With our bodies still operating according to a different time zone, we both awoke several times in the early morning hours. Shortly after 5am it became evident that we would not be able to fall back asleep, so we'd had our morning coffee by 6:30 and were exploring the city at 7. As we headed to the morning flower market, it became evident that we had the empty streets to ourselves. The "Seven Bridges" area was lovely, especially without any crowds. We walked past the Heineken brewery to reach the Rijksmuseum. With the women's World Cup fast approaching, the Dutch star, Lieke Martens, features prominently in Nike advertising. At 9am we made a pitstop back at our accommodation before pressing on to Begijnhof, the "9 Streets" neighbourhood, the Jordaan area, and the Anne Frank House. Eventually we ended up in Dam Square, checking out the Royal Palace and the Nieuwe Kerk. A beer (and snack) back in the room was in order before taking a short train to the town of Zaandjik and the recreated traditional Dutch village of Zaanse Schans. We spent much of the afternoon wandering walking trails past farm animals, admiring views, and checking out windmills. We also visited a wooden shoe workshop and a cheesemaker. The train returned us to Central Station and we walked straight down the main street back to Dam Square and the centre of the city before returning to our room for apple pie and coffee. In this city of contrasts, where we found an old-fashioned post office near fast food vending machines, we decided that such a wholesome afternoon should be followed by an evening exploring Amsterdam's biggest Red Light District. As it is clear that photography of the area's main draw is prohibited, I chose many representational photos from a quick google search. I admit that walking around the district at night was compelling and thought-provoking. It became clear that voyeurism is a huge tourist attraction, as the area was far more crowded at night. Many elements of the business surprised me. There were far more workers and customers than I'd anticipated. Many of the girls were far more attractive than I'd imagined, as this is typically not the case in BC. The roles of government, taxation, safety, regulations, morality, gender, human nature, and economics were all rolling through my mind as we peeked into this sanitized version of prostitution and sex. The brothels in the shadow of the church's bell tower amused me, while the fact that people gather in the old church square to drink and watch the prostitutes on display under the glow of the red neon fascinated me.
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