 |
| First stop of the day - the Rijksmuseum, the largest museum in the Netherlands |
 |
| The famous "I amsterdam" sign is out in the back |
 |
| The Great Hall, meant to emphasize the glory of Dutch art and history |
 |
| One of the art museum's biggest highlights is "The Milkmaid," painted by Joannes Vermeer circa 1660. A normally everyday activity is translated into an impressive painting with playful lighting |
 |
| Visitors browse through works by Rembrandt and the other Dutch masters |
 |
| Here comes another big highlight... |
 |
| The "Night Watch" is THE most famous piece in the museum as well as Rembrandt's largest, most well-known masterpiece. Completed in 1642, it portrays members of Amsterdam's civic guard (the militia and police force). It's significant because it is the first group portrait to show the subjects actually doing something. The captain, in black, is telling his lieutenant to start the company marching |
 |
| Neat model of a 17th century Dutch warship made in 1698 |
 |
| It's super detailed |
 |
| The museum's four-story art history library, built in 1881 |
 |
| I thought this portrait was funny. It shows a powerful merchant's son (Portrait of Gerard Andriesz Bicker, Bartholomeus van der Helst, c. 1642) |
 |
| Extremely ornate doll houses used to be popular among upper classes. Here's an example from the early 1700s, owned by a merchant's wife |
 |
| All of the contents are made from authentic materials, just really small |
 |
| This is one of several self-portraits Vincent van Gogh made after moving to Paris in 1886 as he tried to refine a new, colorful style |
 |
| What could be more quintessentially Dutch than a windmill? (A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriel, 1889) |
 |
| The front of the museum. I was there for three hours and could have stayed much longer |
 |
| Dam Square |
 |
| Beurs van Berlage |
 |
| What would a trip to Amsterdam be without a bike ride? I split off from my travel partner for a few hours to ride through the Dutch countryside |
 |
| Yes! Found a windmill! |
 |
| Passing through a tiny town called Zunderdorp, population 237 |
 |
| Zunderdorp... what a funny name. All of Dutch is a funny language, really - especially to me, since I know German. Dutch is like a strange cross between German and English where everything is pronounced in the most illogical, comical way possible |
 |
| The town of Ransdorp (population 245) |
 |
| Durgerdam, Netherlands. It's basically a metropolis compared to the other two towns, as its population totals 430 and it once served as an Amazing Race pit stop |
 |
| Back in Amsterdam, I passed another windmill, the De Gooyer windmill |
 |
| It dates from 1725 and was once a flour mill |
 |
| Amsterdam's main train station looks just like the Rijksmuseum, which is unsurprising given the same architect designed both |
 |
| That pointy church on the left is the St. Francis Xavier Church, built in the 1880s. It replaced a canal house that looked totally normal... from the outside. On the inside, it was a secret Catholic church. In the 17th century, Catholics were persecuted in the city and had to practice clandestinely. Amsterdam wasn't always so tolerant, it seems |
 |
| Finally reunited with my travel partner, Amy. We stopped for photos at the famous "I amsterdam" sign |
 |
| The sign is a big draw in its own right, especially judging by the huge number of tourists clamoring all over the place. Thankfully we got a few relatively stranger-free pictures |
 |
| The giant letters loudly proclaim their cryptic message (I am sterdam? I, Amsterdam? I am Amsterdam? I AMsterdam?) to the picture-taking masses of museum visitors and tourists |
 |
| Our last look at the Rijksmuseum (after closing) |
 |
| Time for dinner! We found some good Dutch food not far from this canal, the Prinsengracht. The menu was heavy on gravy, potatoes, and especially meat |
 |
| Almost all of the canal houses in Amsterdam lean forward like this one. What appears to be a design flaw or shoddy building job is actually a clever feature. Since houses on the canals are typically very skinny (just like in Poland, houses were once taxed based on how long their facade along the street was), their staircases are too narrow to accommodate furniture being carried up and down. Instead, furniture is hoisted up using a hook and cable attached to the gable at the very top of the house's facade. In this shot you can make out two hooks sticking out from the first house's two gables (the gable is the tall skinny part at the top of the facade). The other houses have hooks, too |
 |
| The Amstel River |
 |
| The Magere Brug, a traditional wooden double-swipe bridge |
 |
| Amy and I spent about half an hour scouting out the ideal spot for the perfect dusk photo. We settled on this spot along the Reguliersgracht. I think we chose well! I owe Amy a thank-you for her patience in choosing a location and then staying put for half an hour as I waited to get this exact shot |
 |
| Time for our trip's grand finale - A RICK STEVES TOUR OF THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT! We made our way over to the starting point, passing through Thorbeckeplein |
 |
| Reguliersbreestraat, looking towards the Munttoren |
 |
| Rokin |
 |
| The Royal Palace by night |
 |
| Dam Square |
 |
| Warmoesstraat, one of the city's oldest streets. We passed by a hallucinogens shop, men-only leather bars, BDSM clubs, sex shops, and a condom shop |
 |
| We made it - the Red Light District, officially named De Wallen. Prostitution, obviously, is legal in the Netherlands. The prostitutes are registered with the government and pay taxes. Women with red lanterns (red light was chosen because it's the most flattering) met and tempted sailors at the port as early as the 1200s. These days, prostitutes are self-employed and work about 4- to 8-hour shifts in their red windows, earning up to 500 euros in one day. The premises must be kept hygienic and clients must use condoms. Services cost about 50 euros on the lower end. Once a customer goes in, the curtains are drawn shut and the pair goes to a back room away from the display window. If the prostitute runs into trouble, she can summon her bouncer or the police with the press of a button. Cameras are everywhere - the area is quite safe |
 |
| The famous coffeeshops are another example of Amsterdam's extraordinarily tolerant mindset. These deceptively named stores are where tourists can find cannabis sold for recreational use. They aren't called "cannibas shops" because it is illegal to advertise weed. This is the city's first outlet - it opened in 1975. The sale of marijuana is strictly regulated, and each customer can only buy a maximum of 5 grams |
 |
| Taking pictures of the prostitutes themselves as they dance and peer from their red windows is prohibited... sorry. You can see an arm in this photo, though - scandalous! These illuminated windows face the Old Church and are only a few doors down from a preschool, a reminder that the area is home to regular old residents as well |
 |
| Rick Steves took us on a quick detour down Zeedijk, away from the red windows |
 |
| Oudezijds Kolk |
 |
| Zeedijk, once an extremely sleazy area that had the unenviable nickname "Heroin Alley" as recently as the 1960s, is now fully gentrified. The first part of that resurgence began once the city allowed coffeeshops to sell pot legally, which shifted the point of sale of the drug from darkened streets to regulated establishments |
 |
| Ok, back to the action. The Red Light District is fairly large. From where this photo was taken down to the string of red lights at the end, the Achterburg canal is lined with dozens of windows featuring scantily-clad prostitutes. Most of the small side alleys are home to red windows too. Some windows are even blue - which means the sex workers are transvestites |
 |
| Although the city is trying to reduce their numbers, over 290 red-lit windows remain in the district |
 |
| Although you could see the occasional real customer going into or coming out of a doorway, most people in the area were just there gawk. Amy and I found ourselves rubbing elbows with tourists of all ages (over 18) and nationalities who were there just to sight-see, despite the sanctity of the weekend |
 |
| Only in Amsterdam. Interestingly enough, per capita consumption of cannabis in the Netherlands is far lower than in America and in other European countries. It's the tourists who do most of the lighting up |
 |
| Theater Casa Rosso, featuring live sex shows |
 |
| We kept wandering even as we finished up Rick Steves's tour. The entire area was just so wild, new, and unusual to us since we grew up surrounded by America's Puritan attitudes towards sex |
 |
| Much calmer than the streets of the Red Light District |
That was a fun conclusion to our time in the Netherlands! We spent our Easter on a bus back to Berlin, ready to enjoy our one last full day off work. Pictures from that day and other adventures in Berlin are coming up, followed by another trip to Poland!