So I'm going to be in Amsterdam for a week...

[Faust]

pix???

some pix, I'm waiting to post them and a rundown of the trip but I'm stuck at work (they called me in a day before I was even supposed to be back, they are lucky I wasn't still abroad).

[Faust]

Nearly forgot to update this, I had an absolute blast over there.

Half the reason we went to Amsterdam was to make the girlfriends sister homesick after she absconded a few months ago.
I'm just going to post the highlights out of order as they come to me.

Meeting Agent 000, the first Discordian I have met who hasn't wanted to kill me (IANAR). We got a nice long chat over a few drinks, in keeping with my Irish heritage any pilgrimage away from home involves drinking at every available opportunity.

After we picked up the gf, trip suggested we head out to Utrecht which was definitely one of the nicest places I have been to. I have a thing for old European cities, especially ones that haven't had their personality tarnished by the tourist trade. I would have liked to have a day to wander around it and fully take in the architecture and have a stop into some museums but a weeks holiday isn't enough.
We went for dinner in a gorgeous restaurant, first having a drink in the atmospheric underground candlelit section of the restaurant with steeped walls, followed by dinner outside right beside the canal with the occasional boat going by. 'twas lovely, we woudn't have found anything that nice if it wasn't for 000, thanks man. 000 is one of the soundest people I have met so anyone out in that neck of the woods should look him up.

I think on the second day we managed to find a strange little costume shop in the red light district selling some awesome masks (I think they were the ones used in eyes wide shut). I couldn't resist: I got a tri-corner hat mask and a blue velvet travelling cloak.
There's some really cool finds in the red light district for those looking, for instance I found a leather pouch that slings onto a belt in some Gay leather bondage shop, I've been looking for one of these for years.

Unfortunately the girlfriend was keeping me on a tight leash, alas no pot or space cakes for me. However I got her to relent and we went to see the Casa Rossa sex show.
It is very touristy, they have managed to ruin sleaze the same way we have ruined green fields and trad music in Ireland. But it was fun, or rather some acts were. The actual sex shows were pretty damn boring, I don't really find watching two people grinding away very entertaining for long.
But the striptease acts in between each one were either hilarious or really well choreographed. The audience participation is what made it more fun I guess. I think the highlight was the stripper admonishing the Chinese tourist with the camera for being too shy to put a buttplug in her.

Museum wise, steer clear of the Van Gogh. The exhibition is good, but there are so many fucking people. I couldn't enjoy it. if you are coming here go first thing in the morning, you might get more from it with less people about.
The Royal palace on the other hand is well worth the visit. The audio tour is well designed and explains a lot of the local history. The sculptures are really impressive and its just a beautiful building in general.

One other place stands out for food, we went to an Ethiopian Restaurant. Food is served in big platters with loads of nan bread for picking pieces up, lovely mix of spicy pork beef and chicken with spinach, lentils and some other stuff I couldn't identify but tasted delicious.

On the last night with the gf's sister we went to see a bar flair competition in one of the hostels. It was a good show, these guys were all amazing jugglers, I wonder what made them specifically want to juggle drink mix.

There is more stuff which I cant remember, if I realise I've missed something major I'll post it.
Tl;dr bottom line: cool place, lots of thrills.

[Cramulus]

glad you had a good time!

sorry to hear you didn't like the van gogh museum. I was blown away by it, but yeah, it was pretty crowded. Also let down by the realization that "van gogh's ear" is a dutch comic strip and not in fact a preserved severed ear.