Amsterdam - The beautiful city of sins

On the river cruise
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We woke up to the train inspector's knocks on our cabin door. I had a great sleep that night and was raring to see Amsterdam.

I didn't have a very good feeling of the city when we first arrived. There were lots of black people around they looked like gangsters.

The collection showcased the lifestory of Van Gogh whom I then had little clue about.

We purchased a 2 day pass and decided to make full use of it. We walked around looking for a place to stay. We got pretty lost and ended up in the Red Light district! I never imagined that I would see skimpy dressed women selling themselves by the window. It was early in the morning and they were already looking for business! The streets were dirty and we even saw a group of people dealing drugs right on the streets!

Maritime ship
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Many of the accomodations we found had pubs below them and they looked really sleazy. We finally found The Shelter City, which is a Christian Youth Hostel.

We made our way to the river for "Rederji Noord-Zuid Rondvaart" canal boat ride. It was a 75 mins ride and we cruised through many canals of the city. We had a great tour of the city.

Next up was Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. It was much smaller that the Lourve but had some really nice collections e.g. The Battle of Waterloo, The Nightwatch, Van Gogh's self potrait. Then we headed to Van Gogh Museum. It was probably the only museum where I was truly interested in the works. The collection showcased the lifestory of Van Gogh whom I then had little clue about. It was about how he started as a poor artist, his stays in many cities, his illness and death.

Van Gogh Museum
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Holland Casino was next. It looked like a normal casino with jackpot machines and all. We walked by an area with people basking and painting. There was a really talented young man who used spray paints to create lovely pieces. All he used was the spray paints, cardboard and his fingers. Another guy was using acryllic paint to create the most beautiful scenery paintings with his fingers.

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After a good night's sleep, I had a good breakfast with eggs too. Our first stop was Molen Van Sloten. It was located some far away residential area. We had a tour guide who showed us around the place. We saw models of the windmills and pictures and maps too. Till then, I didn't know that Amsterdam was built so much below sea level. A huge dyke is used to protect its lands. I'm pretty curious how huge it is. That's also why the water in Amsterdam is fresh water.

We visited KIT Tropenmusuem. Its exhibits are from the tropical regions. There were lovely photos and exhibits.

Maritime museum, also called the Scheepvaart Museum, was very boring. It was a museum with models of ships mostly. By then, we already got the "Museum overload" syndrome.

We proceeded to Stolite Diamonds. An Italian man explained to us the operations of getting a finished diamond, the grades of diamonds etc.

After all the touristy stuff, we went shopping. I bought a tee-shirt and burms for only 9.85 Euros!

We decided to relax and caught the Holland International 1 hour canal cruise before heading back to the hostel.

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Overall, the trip to Amsterdam really changed my impression of the city being one of drugs and prostitution. It is really a colourful city filled with culture. I will certainly visit Amsterdam again if I could.