Day 6: Rijksmuseum and P.I.C.

Moved into my new room last night. It wreaks of tobacco smoke when you walk in, so I'm working on eradicating that smell at the present time. The shower drain is also clogged, so the bathroom floods whenever I use it. The hot water is scalding hot, the water pressure in the sink isn't high enough, and the shower's is too high. It sure as hell ain't The Ritz, or even the room I had a few days ago, but I'm glad to have living quarters closer to the other students of my group.

Today we visited the Rijksmuseum, the city's massive art gallery. It features several pieces by Dutch artists Rembrandt and Van Gogh. The highlights, for me, were seeing Rembrandt's famous painting of "The Night Watch" and the museum's dazzling collection of old Dutch weaponry, complete with muskets, rifles, pistols and swords. I also noticed a nifty way that the museum has embraced 21st century technology was by using current generation iPod Touch devices for guided audio tours. A small number of exhibits utilized iPads as interactive "plaques" for guests to gain information on specific pieces.

Later in the day we visited the Prostitution Information Center in Amsterdam's Red Light District and took a guided tour with the founder, Mariska Majoor, who is a former sex worker. We learned about how prostitution works in The Netherlands and how the Red Light neighborhood has been affected over the years. A few rumors were also dispelled, the biggest, in my mind, being that the day care center, nestled between window-brothels on either side, was exclusively for the children of sex workers. This isn't the case. That day care center is open to anyone, provided they accept the city's invitation to place their children there.

We learned that the city of Amsterdam recently approved a new project that will reduce the number of windows from over 400 to around 290 over the next few years. While still technically legal, authorities are hoping to contain the prostitution to a smaller area in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood's image. This is a critical move that the city hopes will attract more housing residents and businesses to the area, although it will make things harder on the prostitutes who will have to fight over a smaller selection of available work spaces.  As for the window workers themselves, we learned that the women can refuse services to any customer, that you have to be 18 years of age to become a sex worker in The Netherlands (though the age limit will soon increase to 21), and that each room has a loud "Panic" button in the event of an unruly encounter that will summon other prostitutes, landlords, or nearby police to help the imperiled worker.

In closing, I've come to learn a couple more things about the city itself in the past few days. Tax is included in all prices, meaning the price you see on the tag or on the menu is what you pay. In restaurants, tips come at a lower percentage than what we're used to in the States. Most stores close early, too. Clothing stores, souvenir shops, museums and the like close around 8. The grocery stores close at 10. Bars, clubs and some fast food restaurants are the only places that stay open into the night. I'm not exactly sure yet why that is. Maybe that'll be on the "list of things I learned" tomorrow.