Postcards from a McTraveler: Red Light District

Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
When: May 6-8, 2017
With: Dave

Ahh, the Red Light District. Amsterdam's most popular neighborhood, it has made the city's name synonymous with prostitution. And while it is true that this neighborhood has a seedy undertone due to its regulated ladies-of-the-night, it is also so much more.

After a very full day of sightseeing, we decided to walk over to check the famous neighborhood out. However, we made the poor decision of heading over late on a Saturday night. While its not a great photo, it is clear to see it was a wee bit crowded.

We took one stroll down the main canal that makes this area famous. And yes, there are scantily clad women in the windows along the canal offering up their wares. Prostitution in Amsterdam is not only legal, but the ladies are unionized and pay taxes. With black lights shining and music pumping, we walked shoulder to shoulder with other gawkers down the canal. Bachelor parties and tour groups of drunk kids made this difficult, though I can't imagine we would have stayed long anyway. We walked a couple blocks and decided to call it.

As I imagine my camera would have been broken if I tried to take a closer picture, I just took this photo from the end of the line. The red neon lights of the brothels that gave this area its name can be seen a block away.

However, the interesting thing about this area is that it also happens to be the oldest part of Amsterdam. And with that means a lot of old buildings and history. As we headed back a couple days later to explore the area in the daytime, we saw a gentle reminder in the graffiti of where we were headed.

Our first stop in the area was the Oude Kerk, or "old church". It is the oldest building in the city, completed in 1213.

The church has been home to many religions over the years. It was once a Catholic church, but after the Spanish rule and its religion were booted from the Netherlands, it became a Protestant church, which it remains today.

The inside was pretty empty, and therefore, cavernous. We were actually surprised how large it was inside, since the outside, squished between tiny houses and canals, didn't give that away.

The ceiling was rounded and wooden, made in the same style that ships are built.

The floor was made up of large slats of stone, carved with names, dates and symbols. These were all once individual graves, marked up with a profile of their individual inhabitant. However, over the years, the church stunk of dead bodies and incenses could no longer mask the stench. The bodies were all removed and the graves filled with white sand. Thank goodness.

The most famous grave in the church was that of the painter Rembrandt's wife, Saskia. Until Anne Frank, Saskia was the most famous Dutch woman in history. She was the subject of many of his paintings until her death at the young age of 29.

The rest of the church was beautiful, with stained glass windows, carved marble and beautiful architecture.

It also had a massive organ that has been in the church since...2001. New, but still beautiful.

Another top site in this area is also a church of sorts, but completely and totally different from the Oude Kerk. It is called the Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, or "Our Dear Lord in the Attic". As I said, in the 1500s, Catholicism was booted from the country, but the Dutch fancy themselves an open-minded people. Therefore, rather than banning any specific religious practice, any religious worship was allowed as long as it could not be seen from the street. This led to a phenomenon of hidden churches, synagogues and other places of worship hidden inside the unassuming houses of the Dutch people. This museum is evidence of one that has survived.

The tour begins in what looks like an old, but otherwise typical Dutch house that belonged to a wealthy Catholic merchant. As we wound up the old stairs through the various floors of his house, we saw the way someone of his wealth and standing may live: his front entranceway, one of his kitchens, and the elaborate tiles that adorn the walls.

Up and up the stairs we went, passing parlors and bedrooms. And then suddenly, we came to a floor that had an actual, full-blown church inside. It's hard to describe how much contrast there was to the low ceilings and dark interiors of the rest of the house.

The church took up the top three floors of the house. It has everything a Catholic church would have, just on a much narrower degree. It was stunning and incredibly surprising and beautiful.