Endless Voyage...!!: Lost myself in a canal maze.....a day in Amsterdam

At last the story of my day in Amsterdam is starting here.....Which brings you the colors and flavors of many exotic and fascinating corners of the world. This is great post to get the feel of Amsterdam - the capital of Netherlands inscribed on the UNESCO world Heritage list, delightful little streets.

When people think of Amsterdam, their ears immediately prick up and their eyes bulge intensely at the exotics of the that city of sin. With its famed tolerance of soft drugs and prostitution, Amsterdam's hedonistic aspects have often eclipsed its homely charms, cultural treasures and "Normal Night Life".

Here i am looking at the whole picture of Amsterdam....

I was really excited when i came to know that we will be flying to Amsterdam!! Amsterdam is one of my favorite destinations and i know everywhere is like my favorite destination right??..!!I want to be everywhere to know more about life styles of other countries. We three Myself, Shilpa and Abhilash were very happy about that we are going to visit a new country but at the same time we felt very sad because we will miss our bestie "Evelin" in this journey. But in each stage of the journey we three remembered you Evelin......

From where should i begin? We started our journey on 12th August 2017. I remembered that the center of Amsterdam was packed with tourists and filled with excitement when i was there. The entire city center was like a party hall. In between the canals, historic buildings and artistic vibe, every taboo was out in the open and it could be an " Eye wide shut" experience for some people. I am a huge fan of Paris and Berlin but Amsterdam feels like the perfect combination. I am so happy that finally we came here. Ok, so I am going to breakdown my trip into a couple of posts. I wanted to show you guys everything which i enjoyed so far.

The weather in Amsterdam was awesome. Took a walk down the picturesque canal street with my besties, immersing myself in the gorgeous weather. I was astonished with the number of good looking people on the street and everyone was so friendly.

Where we are heaven or hell.....!! ??

One of the most charming cities in the world, Amsterdam is the perfect destination for a city break. Something of an-architectural marvel, Amsterdam is pretty much defined by the web of canals cutting through it. Charming canal houses with their distinct gables seems to be learning on each other and on the brink of tumbling down to the murky waters, and little bridges connect the city's neighborhoods, each with their own unique vibe. Amsterdam owes much of its grandeur to the Golden age, a time when the city was pretty much the capital of Europe and Center of the World.

After a long day in Amsterdam i was treated to many guilty pleasures with countless cravings to be satisfied. We've all heard about the liberal atmosphere of Amsterdam (With what's legal here) and as a first time visitor i felt that i have either reached heaven or hell or something in between.

Amsterdam " A city of Walking"

A free walking tour !! Amsterdam is a city of walking and in the center, nothing is too far. We get our walking shoes ready as it's the best way to explore Amsterdam. Navigating the seemingly similar looking Canals and bridges confused us from finding the right way but it was also part of fun. The whole day we walked throughout the city without taking a break. At one stage we three got irritated because this architecture of the city is looks like similar everywhere, because of this we struggled to find out the way. After a long walk when we were in the right destination we forgot all the struggles. That was an eternal pleasure for us.

# Incredible Canal cruise #

Amsterdam is a city tied to the water - it grew around its canals and the taming of the Amstel River. The canals of Amsterdam are incredibly beautiful and nothing like seeing the city from a boat. The city of Amsterdam is home to 165 historic canals. We three were tempted to take so many pictures in the background of this awesome canals....

Wandered for "I Amsterdam".......

We three were wandered around the whole city to find out the fascinating attraction of Amsterdam. That is a big statue of : "I AMSTERDAM" . By asking the way to there finally we were reached there. Really it was an awesome feeling. Really we wants to take a picture with that but unfortunately there is a big crowd in front of that. Most of them like us they all waiting to capture the photo of that big "I Amsterdam". Finally we also got a good picture. There we met our Indian friend, we had a nice time with him. Now one more person also joined in our journey. ...

Something worth it...."Rijkmuseum"

The museum features an extensive Rembrandt collection and we saw the famous paintings - " The Night Watch". Besides Rembrandt, there is also an incredible and robust collection of other classic Dutch painters like Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer. Over one million works of art, craft works and historical objects are kept in the collection, around 8,000 objects are on display in the museum.

An Excessive queue in front of Anne Frank House

It's maddening a long queue in front of the Anne Frank House. As we are curious about Anne Frank House we also decided to stand in the queue. This awe-inspiring attraction include Anne Frank's actual diary, a reconstruction of her bedroom and the secret annex,where the Frank family was forced to live silently in despair.

Beaten Path attraction # Tulip Museum #

Located in a room inside a tulip shop, this little basement museum does a wonderful job of telling the history of tulips in Holland and the famous tulip craze. It is one of the best of the beaten path attraction in Amsterdam.

# City of Bikes...#

The city loves bikes, and there are supposedly more bikes than people in Amsterdam. In fact, forget about keeping a lookout for cars - it's the bike that will run over seeing Amsterdam and it's surroundings from a bike is an fascinating one.

Be aware of Coffee Shops😱 !!

There is a number of sex shops, sex theaters, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum and a number of Coffee shops !!! In Netherlands, Coffee shop is not a place for you to have coffee like in India, It is weed Cafe to buy and try drugs. Oh....Yes all these are legal in Amsterdam.

An Icon of remembrance # Homo monument #

I found it by accident while on the way to visit the Anne Frank House. As we passed by I stopped, and took a closer look and confirmed that i had found the only monument devoted to gays and lesbians who were killed by the Nazis. I stopped for a moment, waited for a well of emotions to gush forth, but none came. I was honored to be at the site, but the full weight of the experience didn't hit me until much later. While i applaud the monument which debuted in 1987, i don't think it goes so far enough.

This world- renowned icon of gay remembrance lies beside the westerkerk, taking the shape of a triangle on the bank of canal. Amsterdam's Homo monument was designed by Karin Daan, was unveiled on 5 September 1987 and was the first tribute in the world to the many gay and lesbian people who lost their lives during second world war. Its three points are symbolic. In the center of Amsterdam is the Homo monument, which commemorates all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their homo sexuality. and takes the form of three large pink granite triangles in the ground forming a larger triangle. It is on the bank of the Keizersgracht canal, near the historic westerkerk church. one corner points towards the National war memorial on Dam square, another points across the canal to the site of the Anne Frank House. While the third corner points towards COC Amsterdam. It remains the largest monument in the world dedicated to homosexuality and remembrance.It was designed to inspire and support lesbians and gays in their struggle against denial, oppression and discrimination. The text on the monument " To such a friendship indulgence desire" is a verse of the guy Jewish writer Jacob Israel de Haan.

I would like to see a proper display honoring both the accomplishments of the LGBT community as well as their suffering. Still this community facing so much of oppression in the world and i think we could all use a reminder of how many people suffering every day. For the moment though, its the best way we have and i have to thank Amsterdam and the brave people who thought of constructing this amazing monument on the banks of the Keizergracht.

* Sex was in the Air *

There might be a lot of sex museums in the world. It is the first and oldest sex museum in the world. It was opened in 1985 and it is one of the most visited museum in the city. It is also known as "Temple of Venus". This is a leading museum on the theme of sensual love with an extensive collection of erotic pictures, paintings, objects, recordings, photographs, artifacts and even attractions which allow visitors to explore the evolution of human sexuality throughout the ages. The rooms have different names - Mata Hari, Marquis de Sade, Rudolf Valentino and so on. In the Marquis de Sade room the repetitive sounds of the steam machine, depicting sounds of women and men who is enjoying their sex.

I think the museum is a celebration of the city's openness but showcasing a lot, and really a lot of sex. I took a lot of photos but decided not to show them here or i might turn my blog into a porn site. But well treat the exhibit with a good sense of humor, and a great respect for history of sex.

# Discovered the painful path " Torture Museum" #

When we three saw the board of Torture museum we were wondered and excited to see that. But when we entered into that we filled with lot of emotions in our heart and mind. Torture Museum endeavors to document the history of the human cruelty - scaring the hell out of you. It shows a lively picture of the painful part.

In the middle ages, Torture was a widely known punishments for almost all crimes committed, ranging from rape to murder and above all for heresy museum of medieval torture instruments displays over 100 devices used to torture the people during medieval times. This unique collection, recreated by pictures, drawings, serves as a grim reminder of how poorly humans can treat one another.

We cringe .....from the bottom of our heart we said a thanks to our society has pasted the dark ages behind.

Lot of fun together in the whole city....many photos....a long walk throughout the day...meeting with Indian friend...Really it was a blasting day. But it ended with lot of emotions. When we came across through Red Light District it created a worst impact on me.I was glad that i had a company because i didn't manage to visit the Red Light District alone. I won't dare to go here alone because after all, it is pretty dangerous for a women to walk alone at night in such places.

#No Fucking Photos. Enjoy the Art & Respect the Women #

"No fucking photos. Enjoy the art & Respect the women"- This catchy and meaningful words which I noticed when i entered in to the Red Light District. That's a camera restricted area.

I just surprised when i see a thick crowds of tourists in the Red Light District. De Wallen is Amsterdam's famous Red Light District. This district manages to balance sex and seediness with being a major tourist attraction. During the day, its a quiet place. If it wasn't for the Red Lights and sex signs everywhere, it would look like any other part of the city but at night, the area becomes a wash with drunk, gawking tourists moving slowly down the street as they enjoying the beauty of girls in the window. This is the ultimate form of Window Shopping which women sell and men shop for sex. In the red light zone, there were so many barely dressed women standing in cabins exposing their body parts to attract customers #Window Shopping# hence, a big crowd to see and make use of it...I get to watch potental customer negotiating with the women and when the red curtain are closed, It means a deal reached. What goes on behind those closed curtains is up to your own imaginations.

In Netherlands prostitution is legalized but as a woman walking through the street brings tears in my eyes imagining woman just as a commodity which is kept to be sold...feel pity that the city is slowly becoming the hub of prostitution with hundreds and hundreds of customers coming everyday....😢😢😢😢😢Netherlands doesn't have a problem with sex in itself. Prostitution is regulated profession and taxed, Nudity is freedom and sexuality is private and tolerant.

I have to emphasize this the city of Amsterdam is not just about sex and drugs and there is so much more to this beautiful city. It is a beautiful city filled with historic buildings and an abundance of culture.

This list only touched the surface of things to do in Amsterdam. There are a lot of the beaten path attractions to see and experience. One day in the city is not enough to really explore the whole city.

I would say Amsterdam is an interesting city every time you will fall in love with.....

Now i realized that every trip is a voyage of Discovery.

Some best clicks in the paradise of Amsterdam