Amsterdam News
November in Amsterdam
By the time November rolls around, Amsterdam is more or less in winter mode, with very mild weather and noticeably smaller crowds. There are a few really good events during the month, though they are several weeks apart and generally appeal to quite different crowds. Since Amsterdam is really more of an indoor city than most, this can actually be an excellent time for a visit. The weather is still bearable, and flights and hotels are definitely more affordable than just a month or two earlier.
November events in Amsterdam
Museum Night in Amsterdam – First Saturday in November
This city has more than its fair share of great museums, and a fun way to see inside some of the ones you’ve otherwise missed is to participate in the annual Museum Night. From 7pm to 2am, about 40 of Amsterdam’s museums and galleries all decorate themselves and throw a theme party of one kind or another. One ticket gets you into all of them, and this event is very popular with locals so it’s best to start early to insure you get into the ones that interest you most. Tickets go on sale in mid October at the usual ticket offices throughout the city. It’s €15 in advance and €17.50 on the day. Museum Night is November 1 in 2008.
Date: August 24th, 2008 |
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Amsterdam sex clubs - A complete guide
When the majority of people who’ve visited Amsterdam are asked about the prostitution thing, they will talk about the girls behind the windows in the Red Light District. This is obviously the most famous public scene of prostitution in the city, and probably in the world, but it’s not the only one. Prostitution is totally legal in the Netherlands, just as it is in many other European countries, and the RLD scene is only one of four ways people can acquire sexual pleasure for a price.
Date: April 27th, 2008 |
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Amsterdam Brothels - A complete guide
Prostitution in Amsterdam takes on several different forms, the most famous of which is the girls behind the windows in the Red Light District. While this is the only form of prostitution that 99% of Amsterdam tourists will notice during their stay, this public mating ritual is only one of four methods visitors have available to them.
Date: April 16th, 2008 |
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Live sex shows in Amsterdam
One of the many legends about Amsterdam that some people have trouble believing is that there are theaters where patrons can pay for entrance and then witness actual live couples on stage having sex, as well as quite a few different-but-similar tricks involving bananas, pens, ribbons, vibrators, and whatnot. Just like the legend of Amsterdam’s coffee shops and the Red Light District itself, this one is absolutely true, at least as of now. (Starting in late 2007 the city began cracking down on many sex-related businesses and closing down …
Date: March 26th, 2008 |
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Australian Embassy in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, but most countries - including Australia - have their official embassies in The Hague (Den Haag). The Hague can be reached in a bit under an hour by train, for under €10 for an adult.
The Embassy is about 3 km from Centraal Station in Den Haag. Public transportation runs on the same system throughout the country, so if you have a Strippenkaart from Amsterdam it will work in Den Haag as well.
Australian Embassy
Carnegielaan 4
2517 KH The Hague
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0)70 310 82 00
Fax: …
Date: December 7th, 2007 |
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5 Amsterdam videos that will help you get a sense of the place
If you’ve not yet been to Amsterdam, or you haven’t made a trip in a while, I’ve collected up some videos that I think do a good job at capturing the unique charms of this city. I’ve left no cliché out in these choices. You’ll find a secret tour of the Red Light District, an entrance and weed purchase at one of the city’s famous coffeeshops, a really nice story about how the Red Light District is changing into a fashion zone, a portion of a canal cruise, and a salute to bicycles set to a song you’d never guess.
Red Light District prostitutes
Here’s a popular 2-minute video some guys took while wandering around the Red Light District checking out the window prostitutes. The quality isn’t great, but if you’ve yet to make it to Amsterdam it should be interesting. There are actually plain-clothes security guards in the RLD who are there to protect the girls and also prevent filming of any kind. Anyone trying to capture this area on film runs the risk of being assaulted by these guys, which explains why this video was kind of taken on the sly.
Date: May 5th, 2008 |
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Concerts in Amsterdam
When you are traveling it can be really fun to go to a concert from one of your favorite bands that happens to be in town on one of the same nights you are. Amsterdam has surprisingly few venues for major touring bands to play, but the good news is that the major ones are quite good and relatively easy to reach when you are staying in the city center.
There is live music in Amsterdam happening every night, but the local live music scene here isn’t nearly as good as you might expect. Let’s face it, even though this city is known for hosting top Dutch DJs like Armin van Buurin, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, and Junkie XL, none of them are actually from Amsterdam, and the list of famous international bands from this city is equally short. Golden Earring is probably the most famous Dutch band of all time, but they are from The Hague. There just isn’t a lot of good local music here (although I’m sure most every local band would disagree).
Fortunately every major international touring act comes through Amsterdam at some point, so if you can look ahead far enough you might even be able to get tickets for a good show before you even arrive in the city.
Date: April 18th, 2008 |
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Amsterdam XXX - Both meanings explained in detail
If you’ve yet to make your first trip to Amsterdam you can certainly be excused for not being aware that the XXX symbol can be seen all over town and almost every one of those appearances has nothing to do with the city’s infamous and large adult entertainment industry. It’s really quite an unusual coincidence that the city’s official symbol that was chosen over 500 years ago is also a recent shorthand for the sex industry.
The city flag and coat of arms
Your city may not have its own official city flag, but Amsterdam does and variations of it are all over the place. You could also call it the city “coat of arms” because it appears on the sides of buildings and also famously on those little plug things that keep cars from driving on the sidewalks.
Date: April 3rd, 2008 |
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Netherlands team looks strong entering the Euro 2008 tournament
If you are a big football/soccer fan you are probably well aware that the Euro 2008 championships are just about to begin in Switzerland and Austria, but if not you should be aware that the Netherlands is among the 16 teams set to compete in this tournament that is a huge event every four years. It’s thoughtfully placed 2 years away from the FIFA World Cup in either direction, so it fills the void for summer tournaments for rabid followers.
The Netherlands team is in the ultra competitive Group C along with …
Date: March 25th, 2008 |
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Canadian Embassy in Amsterdam
In spite of Amsterdam being the capital of the Netherlands, most of the mind-numbing government work is done in the The Hague (Den Haag). This includes the Canadian Embassy, unfortunately. Unlike the US and UK, Canada does not have a consulate in Amsterdam so you must travel to the embassy Den Haag for all citizen services as well as visa enquiries and such.
You can reach Den Haag in about 50 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal for a fare of just under €10 for adults. Trains leave Amsterdam several times per hour during the day.
Directions to the Canadian Embassy …
Date: December 7th, 2007 |
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