Schipol Airport, Amsterdam (click on image for the photo album:)

I've processed the first batch of photos for you from my trip to Europe, starting with this first album from the two days I spent in Amsterdam. Or should I say Amsterdaaaaam!!! This is indeed Europe's Sin City, with marajuana being 100% legal, easy access to other forms of drugs (I was offered cocaine, exctasy, and even viagra by various street people). Coffee shops are not for coffee, but for smoking your joints, and their 'cafes' are what they call their pubs. I have no idea where the Dutch go for coffee and a donut though. The red light district was by far the most interesting part of Amsterdam, and surprisingly very touristy. In fact, the whole town was full of tourists, so I didn't quite feel like I was in Europe yet. And, since I don't do drugs, and wasn't going to pay for sex shows, the place got quite old after two nights. Amsterdam is very small and walkable, and very flat so bicycles are the primary form of transport there. So if you like seeing bicycles, and canals, this is the place for you. Personally, the town was cool, but I was ready to get out of dodge by the 2nd day, mostly because my hostel was pretty ghetto, and had some weirdos staying there, so not condusive for socializing. The only social thing going on in that hostel were bible study sessions (it's a Christian hostel). Everything was expensive there too, with a slice of pizza costing 6 euros, and pretty much every toilet in the city costs 0.50 euros to use, which got annoying after a while. So if you're an innocent boy like me, I'd recommend to stay there just for a night if you've got better places to be. I just flew there just because it was the cheapest way to Europe from Toronto.

But being in Amsterdam during the World Cup was very cool, with tons of outdoor big screens set up and everyone dressed in neon-orange to support their Dutch squad. It was extra special to be there when the Netherlands won a match and watching the neon-orange celebration in the redlight district was exciting, and entertaining to see all the drunks party it up. I got a lot of great photos here, which was what made up for the crappy hostel. I just walked around, got lost and wandered until I'd see something interesting, so in some of the photos I had no idea what it was that I shot. My Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring guide book was too heavy to carry around all day and really didn't read it, so I may have missed some great sites, but oh well. Better to go on an aimless wandering adventure than let a guide book tell me what to do, I say.

Anyways enjoy the pics!