The architecture, at least of the warehouses come hotels and homes in the old city, is just incredible. The buildings are so narrow, and each abutted to the next (the one on the left happens to be an exception - it's on a corner!), that every building has a built-in hoist to get things to the upper levels. There's no way anything will fit up the narrow staircases.

But probably Amsterdam's most striking feature is the "laisse faire" attitude of it's inhabitants which manifests itself in many ways, but none more obvious than the city's famous "red light" district (the #1 tourist attraction) and the permissiveness /openness towards soft drugs and all things sexual.

The red light district, encompassing several blocks in the old city, is not, contrary to what you might imagine, shabby - not at all, at least not what I saw of it.  The same tree-lined (although narrower) canals, fascinating buildings, and sidewalk cafes, albeit complimented by a multitude of sex shops and attractive young ladies dressed in very little, standing, sitting or whatever in expansive street level windows (illuminated in the evening by, what else? - red lights!)

I was invited in "for conversation" a few times, but not being in a talkative mood, I carried on!