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Amsterdam 04/03/17




Amsterdam, the home of the Anne Frank museum, Red Light district and of course, cannabis! I had been wanting to visit Amsterdam for a while as everyone always rages about it, I finally did and I would go back in a heartbeat. My sisters and I decided we would do a day trip as time was tight and it turned out to be PERFECT.

We booked our tickets a week before (they were much cheaper had we booked earlier), they cost £83 each and we flew with British Airways. I took 40euros spending money and still had money left over. We flew from Heathrow at 6.45am and were due back at 19:35pm. This gave us about 10 hours to experience Amsterdam. The flight was only 2h15m, so we arrived in Schipol Airport at around 10am (the time is an hour forward). As soon as we got off the plane, we made our way to the "meeting point" which is a big red and white wall, and it is near here the train tickets are sold. When buying tickets you have 3 options. 1) buy them online in advance. 2)buy them over the counter. 3)buy them from the machines (only take coins). I would DEFINITELY recommend buying tickets online or taking coins so you can buy from the machines. The queue for the counter took what seemed like forever and we were there for a good 30mins. We bought a return ticket to Amsterdam Centraal which was only 9 euros. The train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal was not long at all, it was around 20mins tops. They are similar to trains in the UK, they are clean and easy to use. The staff are also very helpful and can understand English well.


Once we reached Amsterdam Centraal, the first thing I noticed was the quietness of the city. I was expecting a place that was loud and busy, just like London. I couldn't have been more wrong. There are few to zero cars as pretty much everyone travels via cycles, it is not loud (probably because everyone is zoned out) and it has such a serene, calm atmosphere. From the station we walked to the main area where the museums are, this only took about 25mins. There are signs everywhere so you won't get lost and the language is pretty easy to make out. The buildings are intricately designed and the canals make everything seem 10x more romantic and beautiful. The queue for the Anne Frank museum was massive, you should book online as it is unlikely you will get tickets on the day. We didn't visit the museum due to all the tickets being sold out. Amsterdam Centraal is fairly big and requires a good amount of walking so be prepared! We spoke with a lady who was selling attraction tickets and ended up buying tickets to the Museum of Prostitution in the Red Light District for only 8 euros each. She outlined the route to find the museum and again, it was pretty easy to find. It was past the Madame Tussaud's and a cheese factory.

The Red Light District:

 I must admit, I was quite nervous to be in the Red Light district at first. I had always heard about how crazy and dangerous it was, it is an area of prostitution, and I had only ever seen documentaries on T.V. I had never been face to face with it. The Red Light district turned out to be the highlight of my trip. Firstly, it is completely safe as the area is patrolled by police. There are also lots of tourists just like yourself, so, you have nothing to fear. It's crazy being there, a different world. It fills you with awe and sadness. The women stand in windows and try to attract men (you are not allowed to video or photograph the women). If a potential likes what he/she sees, he will wave at her or just catch her attention and she will call him up. If the curtains are drawn, this means they are having sex. It's just crazy and I am so glad I experienced being there as it really opens your eyes. The Museum of Prostitution was definitely an EXPERIENCE and something I will remember forever. It showcases props used whilst having sex, how it feels to be a prostitute (this is so effective. You sit on a chair whilst men appear on a screen and check you out), an erotic confessions wall, personal stories from prostitutes and the sad reality of the dangers of prostitution. If you are in Amsterdam, you must go to this museum, you can also sit in a window and pretend to be a prostitute using the tips shown on the wall.




The Cannabis:

 One of the first things I noticed upon stepping foot in Amsterdam Centraal was that EVERYONE had a spliff on them and in certain areas, the air reeked of cannabis. You won't catch anyone smoking a cigarette there, it's purely weed. Wearing the hijab, I did feel slightly conscious of being in such an area and it did feel like we were the only hijabi's in the square. However, we didn't get any looks and we were treated just the same as everyone else. The souvenir shops are brimming with cannabis products- cannabis chocolate, weed cakes, weed cookies, you name it! It's hard to find a souvenir that is cannabis free. Coffee shops (where you can sit and smoke weed) are easy to find as there is one on every corner, however, you must be 18 or over to enter and you must have ID. I was expecting eccentricity as everyone would be high, however, it was quite the opposite. Everyone seemed to be calm and in their own world.

We got back to Heathrow for 9pm and I can confidently say it was a Saturday well spent. Everything was such an experience, from the legalised cannabis to the prostitutes to the live sex shows (yep, they have live pornography if that floats your boat). I will attach pictures below and if you have any questions or comments, just put it below :) xo











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