Amsterdam Highlights

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The Amsterdam Adventure....

After exiting our Hostel, we turned right on Damrak Street heading toward the Dam Square (it's where the Amstel river was first dammed by the locals to help create the precursor to Amsterdam).

We decided to hit the Van Gogh (pronounced "Goff" in Holland) Museaum. We spent about an hour looking at all his works. Did you know that he was an intinerant minister of sorts before becoming an artist? well, now you do!

After a couple hours, we headed back to the youth hostel for a little rest. Matt was massively jetlagged. I visited the Olde Kjirk in the Red Light District while Matt was in the rack, before getting some rack time myself.

After recharging the batteries for a bit, we met up with a few fellow flying pig hosteleers... and some of us headed out to grab some grub and see the RLD. While there, we were curious about the "First Amsterdam Coffee House" called "The Bulldog." Very unimpressive. Well, the American guy who joined us started feeling really sick, so we took him back to homebase were we swapped him for an Irishman. We went back out, b/c he was curious about the RLD.

For those who have never been, it's definitely a curiosity. But, after awhile, one senses the darkness and starts feeling really sorry for these women who choose to sell themselves and for the men who buy their wares. It's basically sex reduced to a commodity and an act. Nothing spiritual or beautiful about how sex and sexuality is treated. What did I expect? Probably about what I saw.

I suppose one can draw an analogy to the first couple centuries AD when sex was sold by temple prostitues in Roman & Greek cities, except now the god is money, and not Diana or Aphrodite; and the temple is a long alley of windows in a district famed for its red lights, and not some edifice dedicated to a pagan fertility god.

The next day, Sunday, Matt and I headed over to the Amsterdam Cultural Fair. This weekend was the opening of the artistic season. We saw a Dutch rap band perform! Very fun/funny to see it.

About an hour before we boarded the train to Den Haag, we visited the Olde Kjirk located in the heart of the Red Light District. It was a fitting way to end the day and our visit to Amsterdam. It reminded me that there's always hope and God's grace even in the midst of darkness....

signing off for now...


ps-one photo from the adventure...