Amsterdam, the capital of Holland or the Netherlands an important seaport of Northern Europe. Surprisingly, Amsterdam is neither the most important seaport in Netherlands nor is it the political capital. Rotterdam is the most important seaport of Netherlands and the biggest in the world. Den Hague or the Hague (more in the news for Milosovic’s case) is the place where you have most of the embassies and the parliament.
Arrival and Check-in
Amsterdam is well connected to all the cities in Europe by rail and to most of the cities in the world by air. Unless you are very rich to afford taxis or have your private car, you will have to come to the Central Station of Amsterdam. There is a shuttle train from the Airport (Schipol) to the Central Station.Whether you come via train from a neighbouring city like Paris/Brussels/Frankfurt or by place, either way you will end up at the Central Station. If you do not have a hotel reservation, do not leave the station. There is a tourist information center which is open till 10 P.M or 11 P.M ( not sure of the exact hour ). You will get the best hotel offers available at that time out there. The travel offices outside can not get you that good a deal. Be careful. They might give you a 5-star accommodation at a reasonable rate but then mostly they are near the airport or far from the central and you will have to take a cab after midnight. Hostels are free on all throughout the weekdays. Weekends are very busy. Avoid it if you are hypersensitive to smoke because the whole of Amsterdam is smoking marijuana.. They tend to be loud. So you would be better off at some 3-star hotel. Average cost of a double bedroom at peak time is 100 Euros.
Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll
Further content of this review is meant for the eyes of adults only. Some of the material might not be suitable for children below 18.Please note that I will not speak in 1st person in this review ...
Relax and Eat
After you have checked in the hotel, take a look around at all the restaurants. You will find a lot of them around the Central Station. You can avoid the McDonald’s, Burger King and other popular fast food chain and try some Chinese or Indian (for those who don’t prefer the continental food). There are saunas present at some places - perfect after a fagged day. Be careful, some of them are meant for erotic massages. You can get to know about them by the rates. Then there are many massage parlours but I doubt if there are any non-sexual ones though you can always have a genuine non-sexual massage if you can resist the temptations.
Do not go to any of the cafes thinking you could get a normal tea or coffee. Cafes in Amsterdam have a totally different meaning. Here you can get drugs in little doses at all the cafes. Cafes cater to the need of the drug-addicted. People generally go there for a joint. The smoke coming out of the cafes are horrible and I would recommend most of you to wear a gas mask if possible.
Here comes the Night .....
It’s all concentrated around the area near the Central Station. Cross the bridge from the Central Station and walk for about 250 m. straight and then take a left. Walk for another 100m and you will find yourself in an erotic ecstasy.
There are thousands of glass houses as they are known. What are these glass houses? They are actually a tiny room with a glass French window. So what so special?. Well, inside these glass houses are prostitutes who lure the passers-by by covering their body with as little clothes as possible. The neon-lined window (or the door) attracts the attention of all. This is really the most unique red-light area in the world. History has it that sailors , in olden days, use to quench their hunger for sex at Amsterdam and ladies use to hang out of their wooded-windows and stand outside their doors. This is the major tourist attraction in Amsterdam. A service at these places used to cost 100 (45 Euros approximately) Dutch Marks but now it is 50 Euros(after Euros were introduced). Be assured, they take all precautions and it is obligatory for them to visit the doctor for HIV and other test every week. Face the fact that people come here for this very special tourist attraction.
There are many pubs and bars which provides you for your BDSM pleasure. There is a banana pub which is quite renowned. Can’t go into the gory details. Numerous discotheques can be found around the same area and which is open till the wee hours of the morning. Amsterdam is the only place where you can find ’’LIVE SEX SHOW’’. You can go for the expensive 50 Euros show or just the 3 Euro/5 minutes peep show (where you see the show in an encased glass structure - like a bioscope). Of course, we have the normal floor shows too.
Erotic Museums/ Sex Museums - There are 3 or 4 of them in all. Visit the one closest to the railway station. It’s just 200m away. It’s amazing. At first glimpse you might feel that it is a collection of all the gizmos and toys for sexual pleasure but soon you will observe that there are many paintings and articles from historical times. You will find many articles used as a replacement of vibrator by some queens and local peasants from all across the globe (including India). It also has huge structures in the form of sexual organs. This was the best museum I had seen in Amsterdam. A must visit!
Good Morning Amsterdam!
You would probably wake up late. There are a few places one can check out in Amsteradam - Von Gogh Museum where you will find the his drawings and paintings. Madamme Tussaud Museum would be more interesting if you are with children. It is the museum where you will find the ditto life-sized statues of famous personalities from the world. There is the Royal Palace and Old Kerk , the oldest church of Amsterdam in Gothic style architecture - worth a visit if you have enough time.
The most important part of Amsterdam - canals. The old part of the city is accessible by the canals throughout. One should take a boat ride to see the splendid city. The architecture is very simple and the simplicity brings out the beauty of this city. You can see many of the old churches, the windmills and light houses on this boat tour. It’s definitely worth it.
Its not only that men can have fun in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is also the diamond center of Europe. So ladies warn your husbands about it if they are planning to make a visit to this city.
Niraj Warns You
Sometimes it does rain in Amsterdam. You may think you will find shelter in some pub or nightclub but its jam-packed and there is no room to breathe.
Mugging is common. So don’t go far away from the crowd. Pickpocketing is also a common phenomenon especially if you are using the trains (normal/ underground).
Trains leaving Amsterdam could be cancelled/delayed for different reasons. Do not go on tight schedules. I have faced the problem twice in a row.
Travelling on weekends is most expensive on planes, least expensive on trains and accommodations are very difficult to find.
Please spare me the embarrassing comments. Thanks