There is potential to fall in love all over Italy. Even before you realize that you’re succumbing to the country’s charms, you could become hooked on some of the best tasting food and wine on the planet. Or you could find yourself gushing like a giddy neophyte over its magnificent art and treasures.
Not a foodie or a history buff? Well, your mode of seduction could be relaxing walks through ancient, tree-lined streets; whimsical rides along graceful canals; or indulging in your passion for fashion.
Outdoor Café in Florence
Believe me, no matter how immune you think you are, stay in Italy long enough, and you will get bitten by La Dolce Vita. It’s that laid-back Italian lifestyle that celebrates the power of hospitality and family; the joy of romance; and hearty, unrushed meals that feed your stomach and soul.
I didn’t expect to fall so hard for Italy. But I did. And as it is in love, sometimes you can’t explain it – you just feel. Honestly, I felt more than I thought possible in just eight days. Continue reading “One wonderful week in Italy”
Amsterdam is unlike any other place I know. Of course, I knew before I got there that the country is quite liberal. Their laws unapologetically embrace prostitution, the use of soft drugs, and pornography. Yet I still found myself a bit wide-eyed on more than one occasion.
NOTHING is left to the imagination!
Amsterdam sign
There are sex, erotica, and prostitution museums, plus shops that sell every imaginable (and unimaginable) type of sex paraphernalia and video. Almost everywhere you look as well, there are cinemas that present erotic live theater, and peep shows. The ‘presentations’ are made without filters and received without moral judgments.
Sex Museum ticket
While there, I visited the Sex Museum, a few sex shops, and the Red Light District. I avoided the coffee shops with henna inspired concoctions.
Exhibits in the Sex Museum were grouped to show the evolution of peoples’ attitudes towards sex over the years. Historic art, sex aids, and photographs gave revealing insights into the Classical Antiquity and the Victorian periods. I’ll be honest, after seeing the display, I found it hard to comprehend how women managed to do anything at all while wearing chastity belts. Lord, have mercy!
An extensive collection of modern exhibits was available too, often accompanied by muted audio recordings. Other displays were just light and silly. Like the trench coat flasher who farts automatically, and the statue of American sex-symbol Marilyn Munroe that gets a constant stream of air pumped up her skirts to keep the iconic white dress blowing.
We went to the Red Light District in the evening and joined the ogling throngs of tourists who stared at the women in their red lit windows. Drawn red velvet curtains either meant they were with a client or they were out. There is a union that standardizes “service” prices and ensures that regular police patrol is in place for their protection.
However, in spite of all that formalization, I couldn’t help but wonder, like Jerome Dickey describes in his book ‘Sleeping with Strangers’, if “the women don’t feel a bit dehumanized being stared at like animals in a zoo.” Maybe that’s why they have a no pictures policy, which I was clueless about and subsequently ignored. Because of my camera flash, I almost got tossed out of the district by irate bouncer looking types. But if they are brave enough to stand in a window, smile craftily at passersby, and entertain random clients, why in the world would they object to being photographed?
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Editor’s Notes: .Have you ever wondered, like I did, how red light districts got their name? I read that the name originated from the red lanterns carried by railway workers, which were left outside brothels when the workers entered so that they could be quickly located for any needed train movement.
Others speculate that the term was derived from the red paper lanterns that were hung outside brothels in ancient China to identify them as such. The lights were thought to be sensual. In more recent years, the terms red-light district springs from the red lights that hang from the district’s brothels. (Source: Wikipedia)
I saw my first working windmill in Holland in a village called “Zaanse Schans”. Did you know that at one time Holland had close to 10,000 windmills? They were used for industrial purposes (dyes, chalk, barley, rice, etc.) and for pumping local water. Today that number is down to about 1000.
At the village, a shoemaker demonstrated how to make Dutch clogs. In less than five minutes, my tour group observed an automated process that previously lasted at least two and a half hours by hand. (Click here for video)
Clogs in every size and color
According to our tour guide, clogs are still relevant today. The country has a humid climate and it rains frequently, so the shoes come in handy when people are working in the garden. They leave them outside when the work is done and when it’s time to get new ones, the old ones are filled with earth and plants and they are hung up as decoration. Feeling to purchase your very own multi-purpose pair of clogs? Caution: Buy them a half size bigger and make sure you own extra thick socks.
Traditional Dutch homes in Marken
The tour also took us to Volendam where we sampled poffertjes; must-have junior pancakes that are smaller and fluffier than their American counterparts. They are treated more like snacks or desserts than breakfast items and are served with various things on the side. I had mine with raisins in brandy, but you can try other combinations like pistachio ice-cream. Yummy! Smoked eel is a local favorite but I opted out of trying that delicacy.
Dutch pancakes topped with pistachio ice-cream
The Cheese Factory tour was rushed but the Dutch products were a hit. I had no idea that they were so diverse …and tasty! There was spicy cheese, cheese with chives and herbs, chilli flavoured cheese, smoked cheese, low fat and full fat cow’s milk, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk varieties.
I also learnt that Holland has four million cows and uses approximately 30 liters of their milk daily to maintain its famous industry.
A variety of tasty Dutch cheeses
Editor’s Notes:
I’d like to share a few other general observations from my time in Amsterdam. I noticed that the Dutch really like ice-cream. Locals feed their daily dairy obsession, no matter how chilly the weather.
Also, the nonchalant use of male outdoor urinals were something to behold – and smell.
Male urinals
Plus, be prepared to encounter manic bicycle riders who have more rights than motorists and pedestrians, multiple street theatre entertainers, and pickpocket warning banners across streets.
Finally, I am positive that the Dutch have some of the tallest people in the world – or I’m way shorter than I thought!
