Memories of Amsterdam

The very first memories which I can recall are those of my early childhood, or rather toddler-hood spent with my parents in Amsterdam. The duration of our stay there lasted the entirety of my second year. I can't place any of the memories from the Netherlands in any sort of chronological order but when the question was asked, this memory instantly popped into my head. No need for any further brain searching.

Madurodam, Amsterdam

I recall the tiny city as "the miniature village". It was large enough when I was two years to be amazing, large enough to get lost easily, yet somehow I must have recognized, even at two, that the city was a miniaturized version of some other city. Or perhaps this was an association I made later on when recollecting this image. Googling the terms, "miniature village" and "Amsterdam" inundated my screen with photos of the tiny city and transported me back to my youth and wandering in the tiny village. The name always eludes me, but apparently the tiny city is a fairly well known tourist attraction called Madurodam. 
I remember being enthralled with the "tiny village" as a child and long to one day share this spectacle with my children. 
There are other things about Amsterdam that I remember but none as well as Madurodam. I remember living on a houseboat. Luckily I was never seasick as a child. I also recall having a young Dutch friend who lived on the houseboat with us, in the apartment across the hall. There were clogs also. I'm not sure anyone actually wore them, but I can recall my mother desperately wanting a pair. She must have talked about those things for the following ten years too.


So that about does it for my earliest memories. Or at least what I can remember from my toddler abuse of the Amsterdam privilege. My childhood as seen through the hazy pot smoke and opium dens, growing up in the red light district.