Walking Tour

Darren and I got to our hostel around 10 in the morning. There was A FREE TOUR OF THE CITY at 10:30, so we hopped on that gravy train... ;) The first thing we learned about on the tour was great! The French came to Amsterdam and made the Dutch make last names for themselves for registration. The Dutch had a little fun with this, since they had never used last names. Apparently, the Dutch phonebook is all kinds of hilarious to read. Our tour guide's favorite last names? Jumpinginafield, Bornnaked, and Pubichair. Yep... they're real....

The oldest church in the city is in the Red Light District. For those of you who aren't sure, the Red Light District is an area in Amsterdam where girls rent out windows for 150 € per 8 hour shift. They charge 50 € for a 15 minute session. The oldest prostitute working in the Red Light District is 74 years old. The requirements you must meet to be a prostitute? Must have an European Union passport and be at least 18 years old.

There was a very interesting structure that showed up in the Red Light District. ((See picture)) This is what my friend, Rachel, had to say about it: This statue is right outside the cathedral and I really like it. No one knows who tore of the sidewalk and installed it but it represents the Red Light District. No one knows the name of the woman and the man remains anonymous too. The lock and chain is part of the sculpture posing the question- who's really locked and confined in this encounter.