Appooppanthaadi -18

Dam square is the heart of Amsterdam. There is a war memorial at the Dam square that was installed to commemorate the victims of World war 2. It is just walking distance from the main railway station of Amsterdam called Centraal Station. There are frequent train services from the Amsterdam airport to Centraal Railway station. As we walk out of the station a visual treat is awaiting. Just walk around. There are a number of tram services available outside the station for traveling to any part of the city. Due to the presence of canals all over, the city does not have a metro rail system.

The Wikipedia tells you, “The Dam derives its name from its original function: a dam on the Amstel River, hence also the name of the city. Built in approximately 1270, the dam formed the first connection between the settlements on the sides of the river.”

“On 7 May 1945, two days after German capitulation, thousands of Dutch people were waiting for the liberators to arrive on the Dam square in Amsterdam. In the Grose Club members of the Kriegsmarine watched as the crowd below their balcony grew and people danced and cheered. The Germans then placed a machinegun on the balcony and started shooting into the crowds. The motives behind the shooting have remained unclear.

"The shooting finally came to an end after a member of the resistance climbed into the tower of the royal palace and started shooting onto the balcony and into the Club. At that moment, a German officer together with a Resistance commander found their way into the Club and convinced the men to surrender. At the brink of peace, 120 people were badly injured and 22 pronounced dead.”. Unquote.

Just in front of the station, canals cruises are available. Just hop on and off the boats and enjoy the enchanting beauty of the city. Then walk towards the Dam square. There the first thing we can do is to queue up to have a look at the wax models of the famous people in the world. It costs 22 Euros to gain entry to Madame Tussads. Right in front of the entrance, there stands Presdent Obama. I had a photo op with him.

Inside the hall we can come across a number lot of celebrities and men and women who created hystory. I expected to meet Holland’s football legends there. Unfortunately all the models of them were shifted to other Tussads Tussads located elsewhere in the world. Still I could pose with Ronaldinho and Beckham.

On the top floor, Mahatma Gandhi stands among tall leaders like Mandela and Dalai Lama. The figure no way matches with the Mahatma we are familiar with. He has been made a dwarf there. It was not convincing at all.

There is an enquiry counter inside the hall where we can ask questions about how these sculptures are made. The man explained to me how they make them. The important thing he told me was that they use fibers to use the models and not wax. Wax is mainly used only to make hair.

From Madame Tussads, if we walk a little further, we come across the flower Bazar. We can see so many shops on the bank of a canal that sell varieties of flowers and their seeds. Tulip seeds are prominently displayed in all the shops. One packet of 10 Tulips costs around 8 Euros. I was doubting if Tulip could grow in our climatic condition. I did not try to buy them. However it is pleasant to walk around in the flower market.

Now, we can take a walk to a coffee shop. In the Netherlands the term coffee shop has come to mean a place where hashish and marijuana are available. There are roughly 300 coffee shops in the city. So, to be in heaven, we must visit Amsterdam. It is not taboo to take a few puffs of marijuana there. But anyway, people must consume it and remain silent there or leave the place without causing any nuisance to the public.

The next destination must be the red street. It is very close to the Dam Square. A walk along the roads in the red light area does not give any indication that something “seriously wrong” is going on inside the buildings there. On both the banks of canals, every building has something to offer. One may offer live porno show while the other offers sex gadgets. Girls in their ligeres (only minimal cover ups) stand inside the glass chambers of the building and invite customers. In the front part of every flesh trading centres I could see girls.

They tap the glass panes and invite the passers by. Everything is quiet. People- men and woment, boys and girls walk around as if they walk on any ordinary street. Those who are in need can walk in to the trade centers without fearing anybody. I could see police mounted on motor bikes patrolling these red-light streets.

In a shop, a few meters away from one red street, I could see a window of the shop decorated with different types of condoms. Girls and boys stand in front of this window, discuss about the things on display and then move on.

There is a sex museum just closer to the Gandhi Restaurant. There too people throng to have a look at the evolution of sex in the human beings. Girls, boys, men and women queue up there too.

Vondel Park is one of the landmarks in Amsterdam. This vast area of beautiful land was once occupied by Hippies. After the Hippies were evicted from the land, now it is maintained as a park. It is like our own famous Lalbaugh in the Garden city of Bangalore.

Have you visited Lalbaugh? If not yet, do it fast. Development in the Garden City is on war footing and is almost knocking at the gates of the magnificient garden. In all likeliness, there may appear a metro rail station or a big township or a mega mall any time as the word go. Then we must be able to tell to our coming generations that here situated a big beautiful garden once upon a time. A garden that gave sanctuary to the love struck, children and people of all age groups.

Please visit Amsterdam with me here-

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