Bikes, Lights and Canals

Here are some images of Amsterdam, on my first visit to the Netherlands. We three girls had a fun, rainy long weekend exploring the canals and trying Dutch (I like pea soup, and poffertjes too!) and Indonesian/Surinamese food. We did wander through the Red Light District early on Sunday evening but spent most of the time watching a pair of kittens playing in the lit window of a shoemaker's studio! Girls.

I also visited the Rijksmuseum to see the Vermeer and Rembrandt masterpieces, and we all went to see Anne Frank's home and Secret Annexe. I think it was a highlight for all of us, it was moving; a very sensitively arranged museum.

Although alternative compared to other cultures, I think the Dutch attitude to tolerance (eg to prostitution and soft drugs) may have something to it, although I don't know it would work if applied internationally. Apparently, only a small fraction of Dutch people use soft drugs as it's something they try out as teenagers and leave to the tourists. And only 5% of customers of the Red Light District are Dutch. Still, it was quite a wonder to find seeds of another sort alongside the famous tulips of Amsterdam at the Flower Market!