The Netherlands is the country with the highest latitude among all the European countries I’ve visited (not counting Moscow in Russia for the time being). It’s world-famous for the legalization of marijuana consumption and its red-light districts. Its football team is known as the “Uncrowned Kings”. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, and this article records some interesting observations and experiences.

Arrival

I arrived in Amsterdam by EasyJet at around 9 PM, but the sky was as bright as it is in Beijing at 5 PM. Although it was July, the summer, the lowest temperature there was 15°C, which gave me, dressed in summer clothes, a bone-chilling cold.

Street Scenes

• A city surrounded by waterways, which can be seen everywhere
• Flowers and buildings make the city full of colors
• Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
• Bicycles with front baskets for carrying people can be seen everywhere
• A glimpse of transportation

Giethoorn

• A quiet village that makes people feel relaxed and happy

Red-Light District

The red-light district is smaller than I imagined, consisting of only two or three streets. Since taking photos is not allowed, I’m sorry there are no pictures here. Because sex workers in the Netherlands are all legal, the law protects them well. If they are not happy, they can refuse service and even call the police.

Anecdote 1

I was supposed to take the hotel’s shuttle bus from the airport, but after looking for it at the platform for a long time, I couldn’t find it. Instead, shuttle buses from other hotels kept coming and going. I had no choice but to plan to take a bus. Coincidentally, since the bus only accepts credit cards, and my card was a magnetic stripe card rather than a chip card, I tried several times but failed. The driver was very patient and understanding of my situation, and finally let me save 14 euros. I would like to express my thanks again here. He was a very easy-going uncle, speaking unhurriedly. He chatted with me while driving and told me not to worry about being checked for tickets because those inspectors had already gotten off work. PS. Later, I found out that the POS machine could actually read magnetic stripe cards. Chip cards are mainstream in Europe, while domestic ones are generally magnetic stripe cards, which made me get a little lucky break.

Anecdote 2

It rained when I was in Giethoorn, and the rain got heavier and heavier. I simply found a restaurant to have a meal. The classic combination of coffee and hamburger wasn’t particularly delicious, but it was good for warming me up and sheltering me from the rain. Eager to get back to the hotel and with the rain showing no sign of stopping, I stood outside the restaurant after the meal, observing the situation. During this time, a waiter from the restaurant came out to clean up the tables and joked with me, “It’s Holland.” The implication was that it rains a lot here, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Then I laughed a few times and left. Yes, I forgot to pay. How embarrassing. I swear, if I go to Giethoorn again, I will definitely make it up 😝

Anecdote 3

To get to Giethoorn, I needed to take a train. Since this train required three transfers, and I had no experience and didn’t pay attention to the station signs, I ended up stopping directly in a rail yard along the track after arriving at a certain station. This made me have the experience of walking along the railroad tracks to the station. If I hadn’t been able to open the valve from the inside, I wouldn’t have known if I would have starved to death in there with no one to rescue me.

本文首次发布于 StuartLau’s Blog, 转载请保留原文链接.

---