My Amsterdam Trip – Beauty behind the Taboo

My Amsterdam Trip – Beauty behind the Taboo

“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin. But in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom most people find sin.” – John Green

Hi Loves,

As you know I have been covering my Europe trip journey on my blog across all the countries I visited which you can find here. Europe is beautiful cluster of flowers in my life, the smell of which I will remember until I die. Amsterdam was like a tulip in that bunch which was so beautiful  that it can’t be described in words. I will still try!!

My Amsterdam Trip – Beauty behind the Taboo

Amsterdam, the capital city of Netherlands has become a must visit spot for travelers around the world with its characteristic, impeccably kept architecture, elegant floral bridges crossing houseboat laden canals and its deep and thought-provoking history. Amsterdam is also a city of bicycles. It is a fact that there are more number of bicycles in Amsterdam than there are people!! Amsterdam is regarded as a Sin City is for 2 different reasons – Prostitution and Weeds. Correctly as John Green said above I never felt the city is full of sin, what I felt was people were free here. They live in their own small world and remain happy there. There is very less crime and it is in fact one of the top safest cities in the world!!  Being a part of Amsterdam for 3 days led me also to forget all troubles and live a care free life. So I am also going to write this review carefree without any boundaries. It might be a little sassy, might be a little taboo but reading this will let you draw a true picture of Amsterdam…

Anne Frank’s House

Our first stop in Amsterdam was a deep dive into darkest history of Amsterdam. A house that is visited by one million people per year – Anne Frank’s House.  Anne Frank, a small little girl at the age of 13 years was forced to go into hiding with her family in a concealed room in this house to save from the Nazis. It was here where Anne wrote her famous diary. The diary gave an unique and touching perspective of wartime Amsterdam through the eyes of a teenage girl. After 2 years they were discovered and Anne Frank died in March 1945. The house was restored back as museum and opened for public from 1960.

The visit to Anne Frank’s house was a very poignant and emotional journey. The Secret Annexe at the back of the house is accessed via a concealed entrance through a bookcase. It was hard to imagine how 8 people lived in that small cramped place for 2 year with death knocking their door every day. Anne’s room was filled with photos of movie stars and royalty glued on the wall. It brought tears thinking of the pathetic life that the little girl lived without seeing the outside world for 2 years. Seeing this really made me think “Why do we complain for not getting things in our life, we are a lot more luckier!!”

Tip: Buy tickets online before hand and expect to wait in line for at least an hour. Try to go in morning.

Kaukenhof Gardens

A visit to Amsterdam is not complete without going to the Keukenhof Gardens – The Tulip Land. The moment I entered the garden, the bright colors all around took me to an enchanting fairy land. The time we went was actually the blooming season so we saw the full bloom. The flowers are put in continuous beds of different colors and it was such a treat to the eye. There were also full fields where tulips were planted in huge beds. The whole field was multicolored with the tulips. If you talk about maximum pleasure for the eye then this was it.

Red Light District

Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District is a carnival of vice, with skimpily-clad prostitutes in brothel windows, raucous bars, haze-filled ‘coffeeshops’, strip shows and mind-boggling museums. It’s not for everyone. If you set the taboo aside, there is a lot of know and see in this world and the best way to do it is to take a guided tour. This area has a rich history since the middle ages when Amsterdam was a huge trading harbor and women carrying red lanterns used to meet the sailors. As we went past the alleyways, I saw on both sides those infamous windows with girls standing in bare essentials. The neon lights in their rooms, the strong perfumes, love and lace in the atmosphere is an different aura by itself.

I never felt like I am in a forbidden land full with sin, instead hearing the stories from our guide I felt for the girls working on these windows.  There is so much difficulty and crime they have to face day to day to just earn their living. We even went inside an actual brothel and a cold spine went through my body. A bit of awkwardness with curiosity combined with taboo is an experience I will never forget. Many of the girls were even calling me and it is said to be very polite and just say No. The life these girls are leading there in spite of so much hatred in the outside world requires courage and I think they should also get some respect.

Another specialty of Amsterdam is “coffeeshops” which is not like the regular Starbucks or Tim Hortons like we have here. Here you can buy weeds and smoke too sitting there. We went inside a coffeeshop as part of the tour. The atmosphere inside was full of smoke with the raw smell of weeds. There was display of all different types of marijuana on the counter where people can choose and buy. It was a quite unique experience by itself.

Canal Tour

The canals in Amsterdam are very eccentric and covered with numerous bridges with ancient architecture. The best way to see the canals is to take a canal boat tour. We took Blue Boat Tours which is one of the best. As we started the tour sipping our glass of wine, knowing the history of the places we were seeing from the guide was a majestic experience by itself. The long canals, the historical houses, people moving around in their bicycles, the neon lights of the red light districts is so nice to just sit and watch, you won’t even realize time passing by. We also saw some awesome boat houses parked on the sides. The residents were chatting and drinking beer on the large windows. It was so cool that I decided that my next Europe trip will start at Amsterdam and we will stay in the boat house!!

A stroll through the city

The best way to see Amsterdam is to just walk or bike through the city. The city has an impeccable vibe which you can feel at every corner of the city. It is a city vibrant in culture and has a strong presence of healthy living. Everywhere you turn, people are commuting by bicycle, sipping coffee on outdoor patios, taking in Museums, socializing with friends over great food and wine, and shopping at the many wonderful boutiques. We spent time at the famous Dam Square looking at the beautiful architecture. I did shopping at the 9 streets where you find all the best brands. Then we visited Bloemenmarkt, the largest floating flower market in the world where we saw shops selling cannabis seeds openly. We ate Hering fish RAW with just pickles and onions like the locals.

I visited multiple art shops, bought a 1945 Vogue framed!! We also hit multiple bars and it was so awesome to just party with the locals. We saw an around 70 year old gentleman come out of a coffeeshop, light a joint and just started biking back to home leaving us awe. It was also so romantic to walk on the side of the canals, watching boats pass by. One more thing I noticed that people from all around the world come and settle here. It was great to talk to them in bars and listen their stories. I was amazed to see too that we went to eat in a Thai restaurant in Amsterdam which is run by a owner who is from Bangladesh!!

Amsterdam is like postcard dream, every place you see with your eyes will remain in your memory like a postcard. I went past the weeds and the prostitution and inside was a sweet, charming city where people live their carefree life and enjoying every moment of it. This is a city where you live happily ever after. If I am given a chance to settle down in Amsterdam I will any day say “YES”.

XOXO