Amsterdam day 1

We were very productive during our time in Amsterdam. If anyone else comes, I recommend getting an I Amsterdam pass...it is a pass that gives you free access to alot of the toursity spots, free foods, discounts, etc. It saved us quite a lot...but would only be valuable if you plan to pack as much in as we did!

We went to the Diamant Museum (and saw skulls imbedded with diamonds...and lots of tacky but expensive jewelry). The Van Gogh museum was very nice, and it encorporated other artist exhibits nicely. There were some very beautiful Redon paintings (the Budha and figure sitting under a tree I was very drawn to), and a great picasso exhibit downstairs. The Rijk museum is in a beautiful and massive building, but it is very small and cramped inside.

After all this productive museum going, we then took a cruise through the canals. Highly recommended :) We then went to the Foam photography museum, which is very hipster. The first exhibit is random photos of a horse ass, or a girl eating an apple, while a child voices spells curse words over a speaker. And then there is a large exhibit that is supposed to be more real than reality, but most the images look very posed.

To get a better touch of reality, we then visited the Anne Frank House. It is amazing...Otto Frank requested that the annex remain unfurnished, so it is an empty space, with just remnants of the tenants...like the photos Anne posted to decorate her room. The original diaries were also there.

And to finish the day we wandered the red light district and coffee shops. It is so open; women have boxes on the main streets, where they can advertise their goods. Men travel in flocks...it seems they need to get up the courage, then they break away from the main group and bolt into one of the girls windows. They also negotiate terms on the street, before the curtains are drawn.