If someone were to ask you to describe Amsterdam in no more than two words, the first ones to come to mind would probably be "drugs and prostitution." And while, yes, those two things are indeed available, there is so much more to this city! To be honest, I really did not know what to expect before my arrival, but I definitely went in with an open mind.
I took a train that left directly from the airport to the Central Station, and my hostel was only about a 10 minute walk from there and once I exited the station, I was struck by how lively everything was. The streets were busy with people going about their business, with trams quickly whizzing by, boats lazily floating down one of the many canals, and cars noisily honking. But when crossing the street, I had to be extra careful of one of the most dangerous vehicles in the entire city: the bicycles! If you are in the way of a person riding a bike, you better be careful. And as the tour guide said (which I will talk about more later), "If you hear a bell, run like hell!"
Once I made my way into the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam life, I had to navigate my way alone towards my hostel. The street signs definitely confused me because they were all written in Dutch, but luckily almost everyone there speaks English. After asking about 3 different people which way to go, I finally ended up on the right path, which was to my relief due to the quickly setting sun (note: there is not much daylight in Amsterdam during this time of the year). As I found the neon sign with the words "The Shelter: Christian Youth Hostel," I was extremely happy.
I chose this hostel for many reasons. No, I am not Christian, but I knew that I would be spending a lot of time in Amsterdam on my own (even though I knew other people that were there as well) and I wanted to feel like I was in a safe environment. This hostel does not allow any drugs or alcohol within the premises, and the guys and girls are on separate floors. It was also very centrally located and the price couldn't be beat, especially because breakfast and internet were included. I opted for the 16-girl room, which definitely daunted me, but like I said before, I went in open-minded and hoped for the best. The room was actually so much better than I thought it would be, and each set of bunk beds was separated by a wall to at least provide some type of privacy. Needless to say, I was very pleased with how everything turned out and I began to feel at ease as the day began to wind down.
(The hallway) (The café)
(The backyard)
After settling into the hostel, I joined some friends to visit the Sex Museum. I won't go into much detail because I think the name of the museum explains it all ^_^, but they really held nothing back here (and by nothing, I mean nothing). It was interesting to see the evolution of sex and what it means throughout the years and they did provide a lot of information. This museum definitely isn't for everyone, but it fits the ambiance of Amsterdam, for sure!
The next day, I went on the Free Walking Tour (http://www.newamsterdamtours.com/) and our tour guide, Tim, was phenomenal. He took us to many different parts of the city such as the infamous Red Light District and was very knowledgeable about the various monuments, buildings, neighborhoods, and so much more. You'll squeeze your way down the thinnest street in Amsterdam, learn what the blue lights mean in the Red Light District, and find out why taking photos there is strictly prohibited. The motto for this company (which also offers tours in other parts of Europe) is that a person should be able to experience where they are visiting no matter what their budget, and I really did appreciate it. The tour lasted almost four hours and we had a chance to view the skinniest house in Amsterdam, which ironically is located right next to the widest bridge, and were educated on the history of the canals. If anyone is interested in visiting Amsterdam, I highly recommend taking part in one of these tours, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
(The tour guide, Tim, and me!)
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