Amsterdam, the Venice of the North

Amsterdam sometimes gets a bum wrap for being the sin city of the Europe. It is a very liberal and tolerant city where prostitution is legal and the smoking of cannabis is allowed (but not fully legal, see previous posts.) But, there is more to this city than exploring a few vices.

Amsterdam is known as the Venice of the north- a beautiful city of canals and bridges, where you walk or ride your bike anywhere and everywhere. The city is home to some of the world's greatest museums and art and is truly an international city where you can get almost any kind of cuisine from Turkish Pizza, Spanish Tapas, Argentinian Steak, German Wiener Schnitzel, Holland Split Pea Soup, chocolate and more chocolate. Did I mention Suz ate some chocolate?

Suz and I were very lucky to be in the Netherlands at a time when the national football team played in the World Cup Finals. As a sports anchor it was an eye opening experience to witness how passionate people and fans are passionate about soccer.

--Ryan

As a local news reporter, it's interesting to learn about how Amsterdam and the Netherlands handle the cannabis culture---especially in light of Proposition 19 being up for consideration by Californian voters this November. The ballot measure is about legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults. At a time when Sacramento is combatting a major budget deficit and may consider taxing marijuana dispensaries as much as 5%, it's interesting to see how Amsterdam coffeeshops are taxed 56% and to learn that coffeehouses all over the Netherlands collectively generate billions of Euros every year--46 million Euros in taxes for the country according to the Cannabis College in Amsterdam.

Taxing marijuana sales and legalizing marijuana are controversial issues in California that are sure to gain more media attention in the next couple of months.

-Suzanne

The lighter side of Amsterdam: a little overview

After so many interviews filled with facts and figures, with business owners, policy people, and visitors, I just wanted to do a light-hearted interview with Ingrid-- a lovely lady and tour guide.

Why orange? Why Hup Holland? Why so much beer flowing everywhere we go? Ingrid knows. ;)

Here's our video clip--the lighter side of Amsterdam

-Suzanne

Anne Frank House... Museums of Amsterdam

So far, we have hit three of the major museums in Amsterdam.

We loved the Van Gogh Museum. He was both a bit crazy and a genius, a painter way way ahead of his time. You really can't appreciate his work in photographs, you have to see the colors and textures in person.

The Rijksmuseum houses some of the best works of Rembrandt including the Nightwatch and Jan Vermeer's the Milkmaid. Once again, these are works of art that are more stunning in person. Before visiting the Rijks, I have to admit I didn't have an appreciation for Dutch 17th Century art until now.

The most moving museum for me, the Anne Frank House. I think most of us remember reading her diary in Junior High School. It was almost surreal walking through the secret annex of the home where she and her family hid from the Nazis. More than a million people visit the home every year to experience her story firsthand. Suz and I rode our bikes to the museum early in the morning, and even so, there was already a long line.

-- Ryan

Fries, bikes, and everything orange

More fries: Can't believe how delicious they are--- the Vlaamse Frites (Flemish fries)

Bikes: 10 Euro a day. An awesome way to see Amsterdam and its many sidestreets
600,000: how many bikes there are in Amsterdam! WOW!

Orange: It's the color of the queen, the color of NED's soccer team jerseys, and what adorns the street posts, and buildings. It's the color many Amsterdam residents and soccer fans are donning for World Cup.







-Suzanne

Cannabis Culture- By the numbers.

Here's a closer look now at Cannabis Culture in Amsterdam---by the numbers.

* 260+: Number of coffeeshops in Amsterdam
* 729: Number of coffeeshops in Netherlands
* 5 grams: How much marijuana each person can buy at a coffeeshop in one visit. Coffeeshop owners 1 gram is enough for 2 joints.
* 550 grams: How much cannabis a coffeeshop is permitted to have on the premises at any one time.
* 5: The number of marijuana plants each person in Netherlands is permitted to grow
* 2 billion Euros: how much money is generated from cannabis sales in the Netherlands in 2008
* 400 million Euros: how much of that revenue goes to the "state fund"
* 56%: percentage that each coffeeshop is taxed


* 165: Number of canals in Amsterdam
* 1/2 million: Number of bicycles in Amsterdam
* 730: How many years old Amsterdam is today
* 3.7 million: how many international tourists visit Amsterdam/year
* 1.4 million: how many people live in Amsterdam (as of 2008)




Source: various, Cannabis College; Hash, Marijuana, and Hemp Museum; City of Amsterdam-Dept of Research and Statistics

Here's a look inside Hunter's Coffeeshop and the Do's and Don'ts of marijuana sales.

-Suzanne

Cannabis Culture

Today was mostly a work day. We did get to visit the Van Gogh museum in the evening, but for the most part we put on our journalist hats (I will blog about the museums later on).

So this morning, Suz and I grabbed the camera gear (she as the reporter, me as the photographer) and went to explore the Cannabis Culture of Amsterdam, and I mean "explore" not "smoke". First of all, there is a difference between a cafe and coffee shop. "Cafe" is where you get coffee, "coffeeshop" is where you can get coffee, but you go for weed.

We ended up interviewing and talking to three experts. Juri, the manager of the Hemp and Marijuana Museum, David, the manager of the Cannabis College, and Mario, an employee of the Hunter's coffeeshop.

Here is a brief summary of what we learned (we will be putting together, and will post a couple of stories when we get back)

What we found strange, Dutch law on cannabis is a living contradiction. Many people believe pot is 100 percent legal in the Holland, but that is not the case. Coffeeshops are allowed to have only 500 grams on the premises, and can only sell a max of 5 grams per person. But while marijuana is legal to sell, it is not legal to grow in mass quantities (only 5 outdoor plants per person), so there is a black market where the 260-plus coffee shops in Amsterdam get their supply (it is not uncommon for local police to shut-down growing operations).

According to our interview subjects, they believe California is ahead of the Netherlands when it comes to cannabis. In California, it is quite easy to get a medicinal card from a doctor to freely buy marijuana. In the Netherlands, doctors (according to our interviews) only sign medical marijuana prescriptions for only the most dire patients. In California, growing marijuana (for medicinal purposes) is done in the open, while in the Holland it is still considered a criminal act.

Those who are involved in the Cannabis Culture in the Netherlands are quite interested in Proposition 19. And they are curious if voters in California will legalize the sale and use of marijuana in November. We were quite surprised how they seemed to be envious of California, considering how most people assume Amsterdam is more open about the use cannabis. We found that in Netherlands, marijuana is something that is tolerated.

-Ryan

Sights: the coffeeshops

Sights: the coffeeshops

And, a quick overview.

-Suzanne

Modesto residents vacationing in Amsterdam sound off

You know it's a small world when the people getting off the plane, standing right in front of you in the custom's security checkpoint are from your own area.

So, we bumped into Mr. and Mrs. Oudegeest. They were lovely to share a few quick thoughts with us about: their Amsterdam vacation plans and their take on whether legalizing marijuana use in California is important.




--Suzanne

Landed in Amsterdam

So after a nine hour flight, we have finally landed in Amsterdam at 11 in morning. Our room wasn't ready, so Suz and I had a chance to walk around the city to soak in a bit of the city. First of all, it is a beautiful city, lots of bikes and canals, perfect for walking, narrow cobblestone streets, the vibe is quite mellow. Speaking of mellow, it took 45 minutes before we can smell the scent of cannabis in the air, frankly I thought that was a long time considering how many "coffee shops" we passed by. Quick note: if you want coffee you go to a cafe, if you want cannabis you go to a coffee shop

So far, the first thing in amsterdam that we ate was fries with mayonnaise. Sounds disgusting (fried food and dipped in fat), but surprisingly it tasted pretty good. We also chugged a few beers while hanging out at a "cafe" not "coffee shop".

Oh yeah... lots of orange around town. Holland will face Spain for the World Cup Championships on Sunday. Still can't figure out the orange thing, because the Netherlands flag is red white and blue.

Once we got into our rooms, both of crashed for a few hours (jet lagged). We are ready to begin exploring some more tonight.

-- Ryan

Clockwork Orange

The timing for our trip couldn't be better with the Netherlands reaching the World Cup Finals. Although the game will be played in South Africa, Suz and I can't wait to among the sea of orange jerseys in Amsterdam with the Dutch face off with either Germany or Spain. We will really get to see how the people really treat and view the world's most popular sports. - Ryan