Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a city that has been built on what was swampland.  A series of canals still exist throughout the city, and there are 1200 bridges (picture 1 picture 2) spanning them.

Like any tourist, I took a boat ride along the canals.  Here is a picture of the local theater that I took from the boat

I held my camera tightly in my hand, and captured some of the buildings (picture 1 picture 2 picture 3 picture 4) in Amsterdam

One thing that Amsterdam is well known for is the use of marijuana and other "soft" drugs.  These are sold in coffee shops.  One thing to keep in mind is that when it is spelled with a "K" then it is a beverage place.  When it starts with a "C" then they also sell drugs.  Here is a picture of two of the coffee shops, and a picture of a hemp and marijuana museum. Technically these drugs are not legal, but the laws are not enforced.  While "hard" drugs are not allowed, I was offered cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy within a five minute span.

Amsterdam is also well known for sex shops, where you can see prodtitues in the window and pick the one that you want.  There are no pictures here, as they don't seem to care for this very much.  Here are a couple of shots (picture 1 picture 2) of the exterior of a couple of these establishments.

A significant amount of traffic comes through the Central Station.   I was there on a Sunday, so I probably didn't get the full picture.  However, the bicycles (picture 1 picture 2) are still everywhere.  Some are not as lucky as others.