Culture Kings (Van Gogh & Sex)

Today we woke up and explored the canals some more before heading to the Van Gogh Museum. We stopped for a lunch snack that was from a tiktok famous restaurant. It's basically cheesy chips with sauce, but I have to admit that it tasted incredible. The cheese and the sauces were amazing. Once we arrived to the museum, we saw some of the most iconic pieces of art known all around the world. Though neither of us are particularly artsy, we recognised some of his more famous self-portraits, his sunflower paintings, and perhaps most famously, the spring blossom piece. Although, once again, I know nothing about art, it was an exceptional experience seeing these in person and getting to admire and learn about the life and artistic mind of Van Gogh. As troubled as it was. The next stop on our culture journey in Amsterdam took us through the red light district and into the sex museum. Here, we learnt and experienced the history of sexual expression, prostitution, and famous incidents from ancient to modern history. It was a very unique, interesting, and funny time. We then headed back home where I chilled with Sarah a bit back at the hostel, before catching a train to Amsfoort. I caught up with MJ for a drink and a brief tour of the town. It is a very cute little Dutch town, and as a former medieval settlement, it has the ancient walls and history that make it a very cool town. You can walk around the town and see the moat that still remains, sections of the massive gates, huge walls, and more that remind you of the deep history of the city. These things, although mostly for their aesthetic purposes and to remain in touch with the rich history, are still used for practical purposes. For example, many utilise the moat to get around town. Whether by row boat or by stand-up paddle board, each bar and restaurant has stairs and a little area to park your boat, if that is how you choose to arrive. A certain way to avoid the breathalyser. Eventually, we found somewhere for dinner and a couple more drinks while we caught up. We chatted until about 11pm when I decided I should catch a train back to Amsterdam. I was shocked about how regularly and easily the trains still went. Took me less than an hour and I was back in my hostel. The public transport system is impressive.Read more