day 11.5: i survived leidseplein

The Leidseplein pub crawl organised by Ultimate Party gets a full 10/10 score from me!

For €20, we got entry to six clubs, your choice of beer, wine or shot at each club, a 'I survived' t-shirt, unlimited mouthfuls of some sweet vodka concoction, and non-stop dancing with 50 to 60 other partyheads!

The pubs we went to are pretty much alike, differing only in the music they play. They were all in the Leidseplein area, which is in the centre of Amsterdam nightlife (besides the Red Light district). The clubs were:

• The News
• Pirates
• Amsterdamned
• The Cooldown Cafe
• Royalty!

The bunch of pub crawlers were amazing. We met three girls from Germany, Gohan from Southern France, Joe from England with an English accent so strong I almost could not understand him, Joel and two friends from Canada who stayed in the same hostel as us, just a floor below. They were obviously high from something, and we lost them in the middle of the crawl. Fortunately when we went back and passed their room, they were already in bed.

Jerrain and I surrendered after the fifth club and headed to Burger King for wings and twister fries.

• Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  
• Cost: €20 pub crawl, €8.50 vodka lemonade, €6.20 Burger King supper wings with twister fries, €8 taxi back to hostel

day 11: the movable bookcase

Jerrain wanted to sleep in so I ventured out on my own at 8 in the morning. The streets were empty, except with the few drunkards who have not found home or the locals cycling to work. It was nice to be out early (ask me again in a few hours after fatigue kicks in, and I might say otherwise).

First - and my priority - stop was Anne Frank Huis. Despite being 15 minutes early (it opens at 9am), there were already three American tourists in the queue.

No photography was allowed. But none was required. I would never be able to capture the Secret Annexe as well as Anne had described in her diary. The unfurnished house demonstrated how moving her words alone are. I cannot imagine how scary it must have been. And I pray that no one would ever have to go through that type of fear again. *world peace \V/*

To lift my spirits, we decided to get some authentic Dutch food. Open since 1945, Van Dobben serves excellent Kippensoep (chicken noodle soup) €6.50, Broodje Croquet €2.50, Broodje Pekelvlees (ham sandwich) €3.25, and others which we had no stomach space for.

I took a quick stroll around the Bloemenmarkt (flower market) and an endless shopping street before heading back to the hostel. It is our last night in Amsterdam and we were determined to check out the clubbing scene.

• Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Cost: €8.50 Anne Frank House, €6 Dutch lunch, €2.50 hot chocolate in a cafe.
• Highlight: Visiting Anne Frank Huis, and relating to a lot of what she wrote in the book

day 10.5: how much is that doggie in the window

Can living in the red light district ever be a good thing? In Amsterdam, we paid premium for that and are enjoying it! Our hostel, Heart of Amsterdam, is right in the centre of the action. A quick walk along the canal just outside and behind the line of windows were near naked prostitutes in neon bikinis. Some sat, some stood, some danced. They would tap the window to attract the attention of men walking by. And those who liked what they saw went closer to negotiate terms.

Every now and then, the pattern broke from these dressed up windows, and what greeted us were colourful sex shops, sex shows, and erotic clubs.

We did not want a part of the action despite several distant invitations, so after a quick drink at Cafe Bar de Stoof, the bar beside our hostel, we headed back to rest.

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Train: Brussels Midi to Amsterdam Centraal 3 hours
Cost: €20 six bed mixed dorm, €5.60 fried chicken and fries for dinner
Highlight: Walking through the most colourful red light district.

PS: I do not mean to offend with the title. Several of them have stopped and now make a living by giving tours of the red light district during the day, giving accounts of what went on behind the scene when they used to work as prostitutes.