Travel with Blueginger: Holland & Denmark ( Amsterdam, Nijmegen ( included Belgium's borders) & Aalborg )

This round, I am going to Europe - Holland & Denmark ( Amsterdam, Nijmegen ( included Belgium's borders) & Aalborg ).

After all checks, it seems that January is the coldest month of the year in Holland.
Boots & thick clothings are the must... Another Ba Chang trip..

At Sapporo airport last December, I found out that I still have SGD1000 worth of Japanese Yen, I am smart to changed my balance yen to Euro before flying back to Singapore. No double loss in exchange rate. hahhahahaa.

Just found out that Denmark is not in the Euro! Gotta change some Krons and abit more Euro..

January ranks, on average, as the coldest month of the year in Amsterdam with an average high temperature of 4.5°C (40°F) and an average low temperature of 1°C (33°F) with most days around 2.5°C (36°F).

I hope this is enough for this cold trip.

Amsterdam - since young, I heard from movies and people saying that this place is wild and notorious. NO !! it is not at all actually.

Indeed Amsterdam is a place where i broaden my horizon, a big eye opener. All the illegal things I have known become so open so legal there. Everything is so liberal here. There are alot of freedom.

The day is finally here....

Via KLM, we set off at 0130hrs of 20Jan 2018 and landed Schipol Airport at 0830hrs if 20Jan 2018.

So happy to see this boarding pass.

After crossing this gate, we are one more step closer to Europe.

Tetris game onboard... the movies are not interesting to me..

Welcome pack - water, peanuts, eyemask, ear plug and toothbrush.

12hrs flight.... my supper onboard at 3am Singapore time.

12hrs flight.... my breakfast onboard at 5am Europe time.

0845hrs sunrise. Days are shorter in winter.

Our very 1st meal here in the airport - La Place... But he is asking for fishball noodles because the bread is very hard.

We took a cab from airport to Kimpton De Witt Hotel located in Centraal Station. It cost us 60Euros
(SGD97.70) - the meter jump real fast. This is part of the hotel building. The location is real good, barely 5min walk to Centraal Station and this hotel is right next to the Nieuwendijk shopping street. At the end of this street, it is the Dam Square. Chinatown, Red Light district, 9 Little streets, Jordaan, Singels and even the Houseboat are within walking distance.

This is the living room in the lobby, very cozy right ?

He is IHG member, we got a free upgrade to executive room by purchasing Deluxe room at Euros196 per night.

Welcome wine & macaroon for us...

This is their inhouse brand - Maris Stella

Below 2 photos are taken directly outside of Kimton De Witt Hotel.

Canal cruise excursion start/end point is here - right outside of Centraal station.

You can purchase ticket online or at the site, there are few package to choose from.

For us, we did not try this canal cruise at all, we prefer to walk and take photos rather than take photos behind the glass windows.

Behind me is the Centraal station.

I got this photo from the goggle. Centraal Station is not just a station, it is a mega public transport hub. It have service for trains, buses, trams, canal cruises.

The station luggage lockers are open daily 24 hours, 7 days a week. If you want to use a cheaper option, there is an independent Amsterdam luggage storage 5 minutes walk from the station building. There are convenient Information desks at the entry and numerous vending machines sell train tickets to other stations in the Netherlands. Service Centre sells international train tickets (open: 6 am - 11 pm). Lost luggage desk is directly at the lockers vault.

We are going to the wind-mills ZaanseSchans. Bus 391 from centraal station at euro11.50 - you can pay by card onboard.. 40min ride.

Scenic bus ride along the way.

Alight at this bus stop - Zaanse Schans and only 5min walk, you will see those beautiful windmills.

If you did not not visit this place, then please do not tell people you been to Amsterdam.
Wind-mills is the 1st icon of Holland. Here you get to see extraordinary buildings and windmills - all of them are working windmills, they are not replicas. Walking through this place, not only the air is especially fresh, and gradually you will feel the serenity gushing through the toes to the brain.
Within this compound, it is quaint little village, where you see farm animals roaming freely, swans swimming peacefully. There are cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and even clog factory

The wind is strong and the weather is rather cold, we decide this restaurant for a rest and some bites.

The sasusage platters we had is AWSOME!

Back to the town in the late afternoon, here are some snaps we got.

Along in Chinatown, we decided for some spicy Sichuan food here. And he is so happy that he is not having bread for dinner. By the way, Chinatown and Red light districts are super close.

Red Light Secret is a museum - The world’s only museum of prostitution, set in a 17th-century house formerly used as a brothel. In this museum, you will discover the secrets of the world’s oldest profession and view a typical workroom for entertaining clients. You can take a seat a prostitute’s window to experience the reality behind the glass. Learn about the history of prostitution in Amsterdam including its legalization in 2000. Experience the real-life stories and hopes of prostitutes in their own words.
We purchase the admission ticket online at 10Euro per person, walk in rate is 12 Euros.

Imagine you are sitting on the high chair of a glass window, potential customers walk by and gawking at you, judging at you. Different man with different reaction seeing you.

Below photo is the real place of a room of a prositute doing her business around 100 years ago.

This booklet will be given to you, it is about some summart about this place and "wild confessions" on people or guest who visited here...

As you walk around in the red light district ( De Wallen ), you will come across many many interesting shops. There are plenty of sex shops, peep shows, brothels, an elaborate condom shop, coffeeshops for weeds, a sex museum and prostitutes in red-lit windows. But the heart of Amsterdam is much more than that.

Prostitution is a respected and protected trade in Amsterdam. To prevent forced prostitution, the aim here is an open and honest approach. Sex-workers here have their own union, plenty of police protection, an information centre (for visitors as well) and frequent monitoring of professional standards.

The Amsterdam city centre has a romantic image. But behind the exciting, unconventional, ‘anything goes’ image of the city centre lurks a different reality -- a reality that sometimes consist of sex trafficking, forced prostitution. This is something that the city and the justice department are fighting against.

There are certain rules in place to ensure the safety of prostitutes and visitors to the Red Light District. It is forbidden to take photos of the women, and this is strictly enforced. Although there is 24-hour video surveillance in most parts of the district, be aware of pickpockets. They tend to target crowds of distracted tourists, so keep an eye on your belongings and leave your valuables in a safe at the hotel. Many families and people who need to get up for work the next morning live in this area. Respect their neighbourhood, and do not yell or cause disturbance. In the year of 2000, brothels in Holland legalised by getting a permit from the government. Prostitution, today is regarded as an official profession(self employed), meaning like other people in any other job, they must pay income tax and follow rules and regulations just like other professions.

In the red light district, many kind of sex is for sale.... you go think about it...whatever in your thoughts, it is available for a price.

A local waitress in the red light district was telling me that these are actually proud women. Here, there is a stringent inspection and supervision from government or union to minimise potential abuses, especially to forced prostitution. As these strong women who are thriving in their profession, they exude pride, both in their bodies and their work.

Coffee shops selling weeds. Very crowded in the weekends. Even everywhere, anytime of the day, the smell of weeds filled the air.

Here are more insights of the red light district that I took from google as taking photo is forbidden.
There are alot of live shows here at around 40euros per person.
To make the show more interesting, these shows are usually with different themed like SM, hospital... etc..

Call girls, stood behind the red lit glass panels, hoping to make as much as businese as possible.

Moulin Rouge is a very popular place that offers saucy on stage entertainment for its eager audiences.

Entrance to the Moulin Rouge Amsterdam does not come cheap, with an average ticket costing €30 for entrance or €40 with four drinks tokens. While this may seem a little pricey to some, it is often open to negotiation, depending on how busy the night is and how many are in your group. Most Amsterdam sex shows want to get groups in to fill seats, so some good discount rates can be achieved if you are willing to haggle, although trying this on a very busy night is likely to get you nowhere fast. Drinks prices inside are surprisingly reasonable, and so the drinks tokens may not be as good a deal as they seem. Wheelchair access is around the back of the theatre, simply ask the doorman and he will be happy to show you through.

Moulin Rouge opening hours

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 8pm - 2am
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 2pm - 2am

For Casa Rosso, it is recommended to prebook your ticket. You may have your drinks or meal here while watching the show.

A standard entrance ticket entrance to Casa Rosso cost €45, it may be a hit to your wallet but can be worth it as, once inside, there are no additional costs other than the price of your drinks. This is a big difference to some shows, where shows are more personal and each lapdance or performance trick costs an extra fee. If you're worried about the mounting costs of drinks, then a combined ticket including four drinks tokens costs €55. Drinks token deals like this deserve a bit of consideration however, as someone who is only drinking the standard Dutch small beers will normally find they can buy four for less than the €15 the drinks tokens cost.

This may be the most popular show the Amsterdam Red Light District has to offer, but the venue's large size means that getting in is usually not a problem. For large groups such as stag parties, booking can be a good idea but, as mentioned above, only if your group is of ten people or more.

Casa Rosso opening hours

Sunday to Thursday from 7pm till 2am,
Friday and Saturday from 7pm till 3am.

We visited sex museum as well ... The museum about a sensitive area of human sexuality is located in the busiest spot of Amsterdam, at the Damrak street, just in front of the Central Station, in the real middle of the traffic madness.

5Euros per person.

Once you get inside, you realize that the Sex Museum tries to combine their rich collection of artifacts with the elements of the attraction park. Its full name is Sex Museum - The temple of Venus. And you will see the plaster figure of Venus at the entry. Also a full size wax figures of Mata Hari with her male partners and Marilyn Monroe, obviously with the air constantly pumped under the actress skirt. And two huge plastic phalluses standing erect will give you an unusual photo opportunity because you are allowed to photograph throughout the whole exhibition.

As we just landed this morning after 12hrs flights, we decided to end our night early as we are getting tired.. too tired to take photos...

Today we are going to Giethoorn Village. 2hr per way. So we got up super early at 5am .. the earliest is Macdonalds which is just 2 min away from our hotel. The rest of the breakfast cafe .. earliest one is 7am...

Base on the house rule set by Macdonalds, must have a reason to set that.

By the time this photo is taken, it is already near dawn at around 8am.

trying to buy return day ticket to steenwijk station at 45euro per person but it rejected our card.. thanks god.. we went to service centre and got a better deal.

this day ticket is for ALL TYPE transports in holland at euro39 per person.

There are alot of long train plattform here, at each end of the plattform, there is a smoking area.

Vending machines located on the plattforms, you can bring food up into the train, at each row of seat, there is a dustbin.

Awsome double decker train.

Scenic view on the train ride.

Took 1.5hr train ride from Centraal station plattform 13B to Almere Centrum station, transfer at opposite plattorm to Steenwijk station. take bus 70 , 20min ride and alight at bus stop Ds Hylkemaweg. cross to opposite bus stop, there is a canal on the left side... follow the path in.. 10min walk... you reached.

note: there are 1st class & 2nd class seats in the train. red is for 1st class.

This is the point to take the boat ride, we got free ticket from stranger who did not board.. hee hee

Follow this pathway, it lead you into the village.

The water village is getting nearer... a picture speaks a thousand words.
I think must be due to good weather and the coilours of this place, all the photos we took look exactly like paintings.

Forget the waterways of Venice, there is a peaceful village in the Netherlands that is based entirely on water - and life there looks like its straight out of a fairytale.

The idyllic Giethoorn village (羊角村) has no roads or cars, and the only access to the area's quaint houses and public buildings are by cruising its beautiful canals or walking across over 176 wooden arch bridges. Even the postman reportedly does his rounds via boat.

Around 2,600 citizens dwell in the area, with island homes backing straight onto the water highways - perfect for ice skating in winter when the water freezes over.

The magical village's four miles of canals and thatched-roof farmhouses date back to the 18th century, and unsurprisingly lure many tourists who are keen to witness the settlement for themselves.

Visitors are forced to leave cars outside the village, and then travel by whisper boats, which have noiseless engines, by foot or on bike, leading to the area getting the nickname of Venice of the Netherlands.

Located in the province of Overijssel, the rustic settlement was founded by a group of fugitives from the Mediterranean region around AD1230. The metre-deep canals were later constructed by monks who needed a network to transport peat. The village of Giethoorn was founded by a group of fugitives from the Mediterranean region in 1230. The first thing the fugitives noticed upon arrival was a large mass of goat horns which had been left over after an immense flood destroyed the area a few years earlier. Because of this discovery, they named the settlement Giethoorn, meaning "goat horn."

Noon is here, he is hungry and his food hunt begin... finally he settled for this - Giolsch Giethoorn and the food is really yummy , the decoration is very beautiful.

I like the way staff brought in the cutleries.. all in the small pail and place on the table.

Home-made Lemonade, refrshing and not sour.

Truffle Fries ... very delicious

Salad was so crisp..

Stew chicken - this is so soft that you just need a spoon to eat.

Stew pork & venison - also very soft

After a super full stomach, we continue our walk in the village.

It's time for the boat ride. The guide is a local villager ... very handsome.. We are his one of the few guests to visit the village. Most are Taiwanese, Hong Konger and China chinese.

Very beautiful views from the boat. The water level here in the village is barely a meter therefore not to worry if you fall..

The sun is starting to set, by the time we left this place.

Back to Amsterdam's town, we decided to walk around the Dam Square for the evening view..

Arrrggghhh , the smell of weeds blanket the air ..

Shopping in the malls of Amsterdam

Department stores and Malls in Amsterdam

Amsterdam shopping is great in department stores and shopping malls. They offer unique choice of products with imports from Asia, Latin America and Africa. The best choice is offered by De Bijenkorf (The Bee Hive) is directly at the Dam square. Except for one (Villa Arena), all department stores and shopping malls are within a short walking distance from the Dam square. You may compare their actual choice within couple of hours. Shopping in Amsterdam may save you time and effort. If you like your shopping indoors, or if it happens to be raining you can always visit one of the shopping malls in Amsterdam: Magna Plaza (on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, again near the Dam square) or the Kalvertoren (on the Kalverstraat).

Most shops in the shopping streets closed around 6 - 7pm.
Shopping malls will be slightly later. Some at 8.30pm, some at 9pm.

The famous Dam Square. Whether it is day or night, this place is always crowded.. see my day photos of this place below .. after I am back again from Aalborg.

We have not digested our lunch from Giethoorn Village thus we decided for something to share.
Ate for the sake to eat .. we need food to fight the cold.
Pizza & pasta shops are scattered all over, this is the most common food here.

We are going to Nijmegen today. We had breakfast at Omelegg - very popular in the tripadvisor and true enough it is really very delicious. Open at 7am... The staff are friendly, the decoration is cozy, the food are great.. what more to ask for ?

Below photos taken near 8am..

The road path at the most right side is for bicycles only. All bikers are to follow the standard traffic rule as per usual roads.

Tulips at the hotel lobby, we are checking out, going to Nijmegen.
The main city is Nijmegen & Aalborg due to his work, Amsterdam is our extension.

At the Cantraal station, the bicycle parking is real alot ....

Heading Nijmegen... 1.5hr ride

Our first sight of Nijmegen. I had done my homework about this city. True enough, it is not as vibrant as Amsterdam. The shopping are not as much as Amsterdam as well but I love the peace here. Simple & Relax.

Luggage locker available at the plattform in Nijmegen station

Finally got the chance to take photos on the cabs here. Meter start 2.97euros and it tick real fast at 10cent each time
Most of the cabs here are Benz & BMW or other European big brands, in Singapore, if you driver one of these car, means you are rather well to do. But in Europe, these are everywhere... so common.

In Singapore, Benz cab is call Limo cab. In Europe, it is just cab.

This is the facade of my hotel in Nijmegen. Said to be the best in the city cos, it is a spa hotel.
Though abit old... 80% of the guest walk around in their bathrobes due to the spa. This spa resort in so call hidden inside of a forest. Took a 10min ride from Nijmegen to here, cost about 15Euros.

We got a Deluxe room at Euro134 per night.

Here are the lobby & the restaurant.

After hotel check in done, it is time to play again - we are going to Baarle-Nassau / Baarle-Hertog , the borders of Holland & Belgium. Back to Nijmegen station, before we set off for long journey, must feed him first.

There is a supermarket here in Nijmegen station, asian food is located.

Took a train from Nijmegen station plattform 3B to Breda station(1hr) then change bus 132(39min) and stop at Baarle-Nassau Janstraat st.

ps: Bus station is located within the same building of Breda station.

ps: double check the train before boarding. Plattform serve trains to several destinations.

We alight at this bus stop - Janstraat st. And we were feeling lost. There is no border lines to be seen. Walk up, walk down, walk left, walk right.... finally we saw it..

Baarle Nassau is the term use by the Dutch whereas Baarle Hertog is used by the Belgium. Both are referring to the same place.

This is the 1st border we saw. Located outside Etos pharmacy.
The separation of 2 countries by one foot step.

I need to cross the country just to meet my love.

I am standing inside 2 countries.

He is in Holland, I am in Belgium.

I am standing in Belgium, my finger is in Holland.

I wonder if this restaurant pay tax to which country.

So who own this tree ?

Time to on the way back to Nijmegen, 5pm sunset..

While on the bus to Breda bus station, there are 4 Mr Mime caught..

Our dinner at Sanadome...

After a quick breakfast, he went to his office while I am having my ME DAY.. just me ...

Took a taxi to Nijmegen Centrum at 15Euros.

I started my day at the oldest shopping street in Holland - The Lange Hezeltraat.

My whole day I spent it here cos The Lange Hezeltraat will lead me to Grote Markt, Burchtstraat & Marikenstraat.

At this real cooling weather, it is great to have hot lemongrass + rosehip tea sitting at the outdoor, observing the place and people while peaceful church bell is ringing behind.

The stroll continues ...

HEMA is a popular departmental stall cum supermarket in the Europe.

This is De Waagh - very famous restaurant

I got to know this shop while in Japan, then every time I visited Japan, Flying Tiger Copenhagen is sure on my shopping list. There is one here in Nijmegen as well.

As you stroll along, this florist shop out of nowhere... it just appear on the road

Pandora is consider cheaper here than in Singapore. I bought a bangle within 5min...

My loot of the day... Zara got sale and suitable to me .. hahahaha

Late lunch break , raining now .. wind is strong .. it's cold..

I like this .... "Our beer is as cold as the smile of your mother in law"...

My trip to the centrum end here, he is coming back soon ... Before I leave, saw this public toilet..

Dinner at the hotel ... so call asian food but taste horrible ...

Time for spa with him, swimming costume is a must ...
This one & only spa resort is also open for public at €33.50.
as long you are a inhouse guest,this is one of the facilities. thermal set at 35-37D.C. they have indoor and outdoor pool,sauna,steambath, jaccuzzi etc..

To enter and exit is via this magnetic wrist tag. Dining charge and other optional charges will be tagged into yr wrist band and pay upon check out.

Cannot snap any photo after the door. 〒_〒

Below are the photos I grabbed from goggle, perhaps i tried 42D.C. ones before thus i felt this place is average to my liking.

Breakfast here at Sanadome, really loves the cheese & salami so much.

This is the view from my balcony, if i have the chance to come Nijmegen again, i like to try other hotel near to train station.
This hotel is located in a so called forest... air is real fresh and cool. have to take a cab to go out or rent a bike from the hotel...

While waiting for him to come back from office, I had checked out and chill at the cafe, watching Korean Drama - "Black" while drinking refreshing chamomile lemon tea with traditional timer to time the tea By the way, the ang moh waiter is so handsome but I got no chance to snap a picture.

Tomorrow we are flying over to Aalborg at 0830hrs flight. It is too far to travel from Nijmegen to Schipol airport. We decided to stay a night at a CitizenM hotel in Schipol area.

This is a super impressive hotel. Though room size is mere 14sqm but I really like this place alot because the bed is XL king size. There are 355 stylish & rooms. It is merely 5min walk to Schipol Terminal 4.

There is no reception table to assist guests to check in and check out. In fact, you must check in yourself via the self service kiosk, create your own key card and payment via credit card. There is only a staff nearby standby to assist if you have any problem.

Before you are being given a room by the system, it will ask you if you prefer ;
1) Low floor facing airport
2) High floor facing airport
3) Low floor facing the road
4) High floor facing the road
We selected high floor facing airport and system got us room 374

Though the price per night is 130Euros, it is still consider as a budget hotel. There is no room service or kettle in room, if you need hot water, you have to get it from the bar below. No jug given to you, just 2 glasses of hot water.

Scan the key card and door is open.
Everything is control via ipad, there are alot of interesting quotes around.

By the way, after you check out, this key card is a luggage tag.

Here are the snaps of my room..

Please read through the wordings of the soap dispenser.

Different soap to use when you shower in the day or night.

Every floor there is an iron room. the deco inside is awsome.

Below snaps are the interior of this hotel.

Simple Breakfast at Schipol airport 7am ... 7.50Euros

KLM cityhopper to Aalborg...25rows seating 2x2

Simple snack onboard for 1.5hrs flight

Here is Aalborg, we did not pass through any immigration.
After you disembark from the plane, walk towards to the luggage belt and officer perform ramdom checks on the luggage before you exit.

The cab here same as Holland, all Benz & BMW, not cheap too.. 10min ride cost 150DKK (SGD30)

Our hotel for the night - Radisson Blu Limfjord at 1355DKK, looks good right .. but NO !!!

Hotel lobby looks really great for the first impression .. yes .. first impression only

This is my room 447, because I only stayed for a night so I turned blind for :
1) Malfunctioning curtains at the left side of the window... I have to change at the right side.
2) Balcony, it;s full of cobwebs and I saw a big spider there.

My view from the balcony, room is not so stuffy after I open this door.

There is a casino right next to the hotel.

Off he went for his business meeting, my ME DAY start. One thing really good about this hotel is that right across the road, walk into Jomfu Ane Gade, it is the the shopping street - Bispensgade, it will lead you to more shopping street - Algade and Nytorv.
Below this photo is Club Red Light is is directly opposite my hotel.
Saw the white van ? It is the start of Jomfu Ane Gade.. Usually during weekends, Jomfu Ane Gade is very busy with bars. There is a 7-11 at the corner of this street, at the cashier, I took out Euros for payment and the staff was stunned .... hahhaaha.. I quickly get from DKK to pay her..

There is a road for bicycle here too.

Below few are snaps of Jomfu Ane Gade

Here at Bispensgade, H&M, Zara and other international chain are found here.
Even UnderArmour is much cheaper and I bought a few t-shirt too.

My lunch at Burger King, it is expensive.. cost me SGD20 for a set of crispy tender bacon king.

This is Nytorv area. HEMA is here as well. While shopping in HEMA, I saw dogs shopping with their mum.

If I am not wrong, below are the snaps for Algade.

The place of it's origin - Flying Tiger Copenhagen.

Time for a break, chill at the outdoor Starbucks, observing the surrounding and the locals passed by.

Time to go back to meet him, he is knocking off soon. This Maxim- the famous striptease club is merely 30m walk away from the hotel.

Time for dinner... A local, his colleague brought us here for dinner - "Klostertorvet"
I ordered a common drink among the local -organic concentrated juice mix with water- hylderblomst (elderflower)

The centrepiece of this restaurant is very cool ... a hanging piano

There is an ice-skating rink right outside of "Klostertorvet"

The night feel of the shopping street.

We woke up at 3am the next day , catching the 630am flight to Amsterdam.

Kiss and goodbye.. no kisses above 3mins!

Inside the airport cafe's high tech coffee machine

Reached Amsterdam at 730am ... No immigration requires.. Crossing Europe without crossing customs... What an eye-opener !!
It is a super foggy day in Amsterdam.
"I amsterdam" this is an icon plaque here.. it actually moves around time to time.. This round it is here.

Day broke .. 845am

We checked in again to Kimpton De Witt, this time we got a Deluxe room.

Right below out window facing gay sauna.

After all check in done, it is time to play, we are going to Volendam. Take bus 312 from centraal station plattform A for 20min ride. Day ticket at €10 .. buy from ticket counter

I think we are too early on a foggy day... The crowd is less and the scenery was blur.

Lennon's cafe is choosen for our lunch... If you are a Beatles fan.. this is the right place. With the theme of Beatles, they are singing in the background..

Lunch ended and it is time to go back to Amsterdam.

We decided go for the tram trip to De Pijp... 7.50 Euros for the day ticket.
From Centaal tram station plattform A,tram #24

ps: it is cheaper to buy 2in1 ticket but it is a last min decision to come here

Below are the snaps for Albert Cuypmarkt. Open air bazzar selling fresh veg, clothing and other product. alot cafes and restaurant... to put in our term... like our pasar malam + wet market

Next to explore : The houseboat ... another eye opener..

Below cafe is located in one of the street of the 9 small streets named Petit Gateau.
As the streets are similar, I did not really took much photos. This area is full of weed smell too.

The 9 Small Streets – De 9 Straatjes

This part of the Amsterdam Canal district in the Old City is probably most interesting shopping area in town: the 9 small streets which are in fact three paralel streets led across the main canals of the city – from the Singel, through Herengracht and Keizersgracht to Prinsengracht. But with each crossing of the each canal the new name was given to each street section. So here we have the 9 Small Streets shopping paradise – in Dutch: De 9 Straatjes Area. These are: Reestraat, Hartenstraat, Gasthuismolensteeg, Berenstraat, Wolvenstraat, Oude Spiegelstraat, Rijnstraat, Huidenstraat, Wij de Heisteeg.

I had real refreshing Casablanca mint tea - wash away all the weeds smell..

Amsterdam weed laws

The Netherlands have a special tolerance policy on soft drugs, but lets look at the laws:
- Possession of drugs is punishable, but with a maximum of 5 grams of cannabis (weed or hash) the police will just seize the drugs. You can give them up and you will not be prosecuted
- If you have more soft drugs than the quantity for personal use (5 gram) you will be fined and risk a prison sentence
- Minors are not allowed to have any drugs, the tolerance policy does not apply to them, so you must be 18 or over to buy drugs
- Growing weed at home is illegal, however 5 plants or less you can give them up and you will generally not be prosecuted
- Hard drugs are not allowed
- Import and export of drugs is illegal
- You cannot smoke in public. You can smoke weed only in Amsterdam coffeeshops

Amsterdam coffeeshop rules

When you enter a coffee shop there are few rules you should be aware of:

You must be 18 or older (21 years old in some establishment) and always have your passport or ID with you.
You are allowed to come twice a day maximum to the same coffee shop
You can buy maximum 5 grams per day
Alcohol and cigarettes are forbidden
You must not cause any nuisance
The use of hard drugs is strictly forbidden

SO IF YOU WANT A CUPPA COFFEE, PLEASE SEARCH FOR CAFE INSTEAD OF COFFEESHOPS.

Below are more coffeeshop photos I got from goggled as I do not want more trouble to snap more photos of them direct.

These are the provision shop selling weeds seeds, candy.. etc

Eventually we found ourselves walking back to Chinatown.. this time we got into a Cantonese restaurant owned by a Hongkonger, staff are from Hongkong too and we converse in Cantonses.
The restaurant is where the popular Hongkong movie - :Young & Dangerous 3 shot. The scene where the boss - Simon Yam was gunned down by opposite gang Wuya

BBQ black pork

Siew Mai

Similar to Peking duck ...

Stew chicken feets

Steamed shrimps with garlic

Some dessert for my sweet tooth.

Back to the room, we are on time for a live match.

FA CUP
YEOVIL TOWN VS MANCHESTER UNITED
0:4

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSE!
WELCOME ALEXI SANCHEZ!

Our last day here in Amsterdam, we are leaving tonight at 9pm.

Early morning by 7am, we are at Greenwood Singel for breakfast. Another populat breakfast restaurant. Gotta be early as space are limited and it is very crowded.

Saw few red lighted glass window in Singel, it's day time and nobody on the street, I decided snap a couple of photos. There are around 300 glass window for rental in Amsterdam and each day rental is 300Euros, 150Euros for 10hrs shift.. Men(trangender) or women are welcome to rent these window from brothel operator after getting the permit to start the business.