"They all went down to Amster- SHHHH!"

First and most importantly: who else remembers singing that song up there ^^ around a campfire? No one? Anyone? Who else went to church camp from the ages of 2 months to 16 years? HOLLA IF YOU WITH ME!

... alright calm down. So. Amsterdam. Before I left I was a little sour on Amsterdam because I spent the last week listening to people say one of three things when I told them about my trip:

1) Oh! Amsterdam! Don't go and smoke too much pot! HA HA HA. You know that it's legal there right?
2) Don't go wandering into the Red Light District! You know prostitution is legal there right?
3) Don't drink too much! You know they fish Americans out of the canals all the time right?

and here is my issue: What is it about me that strikes people as the stupidest person they've ever met? No, I had no ideal that marijuana was legal in Amsterdam because I live under a rock and I'm also blind and deaf.

Ranting aside, Amsterdam was awesome. It's just a great place with a mixture of old, new, and borderline illegal. The first night we were there we joined a bar crawl with an assortment of Irish, British, Australian, and American participants. They took us to several bars, including one in the red light district.

Now, keep in mind that in Amsterdam the red light district is only half sketchy. It's also their historical district because it's the oldest part of the city. So, after 11:30 its scary. Before 11:30 it's touristy. We went through at the sketchy time. Let me break down Amsterdam prostitution for you.

A scantily clad young woman stands in an enormous window and raps on the glass every time young men walk by. The women are self-employed and even receive subsidies from the government. However, you are not allowed to take any pictures (sorry, fellas) because if you do the bouncers will throw a jar of urine on you or at least take your camera away. I saw the latter happen. Not the former, thank god.

It really is not a scary place. It's interesting to see that part of a city. I'm not saying I'll be going back anytime soon (Don't worry mom, I won't.) It's just, culture.

This post is getting too long and full of words so I'm stopping at the first night for now. I'm going to need to write an Amsterdam: Part II later.