Amsterdam, Netherlands

History, Heineken and €50 Hand Jobs.

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Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam..... Honestly where do I start? A city full of history, art, great architecture and pure beauty. But there is a few well known reasons that the younger generation hit the town in Amsterdam ...

Lets keep it clean for now!

We flew to Amsterdam from Gatwick Airport with British Airways and from the Airport got a train straight into Amsterdam Centraal with a journey time no longer than 3 hours from door to door. We stayed in Amsterdam for 6 days and choose hotel De Jonker. A great little hidden gem in the Jewish district. The decor was dark and moody with a really cosy and homely feel. It was a studio flat that was completely self service even the room key was downloaded into your personal phone - great for the antisocial! It was so handy to have our own little kitchen to make coffee's and warm croissants in the morning.

The hotel was near the national Holocaust Museum and can be found just opposite ARTIS, the Zoo in Amsterdam. Just a short walk and you are in the heart of Amsterdam or an even shorter tram ride. Getting around was just so easy.

"The Anne Frank House, Rijks Museum and the Science Museum"

Amsterdam is a city steeped in history and attracts tourists from across the world. My top three places that are captivating for everyone are The Anne Frank House, Rijks Museum and the The Science Museum which is great for little ones. The Anne Frank house was one of the things we booked before we visited as it books up very quickly and you have to pre book (check here for tickets). I've always had an interest in history but prefer a more visual experience to some museums - as this one is actually in the original building you could completely submerge yourself in the feelings and experiences that the family had gone through.

The Science museum is great for kids, I felt a little out of place but we had fun none the less as we are pretty much large children anyway. The building is what originally attracted us to the museum as you can get to the top for great views over the city.

The Rijks Museum has some great historic pictures including self- portrait, Vincent van Gogh, 1887. But honestly I found it the best thing to do if needing to waste some time or just haven't got any plans. It's also located right by the iconic Amsterdam sign, keep in mind this gets super busy so go early or late to get a good pic for the gram.

Just keep walking, this was our moto for the trip. During my visit I got from A to B by walking most places and boy did my feet know about it. You see some amazing things that you would miss on the tram. Things like architecture, scenic walks along the canals, the university of Amsterdam, cool bars and cafes and some mouth watering places to eat.

Now lets get dirty

The food and drink in Amsterdam is just plain sexy ... oh did you think this was the bit about the €50 handjob? just keep going you will get to that soon.

From traditional Dutch food to international cafes Amsterdam had it all. Me and my partner ate in loads of restaurants as well as stopping off for snacky bits its hard to narrow down the best. (Maybe if you check out my food section of the blog you might find my 5 best places, just a thought).

There are two famous beers that can be found in the city of Amsterdam Heineken and Amstel. Both beers originally brewed in Amsterdam and what better way to see (and test) the golden nectar than the Heineken experience?! The tour is a massive must do when visiting, even those who don't drink beer will enjoy it. Amstel is named after the Amstel river which flows through the city of Amsterdam, now if only the rivers were beer ... that would be a river tour I could work with.

Now lets talk about the €50 hand job.

"Museum of Prostitution"

Now for the adults. Amsterdam is known for its dark side with 'coffee shops', red lights and a strange condom shop that sold condoms in different shapes (definitely a stop off point). I don't even wanna know! I didn't visit a coffee shop but by god they are not hard to miss. You will find one or two on most street and there are loads of website you can visit to find the best or most famous ones but I will let you do the research in that area. Lets have a little chat about the red lights. That maze of small streets blew my mind, I just had never seen anything like it before. Have you ever heard the saying "curiosity killed the cat" well this well lit street had me so curious that I had to visit the Museum of Prostitution. It blew my mind all the things that could be brought and experienced. Cages, gags and the museum even had rooms that looked exactly like the ones on the street. You get given head sets that explain everything, great for those who aren't up for reading mass paragraphs. So imagine walking into a S&M room with a European women on this head set telling you a story of how she once had a customer who paid to be spanked and wiped and called all sorts of graphic things. At the end of the museum they have a confession wall. Some people have some great stories. Just fascinating. You can also visit the famous sex museum which is basically someones personal porn collection. Will say it is a must do because its so famous but the prostitution museum has to be on the list too, honestly better than any gallery I've ever been to.

So the story of the blow job... I was walking through the red light district after a couple of drinks when I heard one of the women say to a small old man "€50 for a hand job and €100 for sex". In my drunken state I shouted to my girlfriend "€50 for a hand job! Thats a rip off". Thinking about it now probably was a good deal.

Whatever you are visiting for; the food, the scenery, the weed or the hand job (no judgment here) ... you will find it all and so much more in Amsterdam. A brilliant city with a mix of everything you could possibly need. On a very adult note, we always felt safe in this city and that made it also feel very much like home. Cannot wait to go back!