Imagine if you came to Amsterdam on a family vacation with kids and decided to go to the science museum, the NEMO. You would be in for many surprises. Situated in an achitecturally intriguing building and located right on the water, the NEMO is a sight that is not often missed by the passerby.
The NEMO houses a great variety of exhibitions and experiments and attractions change regularly, therefore one can check the website to see what is currently on.
I went to the NEMO recently with a friend for a fun day of something altogether different. At first sight it appears to be a children's-only funhouse, but there is a lot for adults to learn as well. One of my favorite activities, put on by a member of staff, was a 'chain-reactions' display, incorporating fire, weights, balloons, wind-powered model boats, and much much more. But the one that inspired me the most was on the top floor, a sex-ed exhibition targeting teens. This setup included wooden figurines posed in various Kama Sutra positions, videos of animals in the wild 'getting it on', and loads of tips and facts about sex and sexual interactions among humans. There were three peep-show like booths requiring age tokens, and inside the first, one learned about signs of being gay or not. The real criteria? A consistent preference and attraction to members of the same sex, not just curiosities, occasional desires, or even experimentation with someone of the same sex. The second booth housed information on sex; for example, that there is nothing wrong with women who do not achieve orgasm during intercourse and why penis size is not all that counts. The final booth showed short video clips of real people, from the head up, having orgasms, amusingly titled "the Small Death". It also explained the many health benefits of this activity.
I cannot begin to picture this kind of fun, interesting, informative and very important exhibition being shown in a teen science museum in any other place in the world. I must say that I was very impressed by the quality and tastefulness of the exhibition as well as the way in which sex was de-mystified without losing its appeal, & all the while making anyone interested feel at ease.
The NEMO can be found at Oosterdok 2, just off Prins Hendrikkade and about 10 minutes walk from the Centraal station heading east. It is open from 10AM to 5PM daily and, as many other museums, is closed on Mondays.