la dolce vita: Hedhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig

Finally a substancial update! Sorry for the lack of posts.. I've been crazy busy with traveling and school work...

So for those of you that don't know, I was in Amsterdam two weeks ago and it was amazing to say the least. The combination of the city, the people and our tour made that weekend one of the best to date. We did this tour with WSA Europe which is run by a guy named Andy Steves (Rick Steves son!), and he took us everywhere and told us everything and really made the trip for me.

Okay so where to start. I could rave about this city for hours, but let's see if I can narrow down my favorite things for you guys. I guess first of all, in order to understand the city you need to understand the motto of the people living there. That would be the title of this post - Hedhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig. You can find this on the Amsterdam coat of arms and it translates to "heroic, determined, compassionate". I don't remember the exact explanation, but as long as it makes money and doesn't hurt anyone, then live and let live. This should give you an idea of how tolerant and open the people of Amsterdam are, and it's AWESOME. I don't get why more societies aren't like this city, and I really think that we could all learn a lot from these people and the way they do things.

Their motto seeps into all aspects of their culture, and everything that might seem wrong or weird makes sense if you relate it back to Hedhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig. Like the red light district for example. In the US and in most other countries, prostitution is number one, illegal, number two, highly taboo and number three, extremely looked down upon. Not in Amsterdam! Amsterdam is unbelievably proud of their prostitutes - so much so that there are numerous statues around the city that are dedicated to women in the city and around the world in the sex industry. The Red Light District is also one of the safest places in the city. There's police patrolling the area constantly, and every prostitute has a panic button inside of her room if she feels that she's (or anyone else) is in any danger. Oddly enough the district is built around a church, and there's even preschools and very nice apartments right next to women's windows. Another thing is that all the women work for themselves. There's no pimps of any sort involved. A women can rent out a room for as much time as she wants and she works for herself and keeps her profits. She has the right to turn away any man for any reason, and she also has the right to peruse a man she does want (you'll see the girls knocking on their window or opening their door if they see a guy walk by that they want). The whole system seems crazy, but it works. To them it's just another job and they've made it fit their criteria for the city, so upward and onward!

The other biggest "issue" people have with Amsterdam is the availability of marijuana and other drugs. Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is illegal in Amsterdam, but there hasn't been an arrest in over 30 years. This is because it was decriminalized and you can carry a relatively large amount of it with you (I think up to 5 grams). Also people respect and abide by the laws that have been set, so there's no issues to be had. Everything is more or less government controlled which makes it safe and easy to get. The elusive coffee shops are set up all around the city, and all of these shops have a permit number showing that they're legal and legitimate. Inside these coffee shops there actually is coffee, but there's also counter where you can buy weed. There's a menu just like any other food menu which shows you the name, chemical breakdown, effect and cost of all the types of marijuana. You can buy pre-rolled joints or just a bag and be on your way. You're always allowed to smoke in these coffee shops, but you're also allowed to smoke anywhere outside, and a lot of bars have designated smoking rooms. Once again, something that is frowned upon in most countries has been made into a safe & profitable business here and it just another way of life.

Other than the major things, there's so many other parts of their culture that make SO much sense. People ride their bikes everywhere - there's just as many bikes as people in the city. We all know that bikes are better for the environment then cars, and the city has taken steps to make an organized, efficient and relatively easy system which makes biking make sense in the city which in turn helps the environment. They have a whole system for keeping track and keeping control of the bikes including road systems and even a ticketing system to tell you that it's time for you to get a new bike. They also have a control on excess paper and waste by creating a system for junk mail where you can post what type (if any) of junk mail you'll accept on your mail box. And the best part is that it works and people actually pay attention to it! If you don't want junk mail, you won't get it. What a crazy concept, right? I guess those are just a few things, but I feel like they really do have just about everything figured out and have created a perfect society. Maybe not the typical idea of one, but they live and let live and have a great disposition on life and not to mention a great economy. I know there's no such thing as perfection, but Amsterdam has gotten pretty DAM close ;]

So I hope that I opened your eyes to their culture a little bit. It's an amazing city between the story book houses, tolerant society, endless food options (so much asian food!!!) and many museums (I got to go to the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum). This city has it all and does it all and they all seem to be very happy while they do it.. even with the absurd amount of tourists in their city. It's a place that I reallly want to go back to and a place that all of you should put on your list!!

Here's some pictures from my weekend!

Dam Square

This is a community exclusively for single women. Not only is it beautiful, but it's cheap and once you get an apartment, it's yours for life! The waiting list is years long, and apparently women will leave their boyfriends and husbands if they get in.