The Netherlands

Visited: July 1991

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Amsterdam

Population: 15 million (1991)

Netherlands travel blog reading time: 3 minutes

• After mi time in Paris, Amsterdam emerged as the singular European city I desired to discover.
• The expensive city is distinguished by numerous bicycles, scenic canals and liberal principles.

The Netherlands has consistently ranked low on my travel priorities. Moreover, it appears that this country is not intended to be a significant element of my travel itinerary.

My first real backpacking experience, with schoolmate Andrey, was travelling around Western Europe. He wanted to see Eiffel Tower, I was eager on hitchhiking and meeting new people.

In the middle of the war for Slovenian independence, my dad drove us in an old Yugo car through barricades to Ljubljana, where we boarded a train to the Italian border and from there we started to hitchhike along the highway.

Our sole desire following the visit to Paris was to discover Amsterdam.

The capital city of Netherlands, famous for its hippie culture, the red-light district along the canals, and a relaxed approach to usage of marijuana, has a unique appeal for many. However, it is also exceedingly expensive, with more bicycles than homes, which are often quite small in size, with elevated prices and significant taxation.

Amsterdam is an incredibly popular tourist destination and one of the main things people come to see is the famous Red-Light District. The world’s oldest profession is openly displayed in central Amsterdam, along both sides of the main canal, with various side streets here and there.

In the Red-Light District, prostitution is legal and subject to regulation. Sex workers are often seen either seated or moving suggestively behind windows. Behind the curtains or a kind of barriers, they usually have a bed and a bathroom. Customers typically knock on the window or glass door to negotiate services, and if the curtain is drawn, the transaction is officially initiated.

This attraction was equally significant for us. My friend was eager to learn all the details. After long walk and throughout market research, he finally selected the most attractive girl and decided to inquire about her rates. I waited outside while he entered through a small door. Following 5 minutes of discussion with the girl, it became clear to me that the arrangement was not finalized, as she returned to her previous position on the display.

“This is absurd, Rok! Why are we so poor!” Let’s get out of here.”

As a young and rather poor student from Central Europe, he would have had to spend all his savings for just 30 minutes of fun, leaving him without enough money to continue his travels.

While hitchhiking on the highway in the Netherlands, we encountered a rather strange situation. As rain began to fall, we moved under a bridge for shelter and took the chance to dry our tent. To our surprise, a police car, which turned out to be a Porsche, appeared.

I was amazed to see that traffic police in the Netherlands were driving my dream car – a Porsche 911.

Although I have only a few memories of the Netherlands, since my visit in 1991, I haven’t really felt a strong desire to return and explore the land of tulips further. I am contemplating the possibility of visiting the Netherlands together with Belgium, which has also been somewhat neglected in my travel itinerary.

PS: Unfortunately, I don’t possess any photos from the Netherlands.