geoff liked it faster
Amsterdam is a medley of everything you would expect; tree lined canals, old dutch bicycles (everywhere), scantily clad ladies posing in windows (all day and well into the night), coffee shops that aren't cafes and cafes that aren't coffee shops, sunflowers and poppies, tall tall people taller than geoff and jon and rene, potat frittes with mayo, and mayo, and potat, and mayo.
Then there was the amsterdam we got to experience thanks to the marvelous mr rene and the charming biggie; run down regions just starting to buzz, graffittittiied squatter mansions, once ship building yards now creative hubs (nz osh wouldn't have a bar of it), hidden away, waterfront cafes and an 11th floor club that was. happening. Junk stalls at happy beach, pancakes at the pancake palace, back stories to the red light district (apparently all garnered from an open day), inexpensive, exquisitely ordered second-hand boutiques (saw jon coming home sporting a new waistcoat, cummerbund, silk scarf and tie, and la a floral swim cap and bikini), beer, coffee, patat, mayo, beer, coffee, patat, but no wall food. This trip.
And finally there is the Amsterdam that you find when you get lost, cycling at night along the canals, a moments distraction or intentional disorientation leading to a the inevitable italian bar serving birra morretti and limoncello. Cycling home, reorientating, cycling home again, now in the rain, didn't we just pass that bridge? gaze into that lamp lit lounge? Find our way home?
all in all, it was pretty great. thanks guys for being there. for coming there. you know who you are.
somehow we only have half a memory card worth of photos...but you can check out some more pics at http://web.mac.com/rene.klinkhamer
