had a great trip.

amsterdam is a VERY unique city. everyone rides their bikes, the stench of weed floods the air outside of 'coffeeshops' (or smart and/or energy shops as they like to call them) and prostitution is a legal, successful business. however, beyond all the usual fuss of the city being highly liberal, it is a beautiful city to wander in. brown cafes (bars) abound, cafe culture flourishes, and the web of canals and narrow houses create an atmosphere unlike any other european city.

the legalized prostitutes and drugs may bring many people to the city; but i was drawn to the vibrant culture, interesting city structure and observing the side effects one city's attempt at pursuing liberal policies.

first of all, i never felt that drugs were in my face. i never witnessed anyone smoking a spliff in a public location, i was never approached for a sale, and unless i was walking by a coffeeshop, i never would have noticed a difference. in canada, people had a field day when the government considered decriminalizing weed, yet, it seems to function in amsterdam quite appropriately. in fact, i have heard it is generally the tourists who get ridiculously baked and cause problems. it is something to think about anyway. could the same experiment work in north america? i think many people worry that having rules and laws is better than no rules at all. but, is it possible that young people would actually smoke LESS if they had no rules to break? is it the drugs, or breaking the rules that they are drawn to? i don't know the answers to these questions, i am simply putting them out there.

the red light district is entirely another story. i ventured out one night, curious to see what it was like for myself. again, other than a few sex shops, there is no way to tell that prostitution is legal UNTIL you reach the scuzzy district itself. quiet, quaint streets open up into two long streets, filled with sex shops and strip clubs crowded with gawking men. in fact, i was probably one of only a few women, all of which were tourists! red lit windows lined the streets and displayed prostitutes of all races and sizes, waiting for customers. if the curtain was closed, they were in business. to be completely honest, i kind of got a kick out of watching the whole thing. it did not feel real. it felt like i was on a film set! however, i happened to catch the eye of one of the working women through the window, and her face has stuck with me for several days. i couldn't help but wonder, what brought her to this place? did she feel degraded by her job? did she like her job? was she happy? was it worth it?

i only had 24 hours in amsterdam, and the other thing i had always wanted to see was the anne frank house. i read here diary in grade school, but have always been fascinated by holocaust history, having taken many classes at university. they have transformed the house where anne and her family hid for two years into a touching, simple museum. part of the bookcase which hid the staircase to their apartment is still original, as well as all the pictures she cut out of magazines to decorate her walls. of course, the rooms were mostly empty (the furniture having been reposessed shortly after their capture), but the walk through was a sobering one. eight people lived in this small hidden apartment for almost 800 days. i kept thinking that my life has been so easy in comparison. they could not go outdoors, make noise, or do anything that could attract attention. in short, they could not really be children. anne went through more fear in her short life than most of us ever will. it really struck a chord.

my short trip to amsterdam was a good one. i didn't see any cows falling from the sky, or creatures crawling out of the ground, as many people do, but i had a brief look into a reality very different from my own.