Summer 2005: Netherlands

First off, contrary to popular misconceptions, drugs are NOT legal in the Netherlands. You can go to jail if they catch you in posession of drugs exceeding a certain amount. True, the Dutch can freely consume substances up to a few certain grams, but even then, this act is said to be simply "tolerated" by the police. Nonetheless, cannabis is in good circulation and some cities have coffeeshops where they serve hashcakes, a hashish-containing cake that will certainly give you the "high."

Our first stop in the Netherlands was Den Hague, which was awful. I don't understand why a lot of tourists care to include it in their itinerary, neither why the Dutch speak highly of it. Since the city was a big name in tourist circles, we had fairly high expectations, only to find a modern city with absolutely nothing interesting in it! That place was a real downer!

Next was Amsterdam, which like Belgium, was our base for day-trips to three more cities. Sex shops, gay pubs, hashish-serving coffeeshops, bicycles, water canals, brick houses, private boats and ferries - this is Amsterdam (at least, part of it). We visited the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, the latter being one of the few art museums that I've ever come to like. At the youth hostel, we met two nice Dutch and German college girls who were billeted there and working for the summer. The city had a vibrant bar scene, so during those four days, we went clubbing quite often. There, in the gay district, where ROYGBIV flags abound, I learned what a darkroom was - and it's not a room for developing black-and-white films!

Zaans Schans - Nobody really goes to Zaans Schans, a low-profile town 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam, but it did suit our purpose: we wanted to see windmills! Luckily, they had quite a number of these things beautifully located beside the river, inside a grassy area used for cattle-raising and cheese-making. That day-trip was truly relaxing for me, as I simply enjoyed looking at the windmills and feeling the cool countryside breeze.

Utrecht and Haarlem - These two are your regular European city. If you have been to Amsterdam, unless you want a more laid-back environment, there's no point in visiting these cities.

In this picture, you will see hundreds of private boats who came all the way to Amsterdam for a special event.

In this picture, you will see the Binnenhof, the former Parliament building in Den Hague.

In this picture, you will see the farm in Zaans Schans.

In this picture, you will see the Instituto Cervantes in Utrecht.

In this picture, you will see the Grote Kerk van St Bavo, Haarlem's cathedral.