It's started with Italian holidays.

I looked through photos from trips to Italy and among the typical Italian landscapes suddenly flew characteristic Dutch bicycles. I remembered. It so happened that one day we flew from Milan to Moscow via Amsterdam. Moreover, the gap between flights was more than 8 hours - an excellent opportunity to visit the notorious city of vice.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, known for its complex network of canals, narrow houses with pointed roofs and a rich artistic heritage, including the 17th century, which became gold in the history of this country. In the city there is the Museum Square, where the Van Gogh Museum is located, the Rijksmuseum with paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer and the City Museum of Amsterdam, dedicated to contemporary art. Also in Amsterdam, very popular bicycles, and here a large number of bicycle paths.

We saw no special vice. The central historical part of the city is beautiful. Channels, old houses, windows without curtains. The red light district, the ladies in the windows ... Somewhere they dance. Most often very scary. Sometimes come across beauties. In general, it's funny.

Persistent smell of light drugs in some places. Coffee shops. Shops where you can buy drugs and where you can smoke or eat something.

We visited the fuckingshow. It's funny. The audience was not much. In the first row sat two young German women. They were neighing like horses. You can not take pictures. Hefty Negro watches over the order.

Walked around the city, marveling at the number of bicycles.

Another time I was in Amsterdam in the fall. Feelings are almost the same. In general, the city is compulsory to visit, but probably, by car to stick to the center - it's crazy.

I did not know this (I assumed) and peeped into the center. There is no parking, and the one that is there is like a hotel room. There are no free hotel rooms. And those that are cost as a car. Temporarily solving the problem with parking went to look for lodging. By the way, we saw the door of the Booking headquarters in Amsterdam.
The door is like a door. On one of the big streets there was some kind of desk selling rooms in hotels and all other places of settlement. I bought a voucher for settling there from an incomprehensible Dutchman who spoke in strange English, so strange that I did not understand much and clung to just a few words. He explained to me for a long time where I should to go to get to my new hotel. Finally I understood and we went to the address. My wife quietly sawed me along the road, drawing a perspective that we were deceived and there is no hotel, and if there is, then we will not be allowed into it ... and the rest of the rest ...

We came through a tunnel under a canal to the sleeping area of ​​Amsterdam. Silence and peace. No cars, no people. There is no hotel. Some parked cars and houses with rare burning windows. Time is around midnight. My wife even stopped wailing and worrying. Here it is. I told you.

And I have - surprise. Well, there can not be such a thing. I think we need to find the exact address. I look at the house numbers. Such - is, there is - there is ... but mine is not. Yeah, I think, maybe not everything is lost. I walked past the houses and went out to the embankment. Somewhere far away on that bank the lights of Amsterdam are burning, and I just have a wave beating against the pier. And suddenly, I look, there is a moored schooner. A sailing ship with masts, rigging. Well, I think it's kind of spectacular. I look on the side and see the name. Somewhere I heard something like that! I look in the voucher - for sure! This is our hotel!

Imagine, we climb aboard, we are met by young people, we give them a voucher - they give us the keys to the cabin. Fantastic. They talked with them in the morning. It turned out the schooner was on the move. Goes out to sea. The crew is only 4 people. It seemed to me very big, but apparently not very.

Night in the cabin is not an adventure, in an appendage to everything else. The waves swayed softly. Slightly creaked body. Solid romance.