From prostitution to weed to live human dissections, I've got you covered.
Yesterday was a long and busy day! In the morning, we took our time getting ready, ate some sandwiches from the breakfast bar (very European to have sandwiches as breakfast, I'm gathering), then headed out to the center. We wandered through Jordaan, a cute south west ish area of Amsterdam, tasting cheese and window shopping until it was time for our 3 hour free walking tour (same company as the one I did in Paris). Paul was our Scottish tour guide, here's a picture of him speaking very earnestly and hoarsely as he had somewhat lost his voice:
He's standing in front of a building where they used to weigh imported goods on the bottom floor to determine their worth, and hold live showings of autopsies on real dead people for the public to watch. No joke.
This building is the oldest church in the city, called the "old church" (we were told the Dutch like to name things exactly what they are, call it like it is, you know):
It's a church that is surrounded by the Red Light District, which is known for its prostitution. Apparently, sailors who came into the port of Amsterdam way back when got real antsy in their pantsies and employed the services of these prostitutes, then felt bad for it and would go to the church to repent (which meant pay up) and then they would feel better about themselves. It is also true that the church started to sell forgiveness *drum roll* in advance. Yes, the antsy sailors could buy forgiveness from God before they actually committed the sins, given that the sins they were planning on committing would take too long and the church would be closed once they were through.
This is Multatuli, actually named Decker, who was Amsterdam's version of Edward Snowden and wrote a tell all about how Indonesians were being horribly treated when the Netherlands were colonizing it:
This is the most narrow house in Amsterdam (the red brick one):
After the tour was over, we went home to change, then came back to the city to do a pub/bar/club crawl! 6 places in 4 hours, and a drink at each place (for a pretty cheap price). Here's us lookin cute:
And here's the (not so) awesome shirt we got for free:
The next day, we woke up late and went straight to the Van Gogh museum! I felt like I really got to know the guy, like we really became buddies.After, we went to a cute cafe, called Trust, which had a "Grateful" wall and was pay-what-you-feel:
We then stopped by the famous Grey Area coffee shop, and then headed to our next tour--the Redlight District!
We learned all about how prostitution works here--it's been legal for something like 30 or 40 years, and the workers register as a one person business, which eliminates pimping (or tries to). The girls have a little window they stand in, and if a customer approaches them they open the door to negotiate the price and activities, then if they agree they go upstairs to a room and get it on. There is a security camera at the window, and it only opens from the inside so the women choose if they want to let someone in. They just rent the space they are standing in, and then charge their own prices (15 minutes usually goes for 50 Euros, said our tour guide Tim).
It sounds like a really good system, because it seems to try and keep the women safe while also respecting them. There is a strict no picture policy that I never saw anyone break (and apparently if you tried to, they would attack you) which makes sure they aren't outed to family or friends on the internet.
I also learned that weed isn't actually legal here! It's just "tolerated". Lots of measures being taken to decriminalize it, but it's still technically illegal.
For your enjoyment, we got a snapshot of the Condomerie. Enjoy.
Yesterday was a long and busy day! In the morning, we took our time getting ready, ate some sandwiches from the breakfast bar (very European to have sandwiches as breakfast, I'm gathering), then headed out to the center. We wandered through Jordaan, a cute south west ish area of Amsterdam, tasting cheese and window shopping until it was time for our 3 hour free walking tour (same company as the one I did in Paris). Paul was our Scottish tour guide, here's a picture of him speaking very earnestly and hoarsely as he had somewhat lost his voice:
He's standing in front of a building where they used to weigh imported goods on the bottom floor to determine their worth, and hold live showings of autopsies on real dead people for the public to watch. No joke.
This building is the oldest church in the city, called the "old church" (we were told the Dutch like to name things exactly what they are, call it like it is, you know):
It's a church that is surrounded by the Red Light District, which is known for its prostitution. Apparently, sailors who came into the port of Amsterdam way back when got real antsy in their pantsies and employed the services of these prostitutes, then felt bad for it and would go to the church to repent (which meant pay up) and then they would feel better about themselves. It is also true that the church started to sell forgiveness *drum roll* in advance. Yes, the antsy sailors could buy forgiveness from God before they actually committed the sins, given that the sins they were planning on committing would take too long and the church would be closed once they were through.
This is Multatuli, actually named Decker, who was Amsterdam's version of Edward Snowden and wrote a tell all about how Indonesians were being horribly treated when the Netherlands were colonizing it:
This is the most narrow house in Amsterdam (the red brick one):
After the tour was over, we went home to change, then came back to the city to do a pub/bar/club crawl! 6 places in 4 hours, and a drink at each place (for a pretty cheap price). Here's us lookin cute:
And here's the (not so) awesome shirt we got for free:
The next day, we woke up late and went straight to the Van Gogh museum! I felt like I really got to know the guy, like we really became buddies.After, we went to a cute cafe, called Trust, which had a "Grateful" wall and was pay-what-you-feel:
We then stopped by the famous Grey Area coffee shop, and then headed to our next tour--the Redlight District!
We learned all about how prostitution works here--it's been legal for something like 30 or 40 years, and the workers register as a one person business, which eliminates pimping (or tries to). The girls have a little window they stand in, and if a customer approaches them they open the door to negotiate the price and activities, then if they agree they go upstairs to a room and get it on. There is a security camera at the window, and it only opens from the inside so the women choose if they want to let someone in. They just rent the space they are standing in, and then charge their own prices (15 minutes usually goes for 50 Euros, said our tour guide Tim).
It sounds like a really good system, because it seems to try and keep the women safe while also respecting them. There is a strict no picture policy that I never saw anyone break (and apparently if you tried to, they would attack you) which makes sure they aren't outed to family or friends on the internet.
I also learned that weed isn't actually legal here! It's just "tolerated". Lots of measures being taken to decriminalize it, but it's still technically illegal.
For your enjoyment, we got a snapshot of the Condomerie. Enjoy.
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