with an infinate supply of hot water! And the dorm rooms looked very WWI hospital room esque but the beds were super comfy and the pillows were wonderful! All in all no complaints, and I guess the lesson learned here is don't judge a book by its first few chapters? 

Hostel stairs, watch your step.

Er anyways, after we dropped our things at the hostel we proceeded out into the downtown of Amsterdam to do some exploring. We did some walking around a little shopping district before stopping at a cute little cafe for a few drinks. It was an adorable bar with a very charming bartender and a great deal of drunken English customers. There were also two slot machines in the bar and one man who insisted on continuously trying his luck and therefore losing a great deal of money.

After the cafe we headed to the Red Light district of Amsterdam. This is where all of the naughty business happens. I found Amsterdam so strange because it is this very charming looking city with these lovely rivers running through it with old boats on them and old cobble stone streets with tall, crooked houses - but then there is also heaps of prostitutes and marijuana. You really can smoke marijuana just about anywhere in Amsterdam, they even sold it in the lobby of our hostel. I will say this: in Amsterdam, there is a big difference between a cafe and a coffeeshop. Anyways we walked around the Red Light district for a while, which was an odd experience for me. The streets are filled with neon signs advertising 'Live Sex Shows' and  the windows of the buildings are filled with prostitutes, ready and waiting in their sexy outfits, on display for your choosing. I don't really have a problem with prostitution - if some one wants to have sex for money that's their business and that's fine, but I also get the feeling that a lot of these women didn't grow up wanting to be a hooker and have perhaps fallen upon hard times and that makes me very sad. Needless to say, I did not partake in any sex show viewing or prostitute purchasing. We did however, take a trip to the Erotic Art Museum in the red light district which was fun. 

The next morning we woke up and headed out in search of pancakes! The night before at one of the pubs we were at I had picked up a little ad for The Pancake Bakery - which boasts Amsterdam's best pancakes. The Pancake bakery was situated along one of the canals so we had a nice walk on the way there. 

Followed by some delicious pancakes that, dare I say, almost rival the Hoito's. 

Look at the size of that baby!

Max feeling  jealous and stupid because he ordered an omlette.

After the awesome breakfast, we explored the neighbourhood a bit and took lots of photos. Then we headed to the Van Gogh museum. I love Vang Gogh so I thought the collection  was great, but  the museum was quite crowded and they didn't offer any student rates - lame. After that, we walked through the downtown entertainment district for a while before heading back to the hostel to warm up. On our way back to the hostel we stopped at an amazing vintage shop called Bij Ons Vintage and we both bought new jackets! Mine is a wonderful mustard coloured wool blazer with a fur collar and clear plastic buttons - so 70s! 

Last night, it was absolutely freezing so we ended up going to see a movie to keep warm. We saw 'The Last Three Days' and let me just say, it is truly an awful film. What is it about Russell Crowe that makes me want to punch him in the face so badly!? Anyways here are a few pictures of Amsterdam at night!

  

Today we left Amsterdam around noon, and I was quite sad to leave! I would have loved to stayed a bit longer and have more time to explore that wonderful city!        

Leaving Amsterdam with my trusty suitcase and new vintage coat!