Red Light District and my grandfather.

My dad told me a story about the red light district in Amsterdam when he visited it with my late grandfather in the early 80’s. My grandfather was a very conservative 60 year old man. He was shocked and could not stop telling people back home, about the women, who didn’t wear clothes.

So, here I was on my way to visit this famous Red light district and this story came to mind. I had to giggle. Talk about a culture shock! For a lot of people these subjects are taboo: Prostitution, Sex, smoking pot and red light districts. Something that people always wonder about but hardly ever discuss. I had mixed feelings about visiting the Red light district. I was curious but I did not feel comfortable visiting the Red Light District with a group of people that I didn’t know. Keep in mind, this was on a Contiki tour to Europe and we met the previous day in London.

People in our group were talking about visiting a coffee shop and to try the biscuits.

The Red Light District do’s and don’ts.

We were warned before the time, not to take photos of the ladies and that it was forbidden. Well, you can try if you want but you do it at own risk. It is not uncommon to see a lady of the night, chasing you down an alley or throwing you with a pair of shoes!

One guy living close to the Red light district saw a prostitute pinning a man to the wall when he took a picture of her. Maybe you like being threatened by a pimp? If so, go for it! We all decided to pack the cameras away.
It is called the red light district because that is exactly what you see everywhere. The darker it gets, the more obvious the glow of the fluorescent red lights become, above the many windows in the area. There are more than 250 windows! It was a very busy night with a lot of people everywhere, mostly men.

The first thing I noticed was the huge glass windows and then I saw them….some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen! They were not completely naked. In fact I have not seen one completely naked at all. Maybe it was my imagination but I got the distinct impression that they didn’t like the women who were staring at them. Some made scary faces! But it was really difficult not to stare! What is window shopping without looking?

There is a lot of adult entertainment in this area. A closed curtain in front of the window meant “show time” is over for a while. If you don´t want to use the services of any of the ladies then you could browse some of the shops or walk next to the beautiful canals. That is what we have done after a while.

Interesting facts about the Red Light District:

•  This district is more than 300 years old with beautiful gabled buildings and expensive real estate that houses doctors, lawyers and plenty of families.
• It is a very tolerant community and freedom is highly valued.
• The City Council is trying hard to root out money laundering in this area. Business owners are scrutinized and if the can’t proof that their earnings are legal, they loose their license. Some sex shops and brothels already closed their doors.
• A so called “Red Light Fashion” has emerged which are basically designs by young fashion designers and have become very popular in order to diversify the businesses in this area and keep it an attractive tourist attraction.
• It dates back to the 14th Century when sailors arrived in need of some female company. This infamous part of the city is a major tourist attraction. Each year, millions of visitors come to see this vibrant and exciting part of Amsterdam.
• The Red Light District is located just south (10 minutes walking) of Central Station, the main train station. It consists of theatres, shops, museums, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and of course the famous windows with sexy girls, dressed in eye-popping underwear.

Visiting the red light district in 2004 was a great experience. I have seen something that a lot of people have never seen. You know what? It was not that bad. What I didn’t like was the fact that some men walking past these windows looked at women like they were objects. It made me feel very uncomfortable and dirty.

I had an opportunity to visit the Red Light District again in 2007. This time I didn’t go. My opinion and reasoning changed. I became more aware of the dangers of human trafficking and the role that pimps play.  That is something that I feel strong about. Please note I have nothing against people who choose this kind of profession. This is my personal opinion.