Europe Honeymoon (5) - Amsterdam, Holland
We arrive at the Amsterdam city late at night. Amsterdam buildings have huge windows (about size of door) and narrow doors, narrow buildings which are all stick together. Tour guide explain is bec' in the olden days the buildings are taxed by the size of the door, so they build the door v small but window big so that the furniture can be hoisted up through the window. Just happen we saw that furniture are hoist up through the window while we pass by. As the window is very big, we can see the activities inside many houses.
The tour guide bring us to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Amsterdam has many chinese restaurants as there are more chinese there than other countries we visited. They also have Japanese food, Italian food etc, not like other European countries where we visited are mostly Western food.
After dinner, tour guide bring us to the famous red light district. Tour guide explains that it is common for people to have drugs there. Their 'cafe' is actually a place for them to have drugs, not really for coffee. We seen many 'cafe' there, and also sex shops selling sex toys. The red light district is not very big and has some narrow streets. The girls parade themselves in small shops which have big windows. They wore only bra and panty and do their activities as per normal inside the shop (there is bed and bathroom etc) and the shop is lited with red/blue lighting. There are all kinds of girls, some fat some thin, some are black and other races etc, but we saw very little Chinese there. Tour guide explains that it is legal to be prostutes in Amsterdam and people do respect this line. We are not allowed to take pictures at that area and we just walk past looking at them.
We went to our hotel and are pleased to know that we can stay 2 nights there - no need to unpack and pack again! :p haa. The hotel room is very big! It is like a 2 room flat in singapore. But the hotel is very inconvenient at their main lift only serve 1st floor and 2nd floor. Then we got to go up to 2nd floor and go to another place to take another lift, so inconvenient esp we are carrying heavy luaggage.
We went over to next door building for supper. It was drizzling. KFC is already closed, so we have BK. Again the fries are different but the Sweden fries is still the best.
The next day, we went to countryside to visit the cheese and clog making workshop. Holland land is lower than sea level thus it is very very windy and the land are more wet, thus they have windmills to remove the dampness. However nowadays they do not require so many windmills so there are lesser. Holland also have a lot of rivers.
Next, we went to the fishing village to eat our lunch, one of the optional tours. There is a very nice sea view and again very windy. Also, there are nice quaint houses and sourvenins that are very cheap. We have shimps at the roadside store and ice-cream. Our lunch by the tour agency is not very nice as the fish is salty but can see it is quite fresh. The stores here sell many nice t-shirts! Holland t-shirts are v creative and we find that different stores sell different types of t-shirts and their souvenirs are also not so repetitive. Most of our tour members also commented that holland t-shirts are creative and nice.
Then we leave the village and went to Amsterdam city to see the diamond cutting factory.
Some of our tour group bought the diamond rings there. They claimed to have the best diamond cut, but the price is also not cheap there.
Then we went roaming around the city. They have bicycle lanes next to the pedestrian lane and road. It is confusing at times bec we can be standing at the bicycle lanes and thinking it is the pedestrian lane! :P Amsterdam in the day looked very different from the night, and peaceful.
Then we went for dinner at a nearby restaurant. The tour guide also bring us to the hard rock cafe to buy some t-shirts and collectable items.
Then we went for river cruise and see the famous boat houses. The boat houses are rich people 'holiday homes' and not like what we think normally for the poor. Besides, their boat houses are also very nice.
Halfway during the river cruise, my cam go out of battery! So i use my normal camera hee, those that use film.
Then we went back to our hotel and ready to set off to Belgium.
The tour guide bring us to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Amsterdam has many chinese restaurants as there are more chinese there than other countries we visited. They also have Japanese food, Italian food etc, not like other European countries where we visited are mostly Western food.
After dinner, tour guide bring us to the famous red light district. Tour guide explains that it is common for people to have drugs there. Their 'cafe' is actually a place for them to have drugs, not really for coffee. We seen many 'cafe' there, and also sex shops selling sex toys. The red light district is not very big and has some narrow streets. The girls parade themselves in small shops which have big windows. They wore only bra and panty and do their activities as per normal inside the shop (there is bed and bathroom etc) and the shop is lited with red/blue lighting. There are all kinds of girls, some fat some thin, some are black and other races etc, but we saw very little Chinese there. Tour guide explains that it is legal to be prostutes in Amsterdam and people do respect this line. We are not allowed to take pictures at that area and we just walk past looking at them.
We went to our hotel and are pleased to know that we can stay 2 nights there - no need to unpack and pack again! :p haa. The hotel room is very big! It is like a 2 room flat in singapore. But the hotel is very inconvenient at their main lift only serve 1st floor and 2nd floor. Then we got to go up to 2nd floor and go to another place to take another lift, so inconvenient esp we are carrying heavy luaggage.
We went over to next door building for supper. It was drizzling. KFC is already closed, so we have BK. Again the fries are different but the Sweden fries is still the best.
The next day, we went to countryside to visit the cheese and clog making workshop. Holland land is lower than sea level thus it is very very windy and the land are more wet, thus they have windmills to remove the dampness. However nowadays they do not require so many windmills so there are lesser. Holland also have a lot of rivers.
Next, we went to the fishing village to eat our lunch, one of the optional tours. There is a very nice sea view and again very windy. Also, there are nice quaint houses and sourvenins that are very cheap. We have shimps at the roadside store and ice-cream. Our lunch by the tour agency is not very nice as the fish is salty but can see it is quite fresh. The stores here sell many nice t-shirts! Holland t-shirts are v creative and we find that different stores sell different types of t-shirts and their souvenirs are also not so repetitive. Most of our tour members also commented that holland t-shirts are creative and nice.
Then we leave the village and went to Amsterdam city to see the diamond cutting factory.
Some of our tour group bought the diamond rings there. They claimed to have the best diamond cut, but the price is also not cheap there.
Then we went roaming around the city. They have bicycle lanes next to the pedestrian lane and road. It is confusing at times bec we can be standing at the bicycle lanes and thinking it is the pedestrian lane! :P Amsterdam in the day looked very different from the night, and peaceful.
Then we went for dinner at a nearby restaurant. The tour guide also bring us to the hard rock cafe to buy some t-shirts and collectable items.
Then we went for river cruise and see the famous boat houses. The boat houses are rich people 'holiday homes' and not like what we think normally for the poor. Besides, their boat houses are also very nice.
Halfway during the river cruise, my cam go out of battery! So i use my normal camera hee, those that use film.
Then we went back to our hotel and ready to set off to Belgium.
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