Brunansky's Blog

The train arrived at Amsterdam Centraal. I deboarded the train and made my toward the exit. The layout of the building was easy to navigate. Clear signage helped point the way to exits and shops. The walk went smoothly. The train station was busy with travellers both professional and casual. I purchased a bottle of water and sat down at a table to check e-mail and addresses. Thankfully, the WiFi was excellent.

There weren’t any updates regarding my travel itenary or from back home. I then pulled up Google Maps to find the route to my first of many sleeping accommodations. The hostel where I would be staying in Amsterdam was not far from the station. I walked out into the main entrance. The weather wrapped around my body like a hug. The temperature felt familiar. It had the cool, yet warm, and slightly humid feeling I enjoy in San Diego and Anaheim. As I made my way out of the main entrance I saw it. The waterways that branch off into the infamous canals Amsterdam is known for. A potential sailing route for when I sail back into Amsterdam? Possibly.

I took a moment to soak in this feeling. It was an unmistakable feeling. All the stress and frustrations of the past several years suddenly vanished. My holiday was about to begin. I had made it. I finally got across the ocean to Europe. It was like a chapter of my life ended. This new chapter begins, here, along the waterways of Amsterdam. I took my first steps into Europe feeling like a better, upgraded, version of myself. A new Jeremy Brunansky, if you will.

From the train station I made my way through the narrow, cobblestone streets of Amsterdam. The narrow three story houses built immediately next to one another lined the streets. The top of each house had a portruding wooden shelf, of sorts. Attached to the wooden shelf was a metal ring. This is just another fascinating piece of Amsterdams history on display for all to see who look for it.

In the earliest days of Amsterdam, the citizens lived and worked in their residences. The three story set up worked as such for each tenant. The first floor was their shop. The second floor could be a warehouse of sorts, or an extension to the shop, or part of their living quarters. The third floor was the living quarters. The metal ring portruding out from the building was a hoist mechanism for the merchants. A rope was pulled through this ring to help bring their goods into the second floor for storage. Or, to bring down from the second floor to the street for sale. It also allowed them to hoist their furniture to the second or third floor for living.

The canal system was used for transporting goods, as well as, general daily life activities. And here, on the waters of the canals, people were able to raise and lower the necesities of life using the pulley systems extending out from the rooftops of their homes. Now, the pulley system appears to be more a statement of the cities history and culture. This, as well as, the decorative “XXX” on bars and restaurants.

At first, I found the triple X humorously appropriate for a city known for its Red Light District (i.e. legalized prostitution). Then, after a day or so, I discovered that the Triple X has nothing to do with pornography or adult entertainment. Instead, it is the emblem of the pirate ship, the Flying Dutchman, as well as the Amsterdam flag. This particular pirate ship made famous in the live action Disney film, “Pirates of the Carribean.”

The hostel I would be enjoying was not far from the train station. I arrived a bit early for check in, but, they accommodated me with pleasantness. The front receptionist went over the basic “do’s” and “don’ts” of the hostile. The “don’ts” were few if mentionable at all. In a city known for its party atmostphere, what was not allowed was minimal. I thanked the front desk attendant for the information. I collected my passkey from him. I made my way downstairs to my room. There, I was able to drop my things in my locker, shower and change.

There were a few items I purchased for this trip. The Osprey Farpoint 55L Mens Travel Pack with Removable Day Pack was one. This was incredibly handy. I managed to pack everything from clothes, electronics, toiletries and condoms all within one piece of gear. A piece of gear that split into two pieces and was “Carry-On” approved by all airlines. No checked bags for this American traveller!

The next was the Iniu Portable Charger. This came in handy on multiple occasions. Third, the European travel plug adaptor extension cord. If you have ever travelled with me, you know I always take an extension cord. You never know how close the outlets will be to the bed. I made no exception for Europe. Five feet did the trick nicely. And finally, the Matador Nanodry packable towel.

The towel dried me quickly and also dried quickly. However, it was a bit more narrow than I imagined. That being said, the European ladies that saw me walking around the co-ed shower rooms in my towel smiled and waved. So, perhaps it wasn’t as awkward as it felt.

Once showered, and feeling a bit like myself, I made my way back upstairs to the bar. This particular hostile is known for its parties. In a town known for parties, at a hostile known for parties, I knew the time spent here would be fun. And so, showered, dressed and ready for my first night, I sat at the bar and ordered a beer. Directly across from me was a sign highlighting people who have successfully drank the most jagerbombs at this hostel.

Beside me was a room for smoking weed or hash but no tobacco. One of the rules of the hostel? Ok, one rule was no tobacco within the walls. Even the front desk receptionist had to walk out to the front patio entrance to smoke his cigerette.

The rest of the trip included plenty of food, drinks, self guided tours, coffee, and more than one visit to the Red Light District. It also included evenings filled with various drinking games with the folks staying at the hostel. There were a few Americans, as well as folks from the U.K., France, Canada, Australia, Spain, and beyond. We had more fun than anticipated which is saying something.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to highlight the girls of the Red Light District. I was speechless. I have seen some beautiful women at strip clubs all over the United States. From high end, big money clubs, in Vegas, to regular neighborhood strip joints around town. Beautiful women in mass can be found in these places. However, the women I saw in Amsterdam were of the highest caliber, even on a Wednesday night. One girl was so fine, with a booty so nice, I literally almost walked into the canal. I stubbed my toe on a cobblestone which pulled me out of the trance she cast on me. I was literally one step away from falling into the canal. These girls were unbelievable. I was gobsmacked.

There was an expectation that I had from stories I have heard. The stories I heard were either downplayed, or there’s just new girls that work the Red Light District. It was stunning to see that caliber of woman standing in a window, near a red neon light, tapping on the glass and calling you over to her. The glass either opened like a door, or she walked over to a door to talk with you before sexy transactional activities were enjoyed. Lord have mercy… may your visit be just as stunning as mine was… enjoyable too.

*Disclaimer: Photos and Videos are not permitted in the Red Light District to protect the sex workers, and to provide a safer work enviroment. You need to be aware of this before hand or you will be stopped by local authorities.

Ok, back to my time in Amsterdam…

The self guided walking tours I completed very early in the morning. I say that because Amsterdam doesn’t really open for business until about 10am. I walked past the University. I walked past several museums. I took in the city before the city was even awake.

Amsterdam in the 7am hour is vastly different than Amsterdam after dark. A must see is the city alone in the morning as everything comes to life. The empty cobblestone streets give room to explore. There are no crowds. You can stop and admire these buildings from centuries past. The blending of old world and new world combined into one incredible town.

The self guided tours showed me much of Amsterdam, which included a statue of reknowned philosopher Benedict de Spinoza. If you aren’t familiar with him, and you enjoy Western Philosophy, you should read up on his story. A fascinating and controversial figure with an indelible print on modern Western thought and life.

That being said, eventually I spent some cash on tours. The first of which was a tour through the Amsterdam Sex Museum.

The Sex Museum covered all things provacative, sensual and sexual.  There were even ancient artifacts collected that dealt with sex in the Ancient world. There were statues that came to life and propositioned you, or flashed you. There was art work from around time and the world detailing erotica. It was a multistory exhibit of human sexuality throughout the ages.

The second tour I enjoyed was out of Amsterdam in a town a short bus drive away. The night before, some of the girls at the hostel were talking to me about the tulip fields. They told me that most of the tulip fields have been cut. This left very little to see according to them. With this information in mind, I found a tour heading to a park with tulips. It was the best day. If you ever are in Amsterdam, plan a day at the Keukenhof. It was a remarkable day spent in nature. The time there was absolutely splendid.

Eventually, my time in Amsterdam came to an end. Which meant it was time to begin the next adventure. A train ride from Amsterdam to Berlin was waiting for me. Back to Amsterdam Centraal I went from the hostel. And, once on the train, I enjoyed a beautifully scenic train ride across the European countryside.

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