Amsterdam is beyond doubt a city and community of contrasts, both tangible and cultural. This amazing and beautifully complex city has been the location of a huge variety of historical events; from the loss of 10% of its population to the bubonic plague, to a new golden age of import and export which saw Amsterdam become the wealthiest city in the world, to its invasion and oppression by the Nazis during the Second World War. It has been the historical homes of some of the world’s most famous people; in fact this beautiful city still has a museum which has been created within the historical home of Anne Frank. It was also the temporary home of internationally famed painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn on several occasions, and a number of his most famous works were completed and indeed still reside within the city. Today Amsterdam is known for being a centre for the contemporary arts, culture and art museums, although it also unfortunately known as a centre for cheap and adult themes which have made it famous amongst a great many tourists.
 
It was in fact these cheap and stereotypical ideals which first struck and excited me when I first left Harwich port for the “Hook of Holland” as a young and impressionable tourist. After a day or so the ideas of the famous red light district struck me as nothing more than a cheap and painfully vulgar tourist attraction, as did the numerous sex shops and even the sex museum (which is not difficult to find). What did stay with me past the first week however and in fact stays with me to this day, was the sweet and complex culture and breathtakingly beautiful of architecture which surrounds almost every street in the city. After two weeks I departed for England with a very confused opinion on Amsterdam, with every intention of returning to the strangely alluring city.
 
When I finally returned to the shores of Holland it was several months later and this time I was part of a busking, marching folk band and I was armed with a singing saw. We arrived within the city and after taking a short walk through its unforgettable side streets and along its canals we set up shop and began to play. It wasn’t long before we attracted the attention of several large tourist groups, and this continued for some time until we had blocked access the bridge on which we were situated with on lookers. At this point the crowd seemed to consist of tourists from several countries and some locals who had been attracted from their everyday lives to watch us play. By the time the police came to ask everyone to clear onto the pavements and clear the bridge we had earned over sixty Euros and received several positive comments from tourists and locals alike, which only served to spur us on.
 
It was at this point in my life that I realised how separate the tourist culture and local culture really are in this city. To the real inhabitants of this city the real Amsterdam is the one which still exists but is sometimes hard to see beneath the endless droves of senselessly drunk British tourists. The real city is there to be seen in the Van Gough Museum, Anne Frank’s historical home, the home of Amsterdam’s internationally famous orchestra the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, its numerous theatres on Leidseplein and the nearby Vondelpark which is the home of some incredible pieces of outdoor art. It is there to be seen in its street artists and the beautifully coloured, narrow and towering homes which surround every street. This is the real Amsterdam, which may have become slightly buried from the eyes of tourists and day traders. But for the locals and for those travellers who tap into Amsterdam’s real culture, they will find it a far stronger, more beautiful and infinitely long lasting culture than that which appears on the surface of the city. As I said in the beginning Amsterdam is beyond doubt, a city of contrasts. It just took some time, playing music on its wonderfully vibrant streets to see it.
 
This article was written by musician, travel writer and blogger John Pauline who recommends using a Manchester Airport Parking company when travelling over to Amsterdam from the north. It’s better to see it on foot but better yet to see it via bike!