Me, Div and Priya enjoying wine, cheese and croissants along one of the city canals
Last night, our Canadian media group was sitting at Jamie Oliver’s Restaurant Fifteen in Amsterdam having the same conversation about porno names and polygamy I had only two weeks ago with a group of French and German friends in New York. Earlier in the day, we watched what seemed like the entire city run a marathon in costume which reminded me of Bridge to Brisbane in Australia. And the night before, I met Priya and Div at a birthday party where practically every person was a med student and apart from the cigarette smoke filling the room it was just like a med school party in Brisbane or Vancouver.
Anywhere in the world, you will find people with similar ideas, thoughts and curiosities. The only difference between Holland and other countries is that this is a much more liberal place, in the purest sense of the word. Amsterdam in particular is a place where a man or woman who wants to know what it’s like to sleep with a transvestite can satisfy their curiosity without judgement (just look for a blue light in the red light district), both the young and old can drink openly in public without breaking the law, and getting high is as common – and as a result as unappealing – as excessive drinking. There is no problem so long as no one is being hurt, and people have the freedom to develop their characters and live however they choose. I imagine John Lennon must have loved Amsterdam.