Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em: Netherlands (aka Holland)

The main streets where all crowded with tourists and locals which was nice (it’s a totally different feeling from Finland). Haha, and it felt a bit like being in Singapore again except that it was quite cold!!! There was a lot of wind which made the place cold.

We took a canal cruise which was fun cos I don’t remember doing this in my holidays, haha. While on the boat, we learnt that the houses were so narrow cos it was cheaper to build deep inwards rather than wide. They were also flat cos the stairways were so narrow that furniture had to be shifted in from the windows!

Of course, I also walked down the infamous Red Light District of Amsterdam... which was an eye opener... cos there were really red lights at the windows which had girls flaunting their stuff behind the glass... wearing very minimal clothes. There was also a bunch of "theatres" which offered their audiences live sex shows. Hai, felt sad about the girls. Side note, this area is actually the safest area in Amsterdam (one of the tour guides said) because many policemen patrol the area!

On the left is are the “red glass rooms” where the girls would be “working” and when a deal is made they will draw the curtains. The Moulin Rouge thingy in the middle is one of the theatres which I was talking about.

And guess what? Just behind the Red Light District is Chinatown!!! Haha I was so excited cos it’s the first time I’ve seen a Chinatown in Europe (Finland unfortunately does not have one… we only have ONE Asian shop… haha believe it or not.)

See, haha I found Singapore in Amsterdam. Heehee.

We also went into the Heineken brewery! It was a super fun brewery! There was a lot of fun stuff to do while learning about brewing beer – there was one simulation in which we were beer bottles. I realise that I cannot say what it was like without making it sound boring… so I can’t explain the fun in words… haha you just have to be there to enjoy it.

Heineken beer

Finished!

HaHa!!! Just kidding lah… you think I can finish beer?! Pleeeaaassse… haha that wasn’t my cup… mine was Pepsi. HahaHaHAHhaa – you could choose between which drink you wanted. Since I don’t like drinking plus I cannot make it, I took the Pepsi. Hehe.

Heineken is from Holland! Haha, duh.

Anyways, I also visited the Amsterdam Arena which is a beautiful stadium! Here are some pictures

The outside

The inside

Inside the control room!!!

Inside the press room!!!

These are the two most significant things which I ate in Amsterdam!

Fake Chinese food which I’ve wanted to try for a long time already cos of the box (which you always see on TV. Haha) It was ok lah, the best part was that they had super hot chili which was yum yum, especially after not having chili for such a long time.

Stroop waffles!!! Oh man, they are fantastic… please go eat them if you ever get the chance. Wanted to bring home so that family and friends can try… but then it’s the fresh type so it expires too soon… booboo.

And finally… we went to Zaanse Schans to see windmills, went to a cheese shop and ate a lot of different types of cheese, and also visited a wooden shoes factory.