 Liberal, open, crazy and extremist are more commonly used adjectives to describe the Capital of Holland - Amsterdam; from a conservative Eastern point of view however this very well run city, embraces respect and freedom like no other place I have seen.
The well preserved buildings and canals, adds to the qualities of this amazing culture, where people natives or visitors just add to the charm of this sophisticated simplicity of the free Capital. It's not like being struck by the lighting or glared by the neon signs; it is far much more subtle and refined to say that, what really impressed me is the intelligent functional simplicity, and peaceful tolerance.
 When going through the RED LIGHT district and watching the show cases with innovative lightening, some attractive few with rather extreme intuitions, a condom shop with very creative yet funny designs , you still feel you are in an artistic lovable alley quite peaceful and friendly. We went for a break, a short holiday to recharge and enjoy ourselves, though we stayed only three days, yet it was worth every penny. Being all over the city (the old part) touring and exploiting we continuously were called to inviting food displays of restaurants and speciality cafés, we try to record the location so we could returnwhen we need to dine or break, but rarely we did that, as our feet drove us around and were called by even more attractive and convenient options. In ALL times- sophisticated or Basic, economy or elaborate- we got a very enjoyable meal and experience no matter how the price or the decoration was, the product was more than adequate.
The quite strategic located B&B hotel offered more than just a location, a heartily freshly prepared breakfast was considered a well appreciated bonus, among the friendly staff, and helpful attitude, and we believe that Old quarter hotel is a wise choice and good value for money. One of the Aces of this city is the canal bus system and daily pass, where you have a reasonable priced pass for using the service for the day till noon next day. With four different routs, colour coded, you can easily visit practically any spot in historic and dynamic Amsterdam; not just that , but you also get a bonus discounts to some visits like museums, and also quite an adequate commentary on sites en-route, in both English and German languages.
As you cruise the canals by night (in a candle light wine and cheese cruise!), your live guide will explain you that the residents of the houses overlooking the canals are keen not to have curtains on their huge windows, and you can clearly see and interact with them if they were in their living rooms, they enjoy the openness and to show off their lifestyle and attractive lighting and decorative fixtures. Naturally their bedrooms over looking gardens are on the other side of the building. As Amsterdam is one of the few pre-planned capitals of the world, the canals are designed, engineered and maintained immaculately. I most certainly am looking for another visit to Amsterdam, and even more often repeated visits after that and wholeheartedly recommend visiting this wonderful intelligent City.
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