Discover what the red light district is like
Jason and I decide that since the authorities in London let us onto the continent without any reservations or plans to stay anywhere, that we won't need to have any reservations when arriving to Amsterdam by bus at 21:30 at night.
So, we get there and on top of not having any reservations, we also do not have any guilders. No problem, bank machine at the depot, but then we need to get some change for the phone.
[cut out some useless boring details]
We finally get some space at the Chrisitan Youth Hostel in the center of the downtown area. We take the train down that direction and get out at the main station along the water in the old [and busy] part of town. Now, throughout the whole trip I am map guy, 'cause I'm good with maps and directions. Well, we have the semi-useless Guidebook Map, and Amsterdam Streets are completely confounding because the streets are in semi-circles and rays eminating from the train station... not quite the grids that I am used to. [I never fully got used to the streets in Amsterdam]
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that we sort of got lost on the way to the Hostel. Not too bad though. But by the time we sort of got our way figured out we were weary and tired from dragging out backpacks around town and also from the ultra-long bus ride from London.
So at 22:30 the streets of Amsterdam are quite hopping, and we were walking down a major boulevard on our way to the hostel and I noticed that for some reason the people about a block ahead of us are slowing down for some reason. Something must be going on. Then as we reach that part I am suddenly enlightened as to why this is so: The Red Light District. The Red Light District is a section of town that contains rows upon rows of windows of women clad in skimpy underwear showing their wares [T+A]. The slowdown in the foot traffic was due the traffic entering the Red Light District and everyone partaking in the window shopping.
So we finally, slowly of course, make it to the Christian Youth Hostel, which happens to be in the middle of the Red Light District, and I notice on the sign to the hostel 3 big bold X's... "This Hostel is triple-X rated. This CHRISTIAN YOUTH Hostel in the middle of the Red Light District is triple-x rated."
Anyone else find that strange...
[We later found out that XXX is the logo to the City of Amsterdam. How fitting.]
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