In June we took a mini break to Amsterdam. Neither of us had been there before and we were keen to spot some windmills and try the local… cuisine.
We booked ourselves a tiny room on a canal boat for four nights. We were lucky enough to have a shower in our room, though the toilet was communal (and the paper goes in the bin, please!), but for four nights it was perfect. Following are my impressions of the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.
By day we headed out to get lost in the streets of Amsterdam. It was windy and cold but I was just happy to be by the water again. We giggled at the abundance of Coffeeshops and goggled at the virtually naked girls on display in the red light district. Although I had been aware of the red light district, I wasn’t prepared for just how on display everything was.
I failed miserably at smoking my first ever joint. Not being a smoker, all I managed to do was burn the back of my throat and then spend the next half hour panicking that there was some kind of permanent damage – yes, paranoia.
Following this we discovered the magical edible delights of the coffee shops. Chow down on a muffin or cookie and get prepared for a quiet, happy high. Of course, you have to remember that ingesting marijuana means waiting 1.5 hours until you feel the effects. So start with one, folks. But it was the perfect thing for a non-drug user like myself. Invariably, the aftereffect of the muffin would mean that we would enjoy some quiet time and an afternoon nap.
But no, that’s not all we did, although we didn’t see many actual tourist attractions. We were more content to lazily wind ourselves through the streets, tasting amazing cheese, eating poffertjes and stopping at pubs for a drink to people watch as the day went by. I had friends living in Amersterdam at the time so we spent one day out in Zaanse Schans to see the windmills and then on to Volendam to see where the coast used to be.
And in the end I didn’t return with a pot habit… I’m afraid the slow, low high doesn’t appeal to me anywhere near as much as the excitement of a few glasses of wine. So I guess I won’t be partaking in any more until my next trip to Amsterdam.
an aussie in austria 