Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands, is a beautiful town, famous for the Grachten, the Dutch food, the picturesque houses and surely the coffee shops. Amsterdam welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world to spend their money and have a wonderful time.

Virtually everyone is very welcome to see the Reichsmuseum, the Leidseplein, the Dam Square, the Anne Frank House, the Vondelpark, many more attractions and have party, BUT there is “The Rally Annoying Tourist” who is not really liked.

Here are a few tips not to be “The Tourist” and if you follow them, you will enjoy a hazzle free stay!

Dont’s!

• Don’t walk in groups and block the way. Please enjoy your viewing of wonderful Amsterdam and have a relaxed walk around, but don’t walk like a crowd of sheep and block the pathway, there are people living in this town which need to be somewhere some time. 🙂
• Don’t walk on the bicycle lane, it’s dangerous! Dutch cyclists and scooter driver are most of the time quite fast on their way and it is really dangerous to walk on the bicycle lane. The bicycle lane should never be used for casual walking.
• Be aware: “Smoking is not welcome everywhere!” Yes, Amsterdam is the town of weed and hashish and you can buy the stuff everywhere, BUT you are NOT welcome to smoke everywhere. You should only smoke at places where it is allowed and accepted and common sense dictates that you DON’T smoke at tram stations, other crowded places or wherever children are around.
• It’s really cool to explore Amsterdam by bike, but don’t cycle like a JERK! You are welcome to cycle all over Amsterdam, but keep in mind that you don’t own the street, that you should respect pedestrians and always be alert to stop. It’s absolutely not ok to cycle in groups and clocking the streets or even falling totally stoned or drunk from a bicycle.

• Don’t litter. Have your fast food and your drinks, but don’t throw your waste on the floor.
• Allrite, talking about common sense. Just behave well and don’t be a jerk!

General Tips

• Enter the tram at the correct entry. Don’t waste other peoples time by being an ignorant arse.
• Be aware, there are pickpockets everywhere and they really like stoned and distracted people to steal your stuff. Always carry your important stuff like ID and money on your body.
• Don’t buy drugs on the road! Amsterdam is quite tolerant for drugs, when you follow the legal path, but when you want something stronger and buy something on the road, you play with your life!, because there is a “pissing contest” going on between producers who can produce the strongest tablets and this is no good. This contest leads to the fact the pill you get today has more than five times the strength than pills a few years ago.
  If you really want to use other drugs than the legal ones available in the coffee shops, please let your drugs being tested before you enjoy them. You can test your drugs here -> DRUGTESTSERVICE! without any fear of legal problems.
• Be aware that Amsterdam is a town living from tourists and unfortunately this brings also some shady people to Amsterdam which you better avoid. Be very careful when someone whats to be your friend too fast!

If you follow these easy steps, there’s nothing which can go wrong on your stay.

BeSAFEBark

Indy

Yesterday we, Roberta, Rossy, Vil and me, went to our favorite place “The Kashmir Lounge” in Amsterdam, Jan Pieter Heijestraat, and celebrated the 20.th anniversary with a huge party. Everyone was invited to share the moment, have a nice evening with friends, dance, drink and enjoy a bite of finger food. Good vibes all over, happy people enjoying the evening and celebrating a milestone in Amsterdam’s nightlife. I was invited too, because what is a party without “The Shop-Dog”? 🙂

20 Years Kashmir Lounge

The Kashmir Lounge is just a few meters down the road and we are “regulars”. I feel very welcome. I really like the staff, all of them are so nice to me and whenever I pop in for a “sniff and greet”, there is a cookie for me, even the lady who normally really fears dogs was smiling at me. NOICE-Bark!

The party was a huge success for everyone, especially the Kashmir Lounge. We had a wonderful time a happy and good night. Nice people dancing, chatting and laughing. I like to see the people in a good mood.

Ecstatic Dancing

Vil is standing in the corner and dancing ecstatically.

The Lottery

As a highlight, there was a small lottery and everyone present participated.

Third Price!

The third price was announced first. “White 84” said the guy on stage and  Vil checked his tickets, but he had no Luck. “Naaaa,…. Green 83…, that does not count!” We hear someone happy shouting and we have a first winner. A base cap, some chocolate a hoody and a little “surprise present” in an envelope. The crowd is applauding.

Second Price

Then the second price was announced and Vil drew again nothing, but the guy who won the third price shouted again “Winner!”. I barked to Vil: “No luck, so far?” Vil turned around. “Hey, you better wish us luck, if we win, we will have the best Christmas ever, if not, we will be totally broke by tomorrow.” The party continues with an announcement: “We will have a bit of music now, then draw the first price and see if we have a different winner then.” The crowd is cheering.

“Let’s go out and have a shit.!”, I barked, but Vil said: “NOPE! Not now, the first price will be announced soon and I don’t want to miss it.”, so I have to squeeze it for now.

Jackpot!

The music stops. “Now it’s the moment all if you are waiting for. The first price.” The whole bar becomes silent and the big ticket is drawn. “We have a winning ticket, it’s white…..” Vil has some white tickets, but the light is not very good. “There is a small number on it………… And the winning number is …….. One Four Five…… one hundred forty-five white.” Vil checks his numbers …. “I do have a ticket with the right number, but I don’t know if the color is ok.”, he says. “Go to the stage and ask!”, I bark.

Vil is a bit shaky and walks through the crow to the stage. “I do have a ticket with 145, but I don’t know if the color is correct.” The guy on the stage invites Vil up on stage to show his ticket. “Let’s see if they fit.” It’s a tense moment, “…… WE HAVE A WINNER!” The crowd is ecstatic. Vil got the golden ticket and won tonight’s jackpot.

What’s the big price?

• A basecap
• A hoodie
• A pack of chocolate
• A mystery envelope with an undisclosed amount of money inside. !!!JACKPOT!!!

Vil was very happy to win the jackpot, but he was even more happy about the fact that he could share the moment with friends and people he loves. More dancing and party! 🙂

Later we went home, still happy and cheerful. This was a wonderful day, we really enjoyed the company and we had plenty of fun.

A PERFECT DAY!