Traipsing Through The Amsterdam Red Light District
The Amsterdam Schipol Airport is considered as the largest airport in the Netherlands and 1 of the biggest airports in Europe. As measured through the number of international passengers, the Schipol Airport is the third busiest in the world. Every year, an estimated 42 million people come to the city of Amsterdam to enjoy its many delightful tourism attractions. Some of these tourists, however, come to this city for a completely different reason. Amsterdam is famous for its tolerant stance on prostitution and use of soft drugs. This is totally unlike many other countries in the world. Some tourists then, come to Amsterdam to know how it feels like to smoke marijuana and enjoy window prostitution in the Amsterdam red light district.
The famous, or rather infamous, Amsterdam red light district is set up in the south of Central Station and east of Damrak. Found along major canals in the city, this place can easily be found on maps. This part of the city is also called "De Wallen" which when translated to English, means "the walls." Thousands of years ago, walls were once part of the defenses of the city against outsiders. Window prostitution is allowed in certain areas within the Amsterdam red light district. Prostitutes can commonly be found roaming the side streets and alleys. Despite its notoriety, the Amsterdam red light district is still categorized as a residential district where one can find many bars and restaurants. Historic establishments and museums are likewise built in this part of the city. Actually, the oldest church in Amsterdam, Oude Kerk, is found here. Ironically, sexshops, peep show bars and window prostitution presently surround this religious structure.
Some of the eating and drinking places within the Amsterdam red light district offer cannabis and other soft drugs. Coffeeshops, in fact, is a destination of many tourists who come to Amsterdam to use drugs. These establishments are legally permitted to sell soft drugs like marijuana and hash. Police authorities, however, closely monitor these stores. In the event that these coffeeshops sell hard drugs, they would immediately be closed. This is why it is useless to insist on buying other drugs aside from the soft drugs that these stores are legally allowed to sell. Hemp or hemp related products may also be sold in coffeeshops however, these products are considered illegal. They are sold though because they are "tolerated" according to the Dutch Opium Act.
While walking along the streets of the Amsterdam red light district, one may normally be offered hard drugs by some sellers. It is considered illegal to sell drugs in the street so, it is advised that one should firmly refuse such offer. In many cases, fake drugs are sold to tourists and many others use this offer to bait an unsuspecting tourist to an isolated area and consequently, rob him or her there. Contrary to expectations, the Amsterdam red light district can be considered perfectly safe for tourists because of high police visibility all over the area. Moreover, security cameras are erected all over the place to monitor the peace and order situation.
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