The Smart cars are small enough to be parked with head or tail pointing to the water. Though most of the canals in Amsterdam have low guard rail alongside to prevent cars from taking a dip, ‘tossing’ takes place because a Smart car is small enough to be lifted and tossed. The vandals not only find thrill in dipping these smart cars but also other small vehicles, including scootmobiles and tiny cars from the Canta brand — both used primarily by people with handicaps and limited mobility.

Casper de Jong had parked his smart car along the canal and was woken by the police with the message that his car had been pushed into the canal.

“Several weeks ago the same thing happened to my companion’s Smart,” Casper de Jong said. “In both cases the Smart was declared a total-loss.”

However, according to locally-published newspaper De Telegraaf police has not wanted to publicize this form of vandalism for fear of copy-cat incidents. But, nevertheless, police officers are paying extra attention to Amsterdam’s canals, especially during the weekends.

Cannabis, both in marijuana and hash form, almost always has a colorful name attached to each individual strain as the choice of varieties for these seeds seems indefinite. Most of the shops selling Cannabis seeds are going in for an online business rather than physical shops.

Seeds are almost always sold in packs of 10, and a 10-pack of the most basic outdoor seeds will start at around €20. However, a 10-pack of the best ones like the Jack Herer indoor seeds will cost around €150. The best thing about the sale of these seeds is that the sellers give you a clear details of the best season, length to maturity, and typical yield of each seed, so you’ll know exactly what you are getting and how best to grow it.

Though a lot of seeds are brought by the visitors, it is illegal to bring them into the UK and Canada. The illegal transport of seeds is possible due to the fact that an airport official can remotely find your tiny bag of 10 seeds and also the drug sniffing dogs cannot catch them as the seeds don’t smell like anything while the weed itself can often be smelled by everyone in the terminal.

Though most of the seed selling shops have closed down in Amsterdam, one of the oldest and most famous banks in the city, Sensi Seed Bank of Amsterdam, is still running and going. You might as well give a visit here if you want to buy cannabis seeds in Amsterdam.

2. Avoid talking loudly in English or looking drunk because the British here do not hold a very high reputation. So, play yourself down and learning a few handy Dutch phrases would be of a great help.

3. Though smoking is okay in most Dutch Clubs, just watch out as the rules vary from venue to venue. Though E is generally accepted in most clubs with some even offering testing facilities, other harder drugs are less tolerated. Take heed as the beer is strong here (5% min), and served in small glasses and also Dutch drugs, (cannabis, speed, X.T.C) are all top quality. Even the most regular ones can get drugged out easily if they don’t watch their quantity.

4. Tipping the doorman is the best way to ensure your return entry. Just slipping the bouncer 10 guldens accompanied by a polite ‘bedankt’ (Ber-dankt or Thank you) would secure you a trouble free evening and a shorter queue on your next visit.

5. DO NOT mess up with Dutch police as it could result in a severe beating followed by a night in the cells. Even Dutch tolerance has its limits.

The city council has now turned its attention to this problem and has decided to take a move to help these bordello owners and sex workers gain more access to banks with its “Project 1012″ to remake the De Wallen neighborhood, which includes the sex district. The council said that it will come with some sort of conclusion within the next two months on what it might do to help the industry.

“Up until now, it’s been very difficult for people in the sex industry to get credit with the banks,” a city council spokesman said on Friday adding, “For them it is a hazard that they can not get regular credit or help or mortgages or anything from a regular bank.”

“It’s more that we’re going to investigate and talk with bankers and try to set up a system in which they can get a loan or credit,” the spokesman said adding that the city wants to ensure that prostitution is a “bona fide” industry, and that the “entrepreneurs” who ply the local trade need access to regular bank credit for legitimacy.

The Project 1012 – named for the area’s postcode – aims to restrict prostitution to a few tightly controlled areas in a long term and under this approach it has already bought a number of buildings that formerly housed red light windows and converted them into art galleries or housing.

Bar ça is a stylish restaurant with a striking use of red color celebrating prosperity and joy exuding positive energy. It takes you straight to the feel of Spain with the marvelous Spanish cuisine and wines including Tapas, Tostadas, Montaditos, besides soups, salads and dessert and so much more. The main courses will have a ‘Fish of the Day’ and they screen football matches and have live jazz on some days.

Café  De Pijp, located near the Albert Cuyp market, has modern interiors offering indoor dining or dining on the terrace. The food has more emphasis on Mediterranean flavors and the service is prompt. The timings of the place are as:

Monday to Thursday from 03:30 PM to 01:00 AM

Friday from 03:30 PM to 03:00 AM

Saturday from 12:00 PM to 02:00 AM

Sunday from 12:00 PM to 01:00 AM.

Café  Poef has soups and sandwiches which are regular, large, toasted, or just the way you want it. The café has unique interiors with only short stools for seating called pouf/poef in Dutch. These can be used as tables or chairs. Café Poef has a kids corner for children, where they can play and eat at the same time. It is open from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 06:00 PM.

Chocolate Bar is a ’70s-style bar, with a long bar top and stools to sit on. Thursdays to Sundays are marked for cocktail parties with DJs. The bar also serves soups, sandwiches, drinks, malts, salad, shakes and wines. The timings of the bar are:

Monday to Thursday from 10:00 PM to 01:00 AM

Friday to Saturday from 10:00 PM to 03:00 AM

Sunday from 11:00 PM to 01:00 AM.

The best way to get to this place is from Damstraat, beside the Krasnapolsky Hotel on the Dam. Then stick to the main drag on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, as far north as the Oude Kerk, the venerable Old Church, which stands watch over this passable representation of Sodom and Gomorrah. One can go as far as to the parallel canal, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, and to Nieuwmarkt which has many good bars and Chinese restaurants.

The area seems lively and buzzing with activity at night with skimpily clad prostitutes moving around or tapping on the windows as potential customers go by, peep-show joints with private cabins, dark and noisy bars, performing art theaters, bookstores, video libraries, and also dedicated apparel and appliance stores.

Safety is not a big issue as long as you keep to the busier streets and crowds. Moving about in groups is a better way to avoid trouble. It is not a wise decision to go out alone in those narrow, dark side streets and connecting lanes between the canals. The trouble here is small time criminals like muggers, pickpockets, drug dealers, junkies, street prostitutes, pimps, and weird folks in general.

The most celebrated Amsterdam bordello is Yab Yum, Singel 295, in a 17th-century mansion, and named for a goddess of love from the Kama Sutra.

Image Credit

Image Credit

Such is the hangover of the city that I have decided to share everything about Amsterdam with all my readers in the days to come. Come and join me in the virtual tour to Amsterdam and I promise that you will feel the place even before you visit it.