2014 in the Netherlands (Amsterdam)
August 27, 2014 : the Europe sightseeing trip brought me from Waterloo, Belgium to Amsterdam, Holland, a share of The Netherlands:
"highlights"
got to see:
- Koninklijk Paleis (King's palace)
- De Nieuw Kerk (the new church)
- Dam Square
- Nationaal Monument
walked along the canals and bought some "lollipops" to go ;)
Reflection
I wanted to visit more museums such as the Stedelijk, the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. Of course, being on a sampler of a rushed bus tour around Western Europe, I had to save them for another visit.
Oddly enough, marijuana was still officially illegal in The Netherlands. However, consumption for personal use is decriminalized and tolerated. In 2014, Uruguay was the only country (since 2013), in which cannabis was fully legal.
As more countries legalize the plant, Amsterdam will probably become less celebrated for its speakeasy coffeeshop weed culture. I envision a future Amsterdam as a place that celebrates their heritage in art, architecture (what with their canals), cycling and seafaring.
trip markers
- 16th "lifetime country"
- 10th "European country"
- 9th "mainland European country"
- 9th country in 10 days
- more than doubling my lifetime "country count"
- 2nd Dutch-speaking country
- after visiting Belgium a few hours earlier
- 1st time in The Netherlands