A deluxe version of the Red Light District

By finnyMarch 26, 2017

Across the road from the famous Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, the biggest challenge we faced was how could we both fit in this tiny room, even Sharki3 could stretch out her legs and reach from one side of the room to another, this is the Netherlands after all and they are all big people. I guess that was their clever strategy and just the motivation to be outside in the cold and wet that we needed, have us out of our tiny bunk-beds for the day returning exhausted at the end of a day’s walking.

Rijksmuseum is host to many Rembrandt masterpieces such at The Nightwatch, an enormous painting which was surrounded by school children making their own mini masterpieces, whilst Van Gogh selfie is pretty good for a non-digital attempt and complete with the thousands of artifacts from around the world, thanks to the Dutch East India Company I guess, it’s a cool museum. We were pleasantly surprised to step into a South African Apartheid Story Exhibition along with original documents signed in Cape Town a few hundred years ago by Dutch claimants on the land proved somewhat interesting.

The NIghtwatch

Walking tour

Sharki3 and Gianni our FreeDam walking tour guide chatting away in Dutch and Afrikaans respectively were so cool and only outdone later when, avoiding the rain one day and in need of some food, we dived into an old pub, t’Smalle, where we ate our sandwich and drank our local beer and wine and just as we were leaving we were joined in our quiet corner by a group of Dutch guys who were out to celebrate, I think that it was just weekend, so any opportunity. Several hours later and many beers and wines we staggered away from our new friends who enjoyed their Afrikaans lesson, and we navigated the tramways somewhat worse for wear.

Beep beep tram coming

Rijksmuseum

The scantily-clad ladies standing or sitting the windows of shop displays booths is quite a site as they beckon you to spend 100 euros for an hour with them so they can demonstrate their profession. They are legally registered, can only work a maximum number of hours, have a minimum wage, I wonder if they get medical cover or paid sick leave for and STD’s contracted. Not that I was paying too much attention but there is all shapes, sizes and colours to tickle your fancy quite literally.