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Attracting over 18 million tourists a year, Amsterdam has become the hot spot for travellers across the globe. Filled with tree-lined streets, picturesque canals and some of the finest culinary creations and art, the Dutch city has something for everyone – despite the stereotypes of being strictly sex and weed. Now, we can't speak about Dam without addressing the elephant in the room: Marijuana. You could be a foodie; an art enthusiast; a world traveller, or simply passing through the city on a connecting flight – but you'll inevitably be given the side eye from friends, family and peers asking: Oh, you smoke? Yes, pot and sex work are legal. But they certainly aren't the be-all, end-all. In fact, tourists who have had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam recently would have noticed the absence of smoke in the air, which is down to a newly enforced rule last month. After years of complaints from residents, the city started its crackdown with a "stay away" campaign that initially saw a ban on weekend alcohol sales and earlier closing times for brothels and bars. People around the city now face a €100 (£87) fine if they smoke cannabis in public in the red light district, with an aim to "reduce crowding and nuisance in the area." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Nestled in the Museum Quarter of the city resides Jan Luyken, a townhouse surrounded by depths of culture and an elegant shopping street. Think, the Bond Street of Amsterdam. There's no wonder art lovers immediately fall for the place, with its eclectic decor woven through the newly-renovated hotel. The impressive attention to detail in every corner gives off rich colours and fringed lampshades, complete with reading areas and a help-yourself bar. There are also plenty of open spaces across the ground floor to wind down in, including the library and the dining room, which are designed to make guests feel comfortable and at ease. A true home away from home – especially for a solo traveller. Travellers can also enjoy the sun in the private garden, located next to an aesthetically pleasing gym that makes working out feel that little bit easier. With a hotel so impressive, it can sometimes be tempting to stay in and around it – but with 48 hours in the city, I went off to discover whether there was more to Amsterdam than the stereotypes. Museums Amsterdam does many things well, museums being one of them. The city is jam-packed with cultural experiences, from fine art to photography and history. Two days certainly won't get you through the array of galleries across the city, but there are two in particular that should not be missed. Moco Museum: Founded in 2016, the independent museum boasts a variety of modern, contemporary, and street art. Here, you will find pieces from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Icy & Sot, JR, KAWS, Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Yayoi Kusama, THE KID, Andy Warhol, Studio Irma, among many more. The Museum of Prostitution: While Amsterdam's sex industry remains open, there's still an air of mystery surrounding it. At the world's first prostitution museum, you will learn about the Red Lights Secrets through an interactive experience. Without giving too much away, the museum delves into the history of sex work in the city, what a typical room looks like and positive testimonials. It also does not shy away from the darker truths of the industry, such as trafficking and unsolved murder cases. Parks Vondelpark: Considered one of the city's most famous parks, this charming area makes the perfect destination to wind down from walking around the city after a long day. During the summer months, there's a host of activities, bandstands – and it even has its own Picasso sculpture hidden along the path. Food Dinner in the Pulitzer Garden: For the foodies, this al-fresco dining experience is a must. Inspired by modern-Dutch cuisine, it offers a wide range of impressive culinary creations and beautifully crafted cocktails. This gem is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with an idyllic view of the tranquil gardens. Still, for some, smoking in Dam remains a bucket list goal – and there's certainly no judgement here. The Dutch are some of the friendliest people and are happy to help – especially when an inexperienced tourist steps into a coffee shop. It simply comes down to asking. Coffee shops are filled with different strengths, and you can often purchase pre-rolled joints to avoid awkwardly trying to figure it out for the first time. For more information about Jan Luyken, click here. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Rebecca Adlington said she is “truly heartbroken” after suffering a late-stage miscarriage. The double Olympic gold medal swimmer found out about the devastating loss at a routine 20-week scan, sharing the news in a post on Instagram yesterday evening. “I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20 week scan this week and they found no heartbeat. I gave birth to our angel, Harper on Friday at 7pm. We held her, and had time with her. We will forever love her and remember her always,” Adlington, 34, said. After thanking staff at Wythenshawe Hospital for their “kindness and care”, she added: “I don’t have the strength or words right now and don’t feel ready to share this news. However, I can’t pretend to be ok or fake a smile. I can’t have people ask me how pregnancy is or when I am due as I still look pregnant. I don’t have the strength to tell this news individually. “We are so truly heartbroken. Our beautiful girl. Rest in peace.” Adlington – who shares son Albie, two, with her husband Andy Parsons and has an eight-year-old daughter, Summer, from her previous marriage with Harry Needs – previously revealed she’d had a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy last August, resulting in emergency surgery. And as her Instagram post this week highlights, one of the many difficult things about losing a baby is telling other people. So, how can people respond supportively when a friend, relative or colleague shares news of a baby loss? Showing empathy “It’s about showing empathy as much as you possibly can, showing some form of understanding, and really just being there to listen to them,” Rochelle Love, a midwife working with baby loss charity Tommy’s, told the PA news agency. A late miscarriage is one which happens between 14-24 weeks of pregnancy, and is less common than early-stage miscarriage, occurring in an estimated 1-2% of pregnancies, Love explained. “We don’t always know why these miscarriages happen. They can be for a multitude of reasons, and the sad thing for expectant parents is that we may not always find a definite cause,” she added. “It may not necessarily be related to previous miscarriage.” Take care with ‘helpful’ comments Friends and family may try to comfort someone who’s lost a baby with well-meaning but sometimes way off-the-mark ‘helpful’ comments. Love said it’s crucial to be very careful about what you say. “I don’t think it’s ever up to us to make assumptions, and especially do not make comments like: ‘Don’t worry, you can have another baby’, ‘Don’t worry, you can try again’, or, ‘You were only 20 weeks pregnant’,” Love advised. “I think sometimes people just don’t know what else to say, so they make these throwaway comments, which are not necessarily the best things to say when someone’s grieving. It’s not up to us to say [these things] – how do you know, for example, that they can have another baby? Think about what you’re going to say before you speak to someone who’s had a loss.” Be mindful of terminology Remember this isn’t just a foetus to the grieving parents – it’s their child, and it can be very important to talk about it as such. Love said: “Address the baby as their baby, and if the baby has a name, then use it. Be very careful of the words you use.” Be there for them Instead of offering up platitudes, Love said it’s often better to just let people know you’re there if they need you. “Just let them know you’re there for them – you’re there if they want to speak, or if they just want to sit in silence – you’re available to be their support if and when they should need it,” she explained. Don’t forget their partner Love stresses that any kind of support needs to be extended to the partner as well. “Sometimes the partner is ignored and we just focus on the pregnant person, but the partner is the pregnant person’s closest support and they’ve also lost their baby and are also grieving,” she said. “I always advise anyone who’s had an unfortunate loss that if they decide to go for grief counselling, they should make their partner a part of that process as well, so they can go on that grief and healing journey together.” Remember everyone will grieve differently Loss and grief is experienced differently by everyone. “How I may grieve a pregnancy loss may be very different from how somebody else might grieve,” said Love – so it’s important to let people do things their way and at their own pace. Think about offering them helpIf you are close with them, offer practical help if you feel they may welcome it. Love said this could mean “getting someone’s groceries for them because they don’t feel they can face getting dressed and going out, or cleaning the house – anything at all could be very well received.” Tommy’s helpline is on 0800 014 7800 Read More What you need to know about new research into treating cervical cancer How to do Halloween make up and still take care of your skin Which houseplants best suit your star sign? 5 of the hottest new perfume launches for autumn/winter Consistent lack of sleep may increase risk of future depressive symptoms – study World Osteoporosis Day: The risk factors and early warning signs everyone needs to know about

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Rita Moreno has revealed the unique way she made friends after finding herself suffering from loneliness. Ahead of her 92nd birthday on 11 December, the West Side Story star opened up about her struggles with loneliness after she moved into a new home. In an interview with People published 28 November, Moreno recalled feeling “so sad” after moving from her house in California’s Berkeley Hills area to a new condominium. The Broadway alum admitted she felt so lonely that it was even “affecting [her] appetite”. It wasn’t until her daughter, jewellerly designer Fernanda Luisa Gordon, noticed something was wrong that Moreno decided to combat her loneliness. “I really didn’t understand what was happening,” she told the outlet. “I remember thinking: ‘I can’t go on like this.’ I’m in the most beautiful apartment in the world as far as I’m concerned, and this is happening. Why is this happening?” The 80 For Brady star said she used her years of “therapy” and “psychotherapy” to help her self-reflect, ultimately deciding that it was her recent move away from friends and family that was making her unhappy. Moreno, who has one daughter and two grandsons, explained that her new home made it difficult for her friends and family to visit. “So when we make plans to see each other, we have to make plans, they can’t just kind of drop by,” she said. “I was really lonely.” Moreno admitted that she was “fascinated” when it dawned on her that she didn’t actually know how to make friends because she “never had to seek people’s company”. “You know why? Because people have always come to me,” she added. When the Family Switch star finally decided to “meet some people” on her own, she went to the supermarket to do some shopping and met a “lovely” woman who she had previously seen at the store. “She had this big smile on her face and she recognised me, obviously, and we started to talk,” Moreno recalled. “I said to her: ‘Would you like to have lunch with me?’” According to Moreno, the woman was shocked when the Hollywood icon asked to have lunch with her but she ended up accepting the invite. “She sat down and she said: ‘Do you always pick people up like this in the market?’” Moreno recounted. “I told her the truth. I said: ‘No, but you always have struck me as such a lovely person. Since I’m new here and I don’t know anybody, I thought I’d take a dip.’” Since then, the woman has become one of many people that Moreno befriended, including those from her apartment building. “I’m so lucky,” she added. The Puerto Rican actor landed her breakout role of Anita in the 1961 movie musical adaptation of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s original Broadway musical, West Side Story. She later won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role. Moreno also starred as a newly-created character, Valentina, in director Steven Spielberg’s version of West Side Story. In 1965, she married cardiologist Leonard Gordon, who later became her manager. They were married for 45 years, welcoming daughter Fernanda, before his death in 2010. In May, United States surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy declared loneliness a public health epidemic, posing health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily. In a report, Murthy stated that nearly half of US adults say they’ve experienced loneliness. The report also stated that loneliness can increase the risk of premature death by nearly 30 per cent, posing a greater risk of stroke and heart disease, as well as increasing a person’s likelihood for experiencing depression, anxiety, and dementia. The crisis was worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as schools and workplaces shut down and people were required to quarantine and socially distance themselves. In 2020, Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends compared to 60 minutes daily just two decades earlier. “We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.” Read More Strictly’s Amy Dowden shares health update after being rushed to hospital Sam Thompson admits fears about ADHD and parenthood on I’m a Celeb Paris Hilton says using surrogacy was a ‘difficult decision to make’ Strictly’s Amy Dowden shares health update after being rushed to hospital Sam Thompson admits fears about ADHD and parenthood on I’m a Celeb Paris Hilton says using surrogacy was a ‘difficult decision to make’

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