Our first morning in Amsterdam I arrived downstairs just too late for breakfast, but oh well, around the corner to the bakery for some fresh pastry and maybe some time alone. I put in our photos from the paragliding in Austria to be processed, and then waited at the bike hire shop for the bike tour to arrive.
The bike tour of Amsterdam was pretty cool, but quite cold because it rained rather miserably for most of the trip. But there is more to Amsterdam than evil follies, and it really was an interesting trip. We heard how the house-boats in the canals were now all fitted with sewage pipes connected to the mains, how the canals are flushed every week, that the Netherlands was home to some philosophical thinkers who were actually listened to, how Amsterdam is a really really old trading city, about the relationship they have with Canada, and probably more that I’ve forgotten since.
One cool thing was the symbol of Amsterdam/Netherlands; the three crosses. St Andrew is the patron saint for the Netherlands, and his symbol is a sideways cross that looks like an X (he didn’t want to be crucified on an upright cross like Jesus so they put him on his side). Three of these crosses represent the three threats Amsterdam has overcome: the plague, fire, and flood, each of which put the city in grave danger of being destroyed on multiple occasions in the past. To diverge a little, the Netherlands was one of the first countries to legalise hardcore pornography and export it around the world. Whenever some of this material would leave Amsterdam it would have the local symbol of “XXX” printed on it. In a marketers dream this symbol soon became synonymous with the “good stuff”, until today in most people’s minds its true meaning is lost and they just relate it to pornography.
Having seen the red light district and a sex show, I’d set aside the afternoon to sample the local green cuisine. I’d previously arranged to share a ‘space cake’ as they’re known with Jess and so we met up at a coffee shop where we found a few of the other guys, and we indulged.
OK, all’s well and good. But I haven’t eaten since the bakery this morning and I heard that some other guys were over at the Italian restaurant around the corner so Jess and I go to join them. They’re just finishing up and soon I’m left on my own with a loaf of garlic bread and a huge bowl of pasta. Sure enough, a few minutes later I start to notice my thinking patterns have slightly altered. Must be that bitter leaf-tasting part of the muffin kicking in. Well it really didn’t kick in as much as I though it would, but certainly enough to appreciate my surroundings on a new level. There was something serene but stimulating about my sitting at the back corner of the (mostly empty) restaurant looking out the front doorway and large glass window, watching the world of people leading a smorgasbord of lives drift past to wherever their mission or daze leads them.
Halfway through my pasta I realised it was nearly 5pm and we were meeting at 6pm to head out for our final farewell dinner. Off I went for a shower.
We trammed it out to a large pier where we boarded a floating Chinese restaurant. The food there was plentiful and tasty, and they brought out a large firecracker on a cake for Lisa’s birthday. All fed, it was off to the river cruise.
The bike tour of Amsterdam was pretty cool, but quite cold because it rained rather miserably for most of the trip. But there is more to Amsterdam than evil follies, and it really was an interesting trip. We heard how the house-boats in the canals were now all fitted with sewage pipes connected to the mains, how the canals are flushed every week, that the Netherlands was home to some philosophical thinkers who were actually listened to, how Amsterdam is a really really old trading city, about the relationship they have with Canada, and probably more that I’ve forgotten since.
One cool thing was the symbol of Amsterdam/Netherlands; the three crosses. St Andrew is the patron saint for the Netherlands, and his symbol is a sideways cross that looks like an X (he didn’t want to be crucified on an upright cross like Jesus so they put him on his side). Three of these crosses represent the three threats Amsterdam has overcome: the plague, fire, and flood, each of which put the city in grave danger of being destroyed on multiple occasions in the past. To diverge a little, the Netherlands was one of the first countries to legalise hardcore pornography and export it around the world. Whenever some of this material would leave Amsterdam it would have the local symbol of “XXX” printed on it. In a marketers dream this symbol soon became synonymous with the “good stuff”, until today in most people’s minds its true meaning is lost and they just relate it to pornography.
Having seen the red light district and a sex show, I’d set aside the afternoon to sample the local green cuisine. I’d previously arranged to share a ‘space cake’ as they’re known with Jess and so we met up at a coffee shop where we found a few of the other guys, and we indulged.
OK, all’s well and good. But I haven’t eaten since the bakery this morning and I heard that some other guys were over at the Italian restaurant around the corner so Jess and I go to join them. They’re just finishing up and soon I’m left on my own with a loaf of garlic bread and a huge bowl of pasta. Sure enough, a few minutes later I start to notice my thinking patterns have slightly altered. Must be that bitter leaf-tasting part of the muffin kicking in. Well it really didn’t kick in as much as I though it would, but certainly enough to appreciate my surroundings on a new level. There was something serene but stimulating about my sitting at the back corner of the (mostly empty) restaurant looking out the front doorway and large glass window, watching the world of people leading a smorgasbord of lives drift past to wherever their mission or daze leads them.
Halfway through my pasta I realised it was nearly 5pm and we were meeting at 6pm to head out for our final farewell dinner. Off I went for a shower.
We trammed it out to a large pier where we boarded a floating Chinese restaurant. The food there was plentiful and tasty, and they brought out a large firecracker on a cake for Lisa’s birthday. All fed, it was off to the river cruise.
posted by Tim at 8:35 am
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