Red Lights All the Way

Amsterdam was is of my favourite cities. I was here back in December right before Christmas. I only got to stay for two nights, but I wish I could have stayed longer. There was so much diversity in such a small area that I felt like it would take me weeks to see and do everything that interested me (and no I am not talking about the women and men in the windows for all you dirty thinkers out there). There are a plethora of museums ranging from the typical arts to the history museums to museums like the torture museum. Plus there are so many areas to visit that have distinctly different styles and people. 

I arrived in the evening at the train station and took the subway to my hostel. I had booked to stay at a Christian hostel even though I am not Christian because my thinking was that they would provide a better hostel. Boy was I wrong. I mean I was completely off base, out of my mind crazy! This hostel was a mess, had no outlets, and every couple of hours they would be asking if I wanted to join in on prayers and sing to their prayer song CDs and such. Now I have no issue with praying and being invited to pray,I mean I occassionally pray, but more often than not it is to the gods of academia or chocolate. My issue stems from me kindly saying no multiple times. After the first 5 times of not wanting to join, why would I want to join in on the 6th or the 7th or the 50th? I didn't even spend that much time in the hostel, so it baffles me how often I was asked. 

After about 30 seconds of stepping out of my hostel, I realised I was in the Red Light District. You have no idea how hilarious I find it that my Christian hostel that does not allow men and women to share rooms unless they are married was right next to the women selling sex in windows. Please tell me I am not the only one that finds this entertaining! 

Ok now to some pictures! Please forgive blur and the darkness seeing as it was night and all.

Alrighty, so first off is the Royal Palace.

Here are some of the many fairy lights that were all over the shopping area. It was beautiful to see.

Here is the National Monument

This is an area near the train station

Part of the red light district. Look at all the swans! Don't they look like flamingos?

On my first full day, I went to the Anne Frank House. The sign is pictured below. This house was very emotionally trying for me. I don't even have any ties that I know of to the victims of the war and concentration camps and hiding, but it was just so emotional. It seemed like the House affected (or is it effected?) me more than everyone else around me. I hadn't read her diary in years, but as I walked through the house, it all started to come back to me. And it all broke my heart. Just thinking about what so many people had gone through was hard to wrap my head around. I mean, who does something so cruel to someone else? How do they do it? Do you just wake up one morning and say, "Hey! Let's destroy people's lives because I don't like them?" And how do people cope with being targeted and hurt and scared? How do they wake up every morning and stay positive? I don't know if I would ever be strong enough to deal with anything remotely close to what they went through.

Ok, so let's switch it up and be less sad and upset.

LOOK A PIRATE SHIP! Well it isn't an actual pirate ship, but close enough. Just ignore the car. Isn't it fascinating? I found it when I got lost wandering around Amsterdam. Actually the next few photos are from getting lost. 

This building is so cool looking. And it is right next to the water too! What a prime spot. Well except for the fact that the water looks a bit gross, but whatever!

This is a bridge, but it sort of looks like an oil drill. 

This was probably the coolest thing I saw while I was lost. I don't know why it was there or what it was for, but look at how awesome it is! It is like a microwave or an oven. I wanted to get a closer peak, but I didn't because there was a family playing soccer in front of it that I didn't want to disturb.

Here is the Sloten windmill. It doesn't look great next to the gas station, but it was cool to see.

Finally I found what I was searching for: The Dutch Resistance Museum aka Verzetsmuseum. I didn't get to see the entire museum because it took so long for me to find it (not having a map does that to you). I really liked the quote below because I think it is true. Asking questions is important to any cause.

Here is another cool bridge. Although it is sort of hard to see since it was so dark! It wasn't even that late! I guess that is what happens when it is wintertime!

This is a cool church, but I have no idea where it is or what it is called!

Overall, I loved Amsterdam! It is definitely worth a second trip to see everything, so if anyone is interested in coming with me, hit me up!