Amsterdam XXX, one of the very few cities in the world where one can experience true freedom. Nothing here is banned or illegal be it drugs, prostitution, abortion, euthanasia or gay-marriage. Everything is legal and very well monitored and controlled. Amsterdam certainly has one of the most liberal societies in the world and is paradise for a libertarian and anyone who believes in the concept of free will.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam is the main airport of Amsterdam and the Netherlands and is thus the entrance to this amazing land. Located 17.5 km south-west of amsterdam, it is one of the best airports in Europe and also one of the busiest. Just like the city that it represents, schiphol too is an airport with a difference. As a male one of the first things that you would notice at schiphol, is the urinal at any of the restrooms at the airport(restrooms,toilets,washrooms,loos are all referred to as WC around Europe. WC stands for Water Closet). Every urinal at the schiphol airport has an image of a fly imbossed on it, yes that’s right, a fly also known as mosquito.(Picture Below)
No, the Dutch are not crazy(if that’s what you are thinking). The fly is supposed to have a psychological impact on men who would unconsciously aim for it, thereby keeping the surroundings clean(the dutch are not crazy, just very cleanliness friendly). Schiphol Airport has big shops and supermarkets that are open even to non travelling visitors, it also has a museum inside the airport and also has it’s own mortuary. The Rijksmuseum at the airport, offers a small overview of both classical and contemporary art while the mortuary is used to handle deceased people before departure or after arrival. Since October 2006 people can also get married at Schiphol and go on their honeymoon directly.
Schiphol is one of the few airports in the world that boasts of an iris-scanning biometric system. Frequent fliers who visit the country often and are members of a frequent flier club can quickly go through immgration clearance using only their membership cards and their eyes.
Schiphol deploys a one terminal concept, where all facilities are located under one single roof. The areas though, are divided into three sections or halls: 1, 2 and 3. To all of these halls, piers or concourses are connected. The airport is also connected to the city metro, that lies below the airport. Passengers can directly board the metro and reach the Central Station from where they can take a bus or tram to their destination.
Catch Schiphol and all it’s action in the pictures below(From Left:A Police Outlet at Schiphol, A Backpacker arriving at Schiphol, The Underground Metro).
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just a few comments, you got a few things wrong:
first of all its not just Amsterdam that has these laws, but its the whole country
second, the thing you call a metro is a train, trains leave from schiphol airport for all parts of the country and even for Antwerp, Brussel, Paris, Berlin, Moscow.
At Amsterdam central station you can indeed board other trains, trams and busses, and from there on you can take the metro.
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Awesome.. my fav part abt the article – the pic of the bagpacker arriving in Schipol 😉
One typo “mueseum”
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