After visiting our friend, we got back to Amsterdam and it was pouring. We weren’t interested in getting wet, so we took some downtime before heading out to find dinner. We followed a suggestion and went to a delicious burger place which had excellent reviews and top quality meat. They even had an award willing salmon and cod burger which was amazing. On our way back after dinner, we also stopped at a bakery next door for some cookies.
In the morning, we decided to sleep in because we knew it was the last chance we had (or at least the last chance we wanted to take) before we leave. When we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, we headed over to a cute brunch restaurant near the hostel where we got different types of pancakes, both of which were delicious and very different from American pancakes. They were lighter and somehow both fluffier and thinner. They also both came covered in fresh fruit which made it even better.
Once we finished brunch and caught the train over to the central station, it was almost time for our tour. We wandered into some shops while we were waiting and then found our guide outside the stock exchange building. Our guide was very well informed on the history of the city and shared the good and the bad sides as we moved through the central part of the city. He took us past the area that used to be the main harbor before passing the red light district and going into china town. The theme of the tour was that turning a blind eye toward things that are illegal but profitable and necessary. For example, weed is technically illegal but it is decriminalized because the government knows people will use drugs and they prefer that it be weed than heroin. Similarly, when Amsterdam was just a port town, the church turned a blind eye to prostitution because it protected the local Christian women from losing their “purity” to the sailors instead of waiting till marriage. This was the origin of the red light district. After we finished with the stereotypes of Amsterdam (sex and drugs), our guide spoke on the Holocaust and showed us a picture of the square we were standing in with a fence that separated the Jews from everyone else. It was moving and heartbreaking to see what it looked like in the exact spot we were standing.
The next part of the tour focused on the trade routes that made Amsterdam the richest city in the world for 200 years. A lot of this story also returned to the theme of turning a blind eye. In general, the people and the government have always been very good at letting people be who they are and do what they want as long as it isn’t hurting anyone else and doesn’t harm the economy. It’s a great standard to live by and seems to work beautifully.
Following the tour, we took some time to wander the other side of the city before catching the train back and getting dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant near the hostel. We really enjoyed it and realized we hadn’t had much Mediterranean food since we’ve been traveling. We were happy and full when we got back to the hostel to shower and get ourselves in bed. The next morning, we boarded a train heading to Belgium!
1 thought on “Turn a blind eye”
More delicious food! Looks like another great tour with history.
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