Amsterdam~

Amsterdam is famous for its free-spirited liberalism, diversity and tolerance. It is the original City of Sin, a party paradise with sex, drugs and rock 'n roll all come together.
Best part? it's all legal!

It was freezing cold in Amsterdam!

Birdies taking a dip in the canal

Headed down to our favourite homemade fries: 2Euros for a small size of hot crispy chunky fries that comes with a range of sauses to choose from.Yupz! it was really REALLY good!Found a burger shop: slot in the money, open the compartment door and ready to eat. Talk about ready made burgers!

This guy in blue got angry when moi tried to take a photo of him. He was like waving his fakie weapon (like DUH~) and making angry gestures with his other hand.
I took a quick shot and ran for safety!! He's so not friendly~
*rolled my eyes*

Interesting fact:
See the beams containing hooks at the top of these houses? They are used, using pulleys, to hoist furniture up to the upper levels of the house through the windows. Reason being that these houses were built so narrow and have extremely narrow and steep staircases that made it near impossible to get furniture up from the ground floor. One of the most original items to take back home from Amsterdam are clogs, Holland's traditional wooden shoes. Nowadays, the majority of the clogs in Amsterdam's city center are generally made for tourist purposes and come in all sizes and colours.
im not sure if anyone wears them anymore
(other than me!! when i posted for the shots!! HAHA)

Girl in a giant wooden clog!

As you may or may not know, marijuana and hashish are "legal" substances in Holland and have been so for several years. It is sold in licensed shops called coffee shops. There are approximately 500 or so in Amsterdam and many others throughout the country. Coffeeshops are allowed to sell small amounts of cannabis and are strictly regulated and taxed.
They:
1.must not sell to anyone under the age of 18,
2.must not sell more than 5g to any customer
3.must not hold more than 500g on the premises.

NOTE: hard drugs are strictly forbidden.

Visit to Anne Frank house~
I must admit that i went along with my colleagues with absolutely no clue who was Anne Frank.
how little i know.

from wikipedia:
Anne Frank was one of the many victims of the Jewish persecution during World War II.
The whole family, together with four friends went into hiding in July 1942 in hidden rooms in her father Otto Frank's office building during the German occupation of the Netherlands. Anne Frank kept a diary while she was in hiding. She wrote about everyday life hiding, the isolation and the constant fear of being discovered. After two years in hiding, the group was betrayed, captured and transported to concentration camps. Seven months after her arrest, Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp within days of her sister, Margot Frank. She was just sixteen when she died. Otto, the father, was the only survivor of the group.
After the war, it was estimated that of the 110,000 Jews deported from the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation, only 5,000 of them survived.

Anne Frank's diary was first published in the Netherland in 1047 and has been translated into more than 60 languages since then.
Time Magazine published a special edition titled TIME 100: Heroes & Icons of the 20th century. This is a list of the 20th century's hundred most influential politicians, artists, innovators, scientists and icons. Anne Frank was selected as one of the 'Heroes & Icons'

Long quene outside Anne Frank house: You can walk through the house where the Frank family was in hiding during WW2.
Couldnt take pictures inside the House so just bought a couple of postcards.
Message left in the guestbook~

Statue of Anne Frank outside the church

The visit left me with tears in my eyes. I am ashamed to admit that I know absolutely nothing about the World War II, the Holocaust and suffering that many people endured when the war broke out. Yupz, we do learned bits and pieces of it during my sec school history classes and it's mainly on the war that's happening in Asia.
History is a subject that i found really boring back then. I managed to pass by memorising all relevant information and dates. It doesnt fascinate moi, unlike A maths or pure chemisty which allows you to think and do hand~on experiments.

But now when im 28 and wiser (i hope), i find the past intriguing. Visiting Anne Frank house makes moi realise that there's so much things that i don't know. So ignorant~
I probably score a big fat zero for General knowlege.

Alrite, think i say too much on the Anne Frank House.
Moving on ~

Amsterdam is also famous for its red light district. Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands at specific places. The red-light district is located in the center of the city along major canals and is clearly marked on maps.
Girls of all shapes, sizes and origins all dressed right out of the Victoria's Secret pose behind large glass doors and solicit from passersby (window glass girls) .
If interested in soliciting a girl's service, walk up to her window/door. She will open the door allowing conversation. Ask the price and if a deal is made she will open the door wider to let you in. Then she will draw the curtains indicating that she is "on the job."

An important note on the Red Light District: Taking pictures is frowned upon by the police, not to mention the girls. However, moi manage to take a couple of precious photos to show my readers!!
the risk moi takes for you all!!

One of the many 'live" show in Red light District

Sex shops proudly showing the latest vibrators and other sex items in a display window as if they were the new spring collection at Harrod's

One of my colleague wanted to take a picture of this huge marble penis fountain that she claimed was located at the red-light District.
We walked around, in the freezing cold, asked directions from locals and POLICEMEN!! who directed us to walk straight, turn right and blah blah . After looking for an hour, we failed to find the stoopid fountain. Cold and exhausted, we were seriously starting to doubt the existence of this marble penis fountain. Finally, we asked this old couple who told us that the fourtain was torn down due to the renovation works of the canel!!!!!

@-@"'

Our colleagues showed us a postcard to prove that it really existed!!


Casa Rosa is distinguishable by the marble penis fountain in front of the door

Alrite Dora, we forgive you for making us walked an hour in the bloody cold looking for something that doesnt exist anymore

We passed by this interesting fixture on our way back to the hotel.
Make a guess what it's for?
Yesh!! its a public urinal for men!! That's my colleague posting a picture for me.
He READ: DID NOT use it.
But we did saw a couple of men using it *shy*

All in all, other then the bitter cold winter, it had been a really interesting trip!
and nope, moi didnt go into any "live sex" shows, visit the coffee shops nor enter any sex shops if that's what you all are thinking about
*stick my tongue out*