![\"Hvala](\"https:\/\/flash.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/torbalaptop.jpg\")
<\/a>I was supposed to be situated in the center of Amsterdam in a luxurious hotel, but when I saw how much that costs, I called my colleague Maja and asked her to fix me up with a cheep hostel because I didn\u2019t feel like wasting my entire paycheck on a few nights in Amsterdam. Luckily, Maja was well aware of my general cheapness so she found me a hostel in the center for just around 20 euros a day with breakfast included (Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen). Hostels can be great for meeting people from all around the world. The\u00a0 only problem is when your roommate looks like\u00a0Osama Bin Laden.<\/p>\n
I arrived at the center of Amsterdam at noon. I was swearing all of the taxi drivers closer and further relatives because he charged the six of us 65 euros for a drive from the airport to the center (we would\u2019ve payed a bit over 30euros if we had decided to take the train). It was actually my fault because I thought the drive would be cheaper if more of us go. Don\u2019t do the same mistake. I was hungry like a wolf and, as a real gourmet, I choose only the best. I hopped to the first McDonalds in the city and ordered a BigMac. For this greasy pleasure, my wallet was lighter by 3,75 Euros, but I thought that was better than Pizza cut for bloody 8 Euros.<\/p>\n
I also went to get my Amsterdam City card at the office right across the main train station (make sure to do that if you\u2019re staying for a few days because a single tram ticket is 3,5 euros and if you\u2019re using the tram frequently, that price can grow a lot considering one ticket is only valid for an hour. Make sure to scan it when you enter and exit the tram. With this card you also have a free entry to a lot of museums which is cool).<\/p>\n
I left my stuff at the hostel and went roaming around the city. Since I am well known for my cultural uprising, I immediately went to the Allard Pierson museum. It was on the way and free, thanks to my Amsterdam City Card. I managed to take a few photos before the security guard approached me and told me it wasn\u2019t allowed to take photos.<\/p>\n After the museum, I continued with the cultural stuff. I stopped by the Red neighborhood where I found out from the local weed seed merchants that everyone is allowed to plant 5 plants from which 3 of them can be female. Everything is legal unless someone decides to constantly report you to the police. There were all kinds of marijuana seeds and hemp oil at the store but unfortunately, I don\u2019t smoke nor plant. If I wasn\u2019t afraid of the police, I would\u2019ve gotten my mum a pack of seeds to plant in her village. She wouldn\u2019t know what that is and I would tell her it\u2019s a Dutch tea. I can already see my old man accidentally vote for the greens instead of the democrats because he is high on THC on election day.<\/p>\n There is also a marijuana museum next to the store but unfortunately, I didn\u2019t have time to visit it. The merchant also told me the coffee shops mostly buy at the black market because they need a large amount of weed but they sort of get away with it and actually sell it legally. Medical marijuana is a 100% more expensive than the one at the store even though it\u2019s the same thing. The Netherlands also has a conservative political current under the influence of the pharmaceutical lobby which would like to ban marijuana but most Dutchmen are against it because marijuana brings great profit to them. It is interesting how I haven\u2019t seen anyone dig through the garbage cans. The Netherlands has only 7% of unemployed people.I also didn\u2019t see any raged, drugged or extremely high people roaming about the roads. Everyone was cheerful and kind and I didn\u2019t feel like a stranger in the city. Amsterdam will earn almost 50 million Euros this year just from tourism taxes. Croatia should totally do that too.<\/p>\n I was surprised by the ladies of the evening at the Red neighborhood. I thought they were going to look cheap and old, but they were real babes. At least the ones I saw. One prettier than the other. I didn\u2019t take any photos of them because I was warned they didn\u2019t like that so I could lose my camera. I am not a fan of prostitution, but I don\u2019t want it banned either. I don\u2019t get it how it is legal to film and watch pornography where people fuck for money and prostitution is illegal? Both fuck for money, it\u2019s just that one of them film it and the others don\u2019t. I say pay the taxes and you can fuck as much as you want. Everyone is happy! The clothes showcases were interesting. This is, for instance, what Dutch Harrods looks like in the Red neighborhood.<\/p>\n The city is actually beautiful. There are no buildings standing out as monuments to some communist civil servants. Everything is similar and fits in. Every building has gorgeous big windows (probably in order to catch every ray of sun they can). In any case, I\u2019ve been avoiding city transport and tried to walk as much as I could so that I could experience the city better and take some good photos.<\/p>\n The Dutch aren\u2019t really known for their gastronomy delicacies (waffles and cheeses are amazing but they don\u2019t really have other specialities unless you\u2019re a haring lover), therefore you can find Italian, Japanese, Chinese or even Argentinian restaurants on every corner. I decided to go to the Argentinian one called \u201cSiga la Vaca\u201d and I haven\u2019t regretted it. There I tried a great steak with a spicy sauce, french fries and a large beer for 25 Euros. Compared to London, this is super cheap. Naturally, for us Croatians, this is still very expensive.<\/p>\n I came back to my hostel that evening and met this Australian guy called Dennis Lang. He quit his job to travel around the world and take amazing photos. Seriously, I thought my photos were good, but after seeing his, I realized I knew shit about photography, or maybe just don\u2019t have the right camera. The equipment is to blame, not me.:) The cover photo of the article is his craft and here are a few more of his photos of Amsterdam that really left me speechless. For other work of Dennis Lang, check out his Instagram profile.<\/p>\n I was so beat from the trip and walking around the city that I wasn\u2019t even slightly bothered by my roommates snoring. I slept like a baby. The next day I woke up early in order to enjoy the breakfast that was served from 7,30 am, but also to not waste my day and enjoy completely my stay at the city of light drugs. I had a decent buffet at the hostel (cheese, ham, different types of bread, yoghurts, butter, cereal, cheap copy of Nutella, jams, coffee, tea\u2026yum!). Even though the weather report said it was going to rain, outside was sunny.<\/p>\n At one moment I realized I was actually the famous gangster Joca Amsterdam from now on. I was thinking: \u201cWhat should I steal here?\u201d People in Amsterdam mostly steal bikes and people drive them even if it rains cats and dogs. Very often they style their bikes in a way that looks old and ugly so that they wouldn\u2019t get stolen. And this is how the Dubrava (my gangster neighborhood) professionals do it – Bike theft 101:)<\/p>\n My travel wouldn\u2019t have been possible without a pair of comfy shoes.<\/p>\n To be in Amsterdam and to not try some of their finest cheeses is the same as being a politician in Croatia and not counterfeiting your university diploma.\u00a0 Cheeses with pesto, truffles, chilly and all kinds of different spices aren\u2019t even worthy of the cheddar from my local shop Diona. I can already see my favorite cashier Helga glowing with pride. Nah, I\u2019m just fucking around. Dutch cheeses are to die for.<\/p>\n A day without some cultural uprising is like a joint without the weed for someone from Dubrava. I was just roaming around, looking for some museums. It turned out there was one just a few meters away from the cheese shop. The BODY WORLDS museum. People donated their bodies to be used at this awesome, slightly morbid but very educational and fun museum after they died. You can see human bodies in all positions, all of the organs, blood vein system, muscles, bones, development of a human from the conceiving to death, what tumors look like\u2026 The med students will surely love this but so will probably everyone else who visits it. That was 20 Euros well spent.<\/p>\n I had to demonstrate an ancient Chucherye art of ghost summoning to the Dutch. From now on, I shall be known as the \u201cCorpse Whisperer\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>\n