We don't fiend for the opportunity to smoke marijuana, the red light district might as well not exist, we like bikes but don't like getting run over by them, and it was not our first time in a moderately big European city. Anything that makes Amsterdam special is really of little interest to us.
Many people travel to Amsterdam for the normally illegal opportunities to party. Quite frankly, we are not much for partying. At the time of our visit, marijuana was not yet legal in any state in the U.S. Seeing the cafes was akin to seeing some actor that you kind of liked in that one movie. Maybe you want to take a picture from across the street, but you're not about to run over, scream like a child, and beg for an autograph. We didn't even step foot in a cafe. It wasn't even a priority.
As for the prostitution: there are some very serious things that people should consider before they pay for sex in Amsterdam. It may be legal, but that does not necessarily make it consensual, moral, or socially responsible. I will stop there.
Now, lots of people love the high dependence on bicycles in Amsterdam and the Nederlands in general. We really love bikes. Javier spent years cycle-touring around the U.S. I volunteered for a sustainable transportation group and helped at a free bike shop. Javier can not drive and uses his bike to get around. I barely used a car during my teens and while at university.
You would think that our love of bicycles would extend to the situation in Amsterdam, but it really doesn't. Since Javier can barely see due to extreme visual disability he was almost run over by a cyclist, because he couldn't see him coming. The cyclist proceeded to scream and accuse Javier of being an "idiot".
While this guy was probably just a huge jerk, this particular scenario led us to question the rules for bicycles and rights of pedestrians in a bicycle dominated city. What if Javier had instead been a small child, who unknowingly ran out into the fray of bikes? Children, even when taught to stop at the roadside, do not always do so in times of duress and frustration. If that child had been hurt or killed, who would have been held responsible? The same goes for Javier, an almost blind man who is in a city he does not know.
We do not know what the exact rules and regulations are in Amsterdam concerning bikes and pedestrians. We could very easily be surprised to find out that the rules favor pedestrians. But, considering our experience while in this city, we don't suspect pedestrians have much power.
In the end, my impression of Amsterdam was not great. It doesn't even make the top 20 of my favorite European cities. The only regret I have is that we did not make it to the Ann Frank Museum. I am thoroughly convinced that this was the only good reason for us to stop in Amsterdam. I would like to say that maybe I will get to go to the museum in the future, but this is unlikely considering I don't have much desire to go back to Amsterdam.
