SL Discovering

So the International Back Line is exploring the SL version of Amsterdam! It is a very exciting place to explore. There are several places to go and interesting people to meet.  We discovered how closely the real Amsterdam is to the SL Amsterdam, and I was slightly disappointed. Amsterdam is a very cultural place both in real life and in SL, but I thought that the SL version lacked key components that Real Amsterdam has. I personally was responsible for finding some general background information on the real Amsterdam, and contrary to stereotypes of it being an outgoing culture (which it is) they have much more to offer to tourists than just alcohol, sex and drugs. I personally was ignorant to real Amsterdam culture and I thought that everyone there and everyone that went there just went there to get high and drunk (I was ridiculously ignorant, and apologize). They have many festivals and coffee shops that draw a significant amount of people there. Their festivals cover several aspects too, they have ones for films, paintings, photography, music and I am sure they have more to offer. Now that I know what the real Amsterdam has to offer I would be very excited to maybe one day travel there. 

In SL Amsterdam, we found that most of the island revolved around the sexual (red light district) and the loose drug policies of their culture. There were coffee shops there and traces of what may become a festival, but that festival and coffee shop aspect was pretty much nonexistent. I found that unfortunate, but that is the beauty in having a person design the island, they focus on what they want to, that maybe the best aspect of Amsterdam in the eyes of the creator of SL Amsterdam. There is also one museum in Amsterdam, but you can only get into it at certain times. While we were investigating we did not really keep this in mind, but when we were exploring at a different time we found that it was open. So while exploring SL keep in mind the time difference, it probably would have helped us research that museum more. Overall, there are several things to do in SL and real Amsterdam.