Amsterdam’s fame and popularity has managed to put such a small country on the world map, not just because Amsterdam airport is a famous European hub, but also because Amsterdam is full of life! NJOKI CHEGE was there

When I first considered visiting Amsterdam, I was unsure of what to expect. First, I just had begun enjoying the little pleasures of Berlin, and here I was about to leave ‘all that’. But a little nudge from my good friend Beaty Githara sent me packing my tiny suitcase (it was summer, so I didn’t need much), and board a train to the Netherlands from Germany.

I found Beaty twice excited as I was. I guess it was the thrill of meeting an old friend in a foreign land, who could speak Swahili in the midst of all that Dutch! Our initial plan to meet at her hometown in Den Bosch failed, so we met at Maastricht. Now, Maastricht is situated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border.

Netherlands is a small country, easily equitable to the size of Central Province. It is so small that it took us two hours to drive from the South to the North! The drive will go down as the best drive yet- catching up with an old friend, laughing our hearts out, my friend confessed she had never laughed so hard in a year. Our first stop on our way to Amsterdam was Rotterdam, to look for a specific shop— Primark; they had the biggest sale that summer. Now, if you ever visit Netherlands, make sure you look out for Primark, and do so when they have a sale, it ought to be the shopaholic’s paradise!

After two hours of chopping our money, we threw our shopping bags to the boot and drove another hour to Amsterdam. It is a small city, so we had to park near the city centre and take a tram to the city centre, to evade congestion. Good idea Kenyans could pick there!

It was 4pm when we reached the city centre, and boy oh boy, wasn’t there some nice summer sunshine! The summer mood was almost tangible; everybody was in a party mood, with only one thing in my mind— adventure.

There is a lot about Amsterdam, but here is my take of ‘Amsterdam’s six of the best’. The top six thrills any tourist, must and should experience, should you visit this place.

The food

While in Amsterdam, you can literally ‘visit’ all corners of the world with your taste buds. If there is one place you could never lack anything to eat, then it is Amsterdam. There is a restaurant for anyone and everyone; you name it — Argentinian, Mexican, Thai Cuisine, Indian, Chinese, and African I could go on and on. We didn’t have time to ‘waste’ and eat, so we grabbed a snack- a chapatti wrap, what is traditionally known as a donner kebab. Mind you, everything in Amsterdam is twice the price- for obvious reasons in its status as a tourist hotspot.

Red light district

Red Light District is the centre of erotic entertainment in Europe. I’d like to call it the ‘sin’ city within the state of Amsterdam, with a mind of its own. Prostitution being legalised here, prostitutes openly display themselves in little booths, scantily dressed, and some even topless. To them, it is business as usual, winking at would-be customers, touching up their make-up and some even sipping from the cans of energy drinks — for obvious reasons.

The prostitutes in the booths are not the only form of erotic release tourists can enjoy. This little area is also home to an array of cheesy sex shops, strip clubs, clubs with live sex shows- such as Moulin Rogue. The impeccably dressed and hopelessly handsome bouncers at the door are always willing to give you juicy details of what is going on behind the dark steel doors.

The cheapest live show at the time was 25 Euro, approximately Sh 2,500. When this smart, handsome bouncer saw my friend and I —two black girls enjoying the summer, he thought he’d do us a favour and told us; “Tonight, we are having a live sex show by a hot black couple.” I have never been so shocked in my life.

Smoke pot

I have always known that smoking pot in the Netherlands is not such a big deal. But a walk across the Leidseplein location was a shocker for me. If you are the daring, and adventurous type, you can knock yourself out at the famous Bulldog Café for snacks and a dose of pot.

Complete with a service bar, smoking room, patio, a VIP lounge and even a herbal mix. Clearly, one can never have a dull moment in Amsterdam. I was particularly surprised to see people of all ages even the very old, smoke pot quite freely, and of course laughing at everything and anything.

Chop your money

Put on your flats and polish up your credit card(s)- as Amsterdam is arguably the shopping capital of the Netherlands. From designer to open air (flea market) shops, you can shop and get nice stuff at any budget. Fifth Avenue which is conveniently located in the Museum Quarter neighbourhood, is home to high-end shops such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, for jewellery lovers you can get Chopard, Cartier.

Then, of course, there was my favourite Kalverstraat— a pedestrian-only street that is home to a selection of chain clothing stores such as Esprit, H&M, Mexx, WE, Zara and several shoe stores. If you walk this street, and can tolerate the congestion, rest assured you will leave with some classic buys.

Museums

If you are a culture vulture, well... you will be pleased to note that this is home to some of the world’s most celebrated museums. Take your camera and a few euros with you and go to the Museum District. Located near the Museumplein, the Museum District is home to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Concertgebouw, and the Vondelpark.

You will also find delight in the city itself, most of which is brick floored, right from the early centuries. The ancient buildings in Amsterdam will transpose you to a world of the forefathers, and be sure to take a snap against one of those 17th Century giants!

Canal tour

If you ever find yourself here, do not miss out on an exhilarating thrill of touring the canals of Amsterdam. They were declared a Unesco monument in 2010, but they are not just your typical tourist attraction but were important to defence and transport in 17th-century Amsterdam. Amsterdam has retained 165 of its historic canals, more than any other Dutch city.

A canal tour will give you the scenic view of Amsterdam, not to mention the monumental architecture that lines the Canal Belt- the four concentric semi-circles that loop around the historic centre.

There you have it, there can never be a dull moment in Amsterdam, whether you are on a shoestring budget, or out to spend your bake. Amsterdam is one memorable experience.