How do I begin to talk about Amsterdam?

Well, for starters, we decided to take a train from Berlin to Amsterdam in order to get a peak at the central European countryside. Unfortunately, because of our night before, we were wiped out for the first couple of hours. But I made sure to pop my eyes open every once in a while to the beautiful rolling hills outside, passing by cute little countryside towns with buildings made of thatched roofs. When we did wake up finally, our eagerness to reach Amsterdam grew. Outside, we could tell that we were approaching closer as the towns became more populated and urbanized. I guess I became too eager because as I passed what looked like a promising city (I had no idea what Amsterdam looked like), I asked one of my roommates if it was our stop. I recognized some foreign name at the station outside the window (I swear I saw it written back in the Berlin station), and caused a panic. We all jumped off the train quickly. It was only moments after getting off that we realized that it definitely was not our stop, and our train briskly went off in the right direction. So we were stuck in who knows where.

We laughed at ourselves while also being slightly frantic about our whereabouts. But going into the foreign station we soon learned we were at least in Holland and that we could get a cheap ticket to get on another train to Amsterdam. So, with only about a thirty minute setback, we were on our way.

As you may know, Amsterdam is perhaps the most liberal place in Europe you could visit. So at the moment of our arrival, we were greeted by the smell of marijuana from a passerby. Welcome to Amsterdam. Thankfully our hostel was walking distance from us so it was easy and cheap getting there. Settling into our 14-bed hostel room (trust me, don’t do it), we went to find dinner. That’s one thing I didn’t appreciate about Amsterdam: most of the food in the city wasn’t very good and the portions were small for the price. But I promise you can find some good food spots further outside of the center.

Our hostel was located right in the downtown area where we were greeted by a mini-carnival. Like little kids, we were ecstatic upon our discovery of carnival rides, surrounded by food venders with chocolate strawberries and other street food. We also discovered that we were in close vicinity to the Red Light District.

The Red Light District is a network of streets lined with windows lit by a single red fluorescent light. These windows are rented out by legal prostitutes every night – younger, older, kinky, normal and, even drag. Wandering around between the various ‘coffee’ shops (marijuana shops), we didn’t expect to so quickly encounter these narrow streets with so many women selling themselves. It was such a strange circumstance, but it was completely normal for the culture of Amsterdam.

Prostitution wasn’t the only thing that was legal. We discovered that souvenir shops weren’t so much souvenir shops. Not only could you buy good old weed and the infamous truffle mushrooms, but we found cocaine and molly as well. That was a surprise. Not to mention these shops were decorated in dildos and penis keychains galore. What a place we were in.

It was interesting seeing all of these things intermixed within the normal life of locals. Later on in the trip when a women from Holland directed us to an ATM, we asked her why families would come to visit Amsterdam (would they just have to avoid the Red Light District and the ‘coffee’ shops)? She told us that it was normal for their culture. Which is so true. For Americans, we are just taught differently. Amsterdam was a completely different world, but it was a mind-opener.

The next day we took a visit to the tourist center and purchased tickets for the Heneiken Experience, Secrets of the Red District, and the Ice Bar. Before heading over to the Heneiken Brewery, we stopped for lunch at a place further outside of the downtown area. The food quality was much, much better (I ate a goat cheese and honey sandwich) and there was even a cute friendly cat that lived at the restaurant. While we ate our lunch the cat took the liberty to hop onto the stool next to my friend.

The Heneiken Experience was actually pretty cool. We definitely got our money’s worth. Inside the brewery we were first introduced to the origins of the beer brand and were literally shown how the beer was made. As part of the experience, you go on a ride similar to Disneyland’s Star Tours (instead of seats you just stand in a row and hang onto the the bars). During the ride you are a beer going through a factory, so you end up getting a tour of how a beer is brewed, capped, and packed. After the ride, we watched popular Heneiken advertisements from over the years, and then there were activity rooms where you could take photoshoots or make music videos. The best part of the experience are the three Heneiken beers included in the ticket price; one in the tasting room and two others at the bar at the end. And to top it all off we got a free Heneiken shuttle boat ride through the canal. At the end, the shuttle dropped us off close to the Heneiken store where we won our free mini-pint glasses. So I even got a free souvenir!

Our next stop was Secrets of the Red Light District Museum, which gave us an insight into the hundreds of thousands of prostitutes who work in the infamous district. Part of the museum experience displayed a window that was meant to portray one of red lit windows of the prostitutes. The window framed a video of passerby’s peering in, giving you the perception of a prostitute as she stands at her window. It was so strange being on the other side of this virtual window. It was interesting learning about this different kind of lifestyle and I was glad to have taken the time to visit this museum.

As the day rolled into nighttime we went to the Ice Bar.  The Ice Bar is like stepping into an igloo with a bar, where even the drinks are served in cups of ice. Turns out the Ice Bar wasn’t as fun as we thought it would be. We were cold (ok that’s expected since we were in a room made of ice) and the big ponchos and gloves we were given were sticky. So after we had our free drinks we booked it. At least we gave it a try.

The next day we started out by eating a huge quality meal (finally) at The Pancake Bakery. The pancakes were basically gigantic crepes with choices ranging from ‘American Pancake’ or ‘Mexican Pancake,’ to the sweeter pancakes accompanied by a dallop of ice cream. The meal made me full enough to last me the whole day. After our brunch, we went in search to find the Anne Frank House, which we discovered was a one to two hour wait no matter what time of the day. So we abandoned that idea. Amsterdam is also home to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, which I later found out closes earlier in the afternoon than I expected. I was pretty bummed about missing out on that. Don’t make my mistake and make sure to watch the time.

Since it was so nice out, everyone was sitting outside along the canal. Boats passed back and forth filled with people taking in the sun. Those whose houses lined the canal lounged on their front porch with wine and cheese platters, creating an image from right out of a home magazine. I’ve noticed that in the coldest countries I’ve visited, more people take advantage of nice weather, filling up every sunny spot they can find. I felt a connection with these sun-lovers, being a California girl who can never get enough of the sun.

With a full free day ahead of us, Elyse and Brie decided to take a canal bus through the city while I decided to go check out the park. I was determined to see the park of each city I visited over my spring break. It was a beautiful day out and Vondelpark was full of people sprawled out in the grass with their bikes parked beside them. Like Berlin, Amsterdam’s traffic consists of a large portion of bikers.

After wandering around the park, I went back into the city to explore other parts of Amsterdam I hadn’t seen yet. I discovered that I loved the areas in Amsterdam which were further away from downtown. It was quieter and more charming. It was interesting seeing this contrast between the tranquil beauty of Amsterdam and the more controversial parts dominated by sex and drugs.

Our last night we stayed out late until the streets quieted down, with few passerbys and heaps of trash remaining on the sidewalks. It was definitely a contrast to the beauty I saw earlier in the day, but I came to appreciate Amsterdam’s many characteristics. And so was the end to the longest spring break I ever had.