V-Love’s Lonely Planet

I’ll admit, Amsterdam was not for me.  The city was beautiful, I loved the colorful old homes, there is so much history, and the museums were fantastic.  But I could never get used to the pot and prostitution.  Most of the tourists I met were there simply to get high non-stop, many never even left the hostel I was staying at.  Call me crazy but that seems like a waste of time and a waste of money.  But whatever floats your boat.  And all of you who have ever had a fantasy to pay for sex, better get to Amsterdam fast because while on a Red Light District tour I found out they are actually closing the Red Light District!  They have already started kicking these girls out of their windows and putting in beauty shops.  Supposedly they are trying to move all of the girls to one street; so technically the Red Light District is not really shutting down for good but I think for a period of time you may not have any girls in the windows!  Anyway, watching these dirty men bargain at the door and then actually seeing guys come out of the room made my skin crawl.  Repulsive.But honestly, the city was really a delight to wander.  I particularly liked the Anne Frank and Van Gogh museum.  Plus, I went on the free Amsterdam tour hosted by New Europe.  I met some great travelers from Australia, Seattle, and Canada that I was able to share a few evenings with.   My opinion, visit Amsterdam at least once in your life just to see how crazy it is.