Essential Guide to Amster-daymm

Long weekends away are the best, aren't they? But it's always a mad dash going to a new place and finding out all the things you want to do, and then trying to fit them all into three days!

Capital of the Netherlands, the infamous Amsterdam sits in northwestern Europe. A vibrant and beautiful city, Amsterdam is known for canals, bicycles and its, what many would consider, risqué lifestyle. Yes, I do mean the Netherlands rather than Holland. The name Holland is often used when all of the Nethrelands is meant. Actually, Holland just refers to two provinces on the coast; Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland.

Neither Tim, my boyfriend, nor I has ever been to Amsterdam before but it had been on our list for ages, and we were determined to make the very most of our short time there!

Day 1

We arrived at Schipol airport late afternoon and jumped on a bus to the district where we were staying. The bus station part of the airport was manic but getting our tickets and finding our bus was so much easier than expected! Our bus was about half an hour, and read out the stops on an intercom so we didn't need to worry about getting off in the wrong place. We were staying in a district of Amsterdam called Leidseplein; dead central but away from the night-time riffraff, and in easy walking distance to loads of tourists attractions.

We arrived at The Owl Hotel before we could check-in but they were nice enough for us to leave our bags while we went off exploring. Opposite us was a little bridge over the canal to a tiny square, on which sat the Hard Rock Cafe and an irish bar. We spent the rest of the day having a gander at the shops and bars, and trying desperately not to get hit by fellow cyclists!

Day 2

After our hotel breakfast, we ventured to the Rijksmuseum for a cultured insight into Dutch art and history, dating from the Middle Ages to present day. Tim wasn't that much into the art but I was amazed to see originals from Van Gogh and Rembrandt, including his famous 'Night Watch' painting. Covering the scale of one of the walls, I stood completely in awe!

After this, we headed towards the infamous Red Light District to see what the fuss was all about! It was a bizarre but hilarious experience to walk in and amongst a colourful array of establishments. Brothels, sex theatres, peep shows, strip clubs, sex shops, every kind of branch of prostitution to satisfy any fetish, you name it, it's there. We definitely weren't brave enough for any of that, but we did pay a visit to the appropriately named Sex Museum. Five euros later, we were climbing the stairs of the multistoried museum and exploring the history of sex. It's so weird writing that down! The museum held many pieces of artwork and sculptures depicting how sex is viewed in different cultures and how it has changed throughout the years, and as strange as it was, I was amazed to see a drawing done and signed by John Lennon hanging in there! The expereince left us thirsty, so we had a beer in one of the local bars before heading back towards the city centre.

Now, to get to the part I imagine some will have been waiting for; it was during this walk that we passed a coffee shop, and I don't mean your average Costa. For those you don't know, 'coffee shops' in Amsterdam are establishments where you can buy, and smoke, marijuana (hash, weed, pot, cannabis, grass, whatever you want to call it!). Make no mistake, you won't get no caffeine in the coffee shops! We had come across quite a few in the previous days, all had a very unsuspecting appearance and no advertisement of what we all knew they were selling. They weren't blaring you in the face, they were just part of the background which was nice. Curious, we went in for a look around. This particular coffee shop was dimly lit with a strange blue light. The front room had tables and chairs around a 'bar', and the back room had low sofas and cushions for people to sit on the floor as they consumed their purchase. The 'bar' sold soft drinks, bottles of water and beer, and on the backwall was a 2x2 metre scale 'menu' of different marijuana cigars that you could get. There were millions to choose from, each made with a varying amounts and types of hash inside and ranging from between 3-6€. Did we try any? "When in Rome"? The answer is no. I can barely handle tobacco without wanting to heave! We left and headed into town.

For me this day held the most important experiences. It was interesting to see Amsterdam's, and the country's, attitude to things like prostitution, pornography and drugs, things that are incredibly taboo in most other countries. Though here, rather than criminalise them, the country embraces the weirder sides of the human psyche are able to enjoy their honesty. I'm not particularly a fan of any of these things, but it was interesting to see them so intergrated into society and how they work within this controlled environment.

Back in the centre, we found ourselves with some time before we wanted to think about dinner so, knowing it was a smaller attraction, we headed for the torture museum. 7€50 later, the tour consisted of following a dark corridor, along which we came across various medieval torture instruments and contraptions. As far as museums go, must admit it was one of the poorer we've been too and had a bit of a rundown feel to it, but for us it was an ideal filler in our schedule and some of the things there were really creepy! We completed the tour in about 40 minutes and then headed to find a restaurant.

Day 3

Our last day had such a bittersweet tang to it, we'd enjoyed it so much and really didn't want to leave! After breakfast, we began our day by walking to the Jewish district to visit the Holocaust museum. In an area that was so affected by such evil, I was desperate to see how far the 'Dam had grown from its ordeals. The museum was small but packed a punch. We slowly wandered through the rooms, reading the life stories of local Jews who had died as a result of the Holocaust and seeing some of their possessions. It's such a moving experience, however the museum's downstairs was the most harrowing. They had recently held an art event, seeking pieces of artwork that depicted the reality of the Holocaust from the general public and had the chosen exhibit on show in the downstairs gallery. The room was full of suitcases, each with the name and age of a Jewish person. The suitcases depicted the ones that were packed and taken with individuals as they were moved into concentration camps, and each suitcase also had written the place and date of the person's death. Adults, teenagers, children. The piece brought me to tears but I felt was so damn important to see!

After walking back into town, we decided to head towards Anne Frank Huis; the building where, on 6th July 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding from the Nazis. We had meant to pre-book tickets for this before arriving in Amsterdam but had completely forgot, and were relying on there not being much of a queue on the day. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the queue circled around the building and about 100 yards down the road so we decided to give it a miss. However, we were able to get some good photos of the building and the surrounding area, and get a feel for what life must have been like during the family's two year isolation.

Our flight was later that night so we decided to head back to the hotel to pack but on our walk, we came across a little shop named Quinta Absinthe that sold wines and spirits. My dad's birthday was approaching so we went in to see if I could find him a present. We were met with the owner who was just delightful. A very down-to-earth, what you see is what you get sort of chap, who greeted us with such zeal I thought he might ask us to stay for tea! He practically did! I told him Dad liked whiskey. He said there was no pressure to buy anything because of the restirctions on getting it back to the UK, and proceeded to ask me all about what my dad liked and what flavours he would prefer, before giving us a million different tumblers to try and taste. He was very knowledgeable and obviously had huge passions for what he did, he was just happy to share his world with us. Lucky for us both, Tim and I had a huge suitecase that was checked into the plane's hold so I could take something back with us. I chose a local whiskey which was smooth and floral in taste. Perfect! Overall, a stunning way to end our weekend in the 'Dam!

Top Tips for your Adventure in the 'Dam

• Warning! Don't make the mistake of thinking that cannabis is acceptable everywhere you go. Recreational consumption of marijuana is tolerated and available in coffee shops, but is only legal for personal and discreet use. If you get caught smoking it on the streets, you will recieve a hefty fine.
• The bus and tram systems are amazing! We should have used them more, especially on the last day as walking to the Jewish Quarter was much much further than we thought. Had we taken the bus, we would have been able to fit the Heineken Museum in too! Take advantage of them!
• Amsterdam isn't the cheapest city, but there are always hidden gems for cheap food and drink! We found that argentinian steakhouses and irish bars were obscenely expensive, but I guess you get what you paid for in beautiful food and branded drinks you could recognise, if that's what you're after.
• The Red Light District is a learning curve - if you're not expecting it, it might be quite shocking for some. If that's you, that's okay. Just be open-minded and respectful, and if it really isn't your scene then you've got a whole lot left of the city to explore!

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