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AMSTERDAM
Lively, lascivious Amsterdam has a unique atmosphere
that belies the caricature of the dour Dutch.
Radiating out from the Dam Square, the historic centre
of the city is ringed by quaint canals and cobbled
streets, thronged with bicycles, tourists, house-boats,
students, and street performers. The city wears two
faces: on one it smiles and beckons hedonistic youth
with it's notorious Red Light District and liberal view
of marijuana use, while on the other it offers some of
Europe's finest museums and art galleries.
For the tourist the joy of Amsterdam is its compactness.
The old part of town is a pleasure to explore on foot,
strolling across ancient bridges and down narrow lanes
past gabled houses, dropping in to browse in inviting
souvenir boutiques crammed with blue and white Delft
china and wooden clogs. Pavement cafes and cosy bars
offer rest and refreshment. An alternative is to take a
circular canal-boat cruise and see the city from the
water, peering in on the lives of the locals who live on
house-boats lining the waterways.
At night even the most conservative visitor is drawn by
the lively atmosphere of the infamous Red Light District,
known as De Wallen, which is bounded by the Oudezijds
Voorburgwal and Oudeziujds Achterburgwal canals near the
Dam Square. Here prostitutes display their charms in
brightly lit shop windows and touts encourage passers-by
to view raunchy floor-shows. The best nightclubs, bars,
and the theatres and cinemas are mainly to be found in
the bustling Leidesplein and Rembrandtplein. |
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