The reason for Amsterdam's notoriety was not something that I was unaware of. In fact, I remember having read about it in the papers back in school and discussing it animatedly with one of my friends. For the few who don't have a clue of what I am talking about, here is some trivia – Netherlands is a country where both prostitution and drugs are legal. Yes, I would have written the sentence again to re-emphasize the effect, but you can always read it again. The argument is that since these are things which will thrive no matter how many restrictions the government imposes; it actually makes sense to legalize it and hence be in a position to control it.
'Red light District (RLD)', 'Coffee Shops' and 'Canals' are the three important things in Amsterdam's 'must-do checklist' without which one cannot be said to have a complete experience of the city. I realize the excitement about the RLD and the curiosity about the Coffee Shops, so I better talk briefly about the canals first as there is a high probability that the readers might ignore it if it comes later. In few sentences, Amsterdam is a city of old canals dug up in the 13th century and it is still possible to go around the city in boats, though it is not a very pleasurable experience as the water is not very clean. Some people live on the canals in squarish house-boats. Every year a lot of bicycles and cars fall into the canals, which frankly seemed quite stupid to me.
(T-B: One of the many canals in the city; Bus Tours – We took one of those for 8 Euros)
RLD - the most talked about part of Amsterdam is actually situated very centrally; about 10-15 minutes walk from the central station. Interesting trivia is that the name RLD, which has gained universal acceptance actually originated from Amsterdam, where there still are red-lights in front of every sex-worker's office. During the day, it is a very touristy area with old buildings by the canal. In fact we were having a lot of trouble finding it during the day, when we were actually walking right through it. But as soon as evening set in, the area lit up true to its name. Our first realization that we were in the RLD was when I mistook a skimpily clad prostitute behind a glass door for a mannequin in a bikini store. An involuntary male reflex-action second glance revealed that it actually was a real girl. Soon after, we could see numerous such mannequins posing in front of the glass doors under red-lights and red-curtains. But even then, there is never a 'shady' feel to the area as one might imagine. It still is very touristy and a lot of tourists come with their spouses or partners to just have a look and it is very safe to do so. The feel of the place is very difficult to express in words and photographs are prohibited in the area. Imagine a canal, clothes shops lined up on both sides of it with glass doors and bikini-clad women looking at you invitingly by making suggestive gestures. It is like an amusement park with 'sex' as the theme and for the first time one indeed looks like a kid in a candy store. After the initial excitement set in, it was actually saddening to see real human beings being reduced to commodities in order to match the carnal demand and supply curves. One can keep arguing for and against prostitution, but that enough is something which can easily take up another post in itself.
(T-B : Notice the Red Tube-Lights and Red Curtains; Though the picture is small, one can see a 'live mannequin' in blue in the middle of the picture, behind a glass door)
Now that we are done with the sex, it's time for drugs. Whenever you see the words 'Coffee Shop' written in any store in the Netherlands, please don't go in expecting to order a steaming hot cup of cappuccino or expresso to enjoy in the cold weather. It actually is a store which has a legal permit to sell marijuana in limited quantities to anyone above the permissible age limit. The forms in which it is available are 'Raw' – the real thing which you are supposed to roll into joints and smoke, 'Pre-rolled joints' – for the newbies who have no clue how to roll, 'Space Cakes' or 'Hash Brownies' – for those who want to get high enjoying the taste of chocolate and also those who can't smoke up. Other than the above three common forms, some chose to differentiate with specials like 'Space Tea'. Probably they felt that it would be an injustice to the name 'Coffee Shop' if there isn't any coffee or tea served. There obviously is the very strong and distinctive smell of marijuana smoke inside these coffee shops. And a very important thing is that smoking inside is prohibited. Well, to be more precise, smoking tobacco is prohibited, but smoking marijuana isn't ! 'Only pure smoke allowed' and 'No Tobacco' signs indeed seemed extremely funny, but probably they are necessary to preserve the 'sanctity' and 'ambience' of the place. Some renowned coffee shops have a menu of different types of weed available and with the number of options available; it would give a menu of any decent bar a run for its money.
(T-B : Bulldog – The oldest & biggest chain of 'coffee-shops' in Amsterdam; Sex Palace – A place to see 2-min 'live' Peep shows for 2 Euros)
Whenever I talk to the Dutch about Amsterdam and the culture shock people experience there, they always issue a disclaimer saying it's just Amsterdam and the rest of Netherlands isn't like that. And seeing Rotterdam, Delft and Maastricht, it indeed is very true. Though I did see a handful of coffee shops in Maastricht, but the world's oldest profession isn't practiced so openly anywhere else in the country. Microsoft Word tells me that this post has just crossed a thousand words and I realize that it is a bit too long, but the author felt it would be doing injustice to the city if lesser words were used to describe and the feeling could have been compromised. More entries in the 'Europe Diaries' will definitely follow suit.
Gracias, (Just got back from Spain today :P)
Anand
No comments:
Post a Comment