I awoke to another beautiful day in Amsterdam, although a bit late due to last night's fun. A girl from New York named Raquel overheard me asking the receptionist about the free city walking tour and decided to tag along. The tour started in Dam Square near the National Monument and right away it took us to the red light district. Our tour guide, Angel, gave us the low-down on prostitution in Amsterdam and rather knowledgeable information on the costs for different services available. He told us that having it legalized removed the need for pimps and the girls are treated as respectable members of society instead of just a piece of meat. We went through Chinatown next and he pointed out his favorite Thai restaurant for everyone to try. He took us to some unconventional sights like Mt Amsterdam (a bridge that's the tallest point in the city) and the smallest building (only a meter wide). Throughout the tour he stressed the importance of freedom in Amsterdam and how many important rights originated here, like freedom of religion. We went to the old building that housed the East India Trading Company, the first company to sell stocks to the public. Then we went to the Jewish district, where Nazis had dragged people from their homes causing a protest by tens of thousands of citizens (one of the very few against Nazis during WWII). So Amsterdam is an amazing city not just for weed, hookers and canals! We ended the tour at the church by Anne Frank's house with the sound of the bells that she wrote were her favorite part of the day. Raquel and I grabbed some lunch and walked to Vondelpark, a huge park just south of our hostel. We found a spot to sit by one of the park's many ponds where we talked, enjoyed the sunset and listened to the techno music playing in the distance for a couple hours. We decided it was time to leave when a sketchy guy sat by us and started rambling incoherently. We made our way back through the park and along the canals with no destination in mind but simply wherever our feet took us. We eventually wound up in Rembrandtplein, a busy square surrounded with coffeeshops and bars. In the center of the square, they had put up a gallery of sorts, displaying pictures of all the Harry Potter movies to promote the new film. Being the huge HP fan that I am (and Raquel as well), we walked through the displays, reliving the moments that defined our childhood. We took a seat at a bench in the square and spent the rest of the night people-watching and enjoying the ambiance of a magical night in Amsterdam. I'm starting to think I could spend every day like this and never grow tired of it.