WELCOME TO AMSTERDAM, THE CAPITAL CITY OF NETHERLANDS.
My eyes never get tired of seeing the activities of people in Amsterdam, they're all excited. I see a lot of people who ride bikes and parked haphazardly at each intersection of the road, there are also the people who fulfilling the shops, trams also always pass every five minutes to carry the passengers, there are bunch of tourists who lined up to buy french fries at Manneken Pis, and in the end of the street I saw a wide range of interesting attractions. It's totally hectic.
I'm very lucky to have an opportunity to visit this windmills country. One thing's for sure why I love Netherlands is because everything's legal here. It's such a country who support the people for being free to express opinions, creativity, and some brilliant ideas. If we talk about Renaissance Humanism, I think Netherlands, in this case Amsterdam, is one of the proof of its application in modern era.
1. The people freely express their sexual desire because they think sex isn't an unusual thing, sex is a necessity after food, cloths, and home. In Amsterdam, we can find out Red Light District, the place where sexual activities were openly accessible to the public.
2. People are free to use illegal drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine. I could even see the stores that sell these items in public areas.
3. Gay and lesbians also have their right. They are free to show their identity in public without any fear. I saw several cafes and bars devoted to them. How can we know that a bar is exclusively for Gay and Lesbians, just looking at the rainbow flag. If you can see one, I'm surely that's a gay bar.
4. In a positive side, I was amazed to see many street attractions in front of Krasnapolsky's hotel. There are those who are willing to have their body painted with gold color and pose like a statue, those who are singing and playing guitar, and those who are wearing scary Halloween costumes.
5. Last but not least, I think this is the craziest. When the Christmas Eve 2011 just came, nearly half of the street in Amsterdam closed and turned into an entertainment area, which called WINTERLAND AMSTERDAM. You can see a big place and filled by small stalls selling typical Dutch food. There are also ice skating ring, some places to play funny games, and the stores which sell Christmas attributes. Oh, I felt like I was in a carnival.
So, according to my point of view as long as I was in Amsterdam, it proves that freedom of expression that could result a creativity in Netherlands, there's no limit. They have a right to do that and the government support them. I see there's a balance of life here. Humans should really creating something in their life, rather than being isolated.
Creativity should exist for a better life.
