Destination: Holland

When you mention Holland, many sex lovin' marijuana smokin' Americans only know about Amsterdam.

Now, I will admit that as a first time visitor of Amsterdam I had to try the marijuana and walk through the red light district.

The marijuana:  smokers BEWARE ~ you are NOT ready for this!  LOL ... I am not a "smoker" by any means but the pre-rolled blunt I procured, which was 70% marijuana and 30% tobacco had me "high" for 5 hours! And this is after three puffs.  The blunt lasted me 2 days ~ 2-three puff sessions a day.  For 8 euro I would say that is quite a deal.  Smoking in public:  if you see others smoking outside at a restaurant, feel free to light up.  If not, no smoking.  "Puff puff pass" ~ Europeans are friendly!  Sitting outside on a gorgeous day, the Danish gent next to us lights up, puff puff and then passes to us.  We decline as "stranger danger" but it was interesting to look around and see that this was happening.  Clearly, this is not only a "gateway drug" but a gateway to pick ups and conversation while enjoying the scenic view and a cold beer.

Scooby and I in a coffee shop

The Red Light District:  MEOW!  haha The first thing I noticed was the "PIMP FREE ZONE" stickers on the windows which were illuminated by the red lights.  The second thing I noticed was the variety of women!  You have your Eastern European, keep walking and you get your Asian, Black and Latina variety, keep walking and you get your "I dont give a f*** I am smokin' and drinkin' while I wait for a "john"" variety and then at the very end, right in front of a church you got your "watch out for the big girls in a g-string and low rise pants" variety.  Now why the big girls gotta be in front of the church?  Men on the brink of wanting that big girl, looks over, sees the cross and heavy wooden doors to this church and then the guilt sits in lol *smh* Big girls they gotta do better by you!  I mean you went OUT OF YOUR WAY to find those g-strings and low rise pants ... you deserve better than that!  Moving right along, the next thing I noticed was the abundance of sex toy shops ~ and how big they were!  "Variety is the spice of life" is clearly the motto here!  Finally, what made me stop and stand with my mouth agape was the "live sex show".  I did not go in but to see it being advertised and for 40 euro you get entrance and two drinks.  In summary, the red light district is all about sex, sex, voyeurism, toys and sex again.  As a prude American I was just not ready.

But Holland is more than just the tourist popular Amsterdam.

First thing is first:  the beer variety!  For those of you who love beer, this is the place to be!  I am not a beer aficionado but I do love a nice cold beer from time to time.  The beer I hate most is Heineken.  But in Holland it is pretty much the main beer of choice for me.  Drinking it ice cold, with ice crystals in the foam, is refreshing and delicious!  There is no "copper" after taste which is the main reason I do not drink it in the states.  Even coming out of the vending machine (Yes, you can get a beer out of a vending machine) the beer is still delicious!  Oh and if Belgian beer is your thing ~ HELLO HOLLAND!  You do not have to go to Belgium to get some of the best beers from that country.  Below are my favorites!

Heineken AND Redbull ~ how convenient

Then there is the cheese ~ gouda (which is apparently pronounced how-dah):  I am such a fan of cheese!  We went to Marken, about 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam.  In this small country side down we were able to see how cheese was made.  And have samples.  My favorites were the gouda with basil and the gouda with pepper.  They were a party in your mouth!  But I was not sure on USA policy of bringing cheese back so I only brought back a very very small sample.  I did not want to risk paying 27 euro for this yummy cheese only to have to throw it away at US Customs.  But the small amount of cheese passed and so next time I plan to stock up on gouda!

The bicycles:  Because gas is high and car parking availability is limited, riding bicycles everywhere is quite popular.  It also helps that Holland is "flat" allowing for an easy ride.  People ride bikes to work ~ men in suits, women in dresses and heels.  They ride bikes in the rain, some are even talented enough to hold an umbrella with one hand and steer with the other!  But what amazes me is the amount of bikes ~ there are actual parking garages for ... bicycles! 

Folded bicycle ~ easy for carrying

Text & cycling

The windmills:  This is the one thing I really really wanted to do in Holland.  And I made it happen by taking a day trip to Zaanse Schans.  It was a windy, chilly day so I got to see the windmills in action!  Yes, the windmills are all working mills!  They include a saw mill, a paint mill (grinding pigments), a spice mill (grinding popular spices) and oil mill (grinding linseed or peanuts to draw off the oil). The spice mill was the one we toured and it smelled so good ~ a pleasant mixture of cinnamon and ginger filled the windmill. I purchased ginger cookies and homemade spicy mustard.  Both were spiced by ingredients ground by the working windmill.

In person, this was moving, slowly, powered by the wind to grind the spice.

Zaanse Schans itself is also very green and beautiful!  See for yourself:

The wooden shoes: In Holland, where the ground was very swampy, wooden shoes were ideal because they were watertight and easy to kick on and off when going about daily chores. Over time, wooden shoes became a part of the Dutch national identity.  While in Marken we were able to see a wooden shoe making demonstration.  This was all done by a very cute Dutchman with the help of a machine.  However, the most special kind of wooden shoe is the one carved by hand! In the earlier days, a man who wanted to propose to his girlfriend would spend months carving a pair of wooden shoes for her. When the man finally finished the shoes, he would give it to the love of his life. If she wore them the next day, it would mean that they were engaged from that moment on!  While it may be cheaper (financially) than a diamond, it is not cheap in labor and therein shows the amount of time, dedication and love which was spent in making these shoes especially for her!  It also demonstrates how observant he is as he clearly has to know her shoe size haha

The canals:  Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has been called the "Venice of the North" for its more than one hundred km of canals and 1,500 bridges!  I had no idea and was very surprised on my first visit to see so many canals.  On a beautiful, sunny day you have two options:  sit outside, have a beer, read or "people watch" as the boats pass by on the canals or be on one of those boats!

Holland is one of the most beautiful and relaxing countries I have ever had the privilege to visit.  If you are looking for a new destination to vacation in Europe, I implore you to stop in Holland.  The hotel rooms are high and smaller then us Americans are used to, Euro is killing the American dollar but at the time I was there the conversion was 1 USD = 0.786836 EUR.  Weather in Holland is unpredictable so bring a mixed bag ~ raincoat and umbrella, sweater, jeans, short sleeve shirts and sandals.  Come with an open mind and a camera.  You will not regret it.  Below are more fun photos taken on my trips to Holland ~ enjoy!