So the visitors have come and the visitors have gone. It has been a great month. I've realized that when friends come to visit, you get the opportunity to re-experience the city all over again (on foot nonetheless). I have about a month left here in Amsterdam, minus one week in Finland, so I'm trying to soak it up before leaving.
This week I've been a slave to my lengthy 'to-do' list which consists of mainly academic tasks, but also more practical ones. The 'to-do' list has become my constant. If you were to sift through my trash bin or leaf through my personal planner you'd find pages and pages of crossed out lists. Not only do I include extremely easy tasks on the list (to get myself rolling) but I cross everything off once it has been accomplished. A bit OCD yes, but they're the key to my success. My current 'to-do' list is a beast - it contains the major tasks that must be accomplished before heading to Canada in four weeks. I know other important things will come up, but these are the major, big-ticket items. I've crossed off about half of the tasks but the ones that remain are the ones I'm putting off as much as possible - this is a regular occurrence.
So aside from methodically ticking off the tasks, I've been gearing up for summer school and wrapping up activities related to classes. We need to bring an A1 (size) poster to summer school to give everyone an idea of the topics we'll be covering in our theses. These type of poster displays are more for science disciplines, but it's a good exercise in dealing with your material and making it accessible. While a bunch of my classmates have started gluing, cutting, and writing onto bristol board, I've opted to design mine and get it printed in the city. You wouldn't believe how much the going rate for poster printing is (I've shopped around) but I just don't have the time or patience to craft it. Besides, the design looks pretty stellar. I also helped Adam with a conference he organized this week called New Music, New Audience. I was on camera duty which I haven't been in charge of since the x and why days. It felt great to be the camera man again.
The highlight of the week though was the guided tour of the Red Light District I went on two nights ago. One of the Residence Assistants is part of an English tour group that offers a two hour journey through the area. Since the City of Amsterdam will be closing half of the windows on June 1 (or so they say), I felt it important to get the full tour before it's all gone. Best of all it was free. Whatever your opinion of the legalization of prostitution, at the very least the "sex business" in Amsterdam is a unique and interesting place. The Red Light District, in a variety of forms has existed since the 13th Century when Amsterdam was one of the largest ports in the world. It would be difficult to do justice to all the information I learned on the tour, but here are some of the informative highlights:
1) There are over 400 windows in the Red Light District. They are set to trim this number to 200 at the start of next week. Whether or not the city will actually shut down that high a number is yet to be seen.
2) The Red Light District windows make up only 20% of the "sex business" in the city. I'll let you ponder that one.
3) The oldest working prostitute in the city is 75. No joke. She works by appointment only.
4) There is a place called the PIC (Prostitute Information Centre) in the RLD. The centre is there to provide information for the girls, the clients, the public, and those interested in joining the business.
5) At the centre of the Red Light District, on the same street as some of the windows is the city's oldest parish church (built in 1306) and a Kindergarden School. When asked by a Dutch TV station what they thought the 'neighbourhood' ladies in the window were doing, a child remarked: "Our teach said they sell kisses."
6) A prostitute working in the district rents a window for 150 euros for 8 hours.
7) There is a special window down one of the alleys where tourists can pay 25 Euros to dress up and have their picture taken as if they work in the RLD.
8) The City once experimented with having men in the windows. They asked for applications for men who were willing to work in the business. There were 2,000,000 applications. After narrowing the applications to five, the experiment began and was shut down 30 minutes later. The media-frenzy meant that anonymity was impossible, the female prostitutes became jealous of all the attention, and there were stamina issues that weren't initially taken into consideration.
9) Contrary to popular belief, the sex workers ARE NOT subject to mandatory STD checks. However, a study compared the STD rates of the workers and the general public and they were just less than everyone else walking around on the street.
10) There is no agreed upon etymology of the reds lights and their connection to the sex business. Some of the theories:
i. In the bible, Rahab the Harlot hung a red rope from her window so she could be recognized.
ii. When Napoleon was in control of Amsterdam he instituted a sexual testing policy where those clean were given a red card to display.
iii. When sailors visited the homes of prostitutes they would hang their lanterns on the outside to indicate their presence to other would-be clients.
iv. More practically, a red light makes everyone look better. It hides blemishes, its seductive, and is less harsh than white light.
I hope those facts were as interesting to you as they were to me. The Dutch have a very different approach to sexual education than a lot of other cultures and it seems to pay off. As opposed to Britain, which has the highest teenage pregnancy rates in all of Europe, the Netherlands was one of the lowest teenage rates and more young people use protection. The Red Light District, even though for some it is a stain on Amsterdam's beauty, is unarguably part of the character of the city.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: 'To-Do' Lists are a really great way to keep organized. What? You didn't think I'd prescribe something RLD related. Not that far.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
An Amster-Damn Good Weekend.doc
The title is a shout out to Bronwyn, one of my houseguests this past weekend. If I had a nickel for every time she said something was "Amster-Damn Good," I'd be a wealthy man. Thankfully, this type of enthusiasm for the city made the visit with Emily, Bronwyn, and Cynthia extremely memorable.
I greeted the girls as their bus arrived at 11:30pm. The meeting could have been in a movie: I cycled up just as the girls were dragging their suitcases away from the bus. I rang my little bell (which I think was a welcome sound after an eight hour journey) and we rejoiced in a mini-reunion. After the obligatory bike photos, we walked with luggage in tow to my apartment. There we blew up an air mattress (three guests is a new one for me) and then had a catch-up over a few beers. Emily and Cynthia had moved out of their apartment in Rennes that very day so we hit the hay quite early. It struck me afterwards that I was there to bookend Emily's Rennes experience in some ways. When I arrived in September she had only moved into her new apartment a few days before and the day she moved out of the city she arrived in Amsterdam. It's hard to believe how much time has passed since then.
The next morning we had a breaky feast (with the fresh market items bought the day before) and then we hit the city. I took the girls through the market. It was, without a doubt, the longest market visit I've ever had. That's because I've never been with shoppers before. Instead of just walking the length of the street and just "taking it in," the girls were keen to investigate, inquire about the price, and PURCHASE. This was totally fine with me. The next stop was MuseumPlein where I pointed out all the cultural spots. The I AMSTERDAM sign has returned to the area after a two-week absence (sorry Michael, Graham, and Leslie) so we took some shots with the sign. Bronwyn, not wanting to miss an opportunity for a great profile pic, sat in the lower case 'd' and we took photos from the opposite side so it looked like a 'b'. Clever girl. We wandered to the north of the city past all the galleries and busy shopping areas - both Emily and Bronwyn purchased some comfortable Birkenstock shoes. I might nab a pair before I ship off.
After a quick grocery stop to get supplies to the evening we headed to Hetta's house for an MAIPR BBQ. The girls had been in the city one evening and they were already invited to a party. We had prepared a platter of guacamole (made with fresh avocadoes, onions, tomatoes, and lemon juice). It was a big hit. Emily also made her own hamburgers, and Bronwyn and I opted for some grilled poulet. I am happy to announce that all the MAIPR crew made it out to the BBQ so Emily finally met Dev from India who she had heard a lot about; she was particularly interested by a story he told about sneakily catching a culprit back in Heronbank. I think they're kindred spirits - tricks and pranks rank high on their lists. We stayed late into the night chatting with the big group (Hetta also had three friends from home), avoiding RAs for a noise complaint, and enjoying the left over grill items. On the way home I took the girls through the Red Light District (an AMS must). Yet again, after previous visits from Emily and Michael, all the MAIPR kids told me just how much they love my friends. If they could just see us ALL at one gathering.... they’d probably run for the hills.
Saturday was also a busy day. Our first stop was the World Press Photo Exhibit. I took Michael two weeks ago and thought the girls would enjoy it. It was great the second time around; there is something interesting for everyone. We went through a few more markets, saw other parts of the city, and eventually ended up at the Anne Frank Museum. Bronwyn and Cynthia went inside. Since Emily and I had been in before we hung out in oversized patio chairs for an hour and talked about plans post-September. After that proved taxing, we read through a Dutch menu and tried to guess what each other would have for each course (some things never change).
That night we made a tasty and healthy dinner: pesto, tomato, mozzarella, and pine nut sandwiches (a recipe I picked up in Amsterdam) with an everything salad with corn and broccoli that Cynthia and Emily made. Delicious. I took the girls to a club on Rembrandtplein called Club Smokey since it has cheap cover and plays accessible 'poppy' tunes. The song playing as we entered was a Will Smith classic. I think Bronwyn had a heart attack. It turned out to be the perfect place for the Saturday night - they played new stuff and some old classics. Best of all, there was no cover and drinks were relatively well priced. We stayed there late until one of the group (who will remain nameless) parked herself in a chair and said she was danced out from all the walking; Lady Marmalade quickly cured her inability to walk. The girls sang Fill Me Up Buttercup on the walk home - undeniably one of the best nights in Amsterdam.
Sunday we took a day trip out of the city to Zandvoort. I'm not sure if Zandvoort translates intoSandfort in English, but it's the closest beach to Amsterdam and boy, is it beautiful. Who would have thought that 25 minutes outside of the city there are sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. Hotels and restaurants pepper the beach and there are wind tents for rent. If you had told me we were in Florida I would have believed you. It also helped that it was a scorching 24 degrees (scorching by Netherland standards). We made the most of it: tanning in the sun, eating lays potato chips and choco-peanuts, watching little children fight over a mountain of lounge chairs, and we even considered a game or two of beach volleyball. The latter was deemed too much effort on such a sunny day. From 2 - 7pm we soaked it up like beach royalty before taking the train home with everyone else who made the pilgrimage to the beach. That night, us lobsters made a wonderful peanut stir-fry and chatted over a beer (yes, we were beered out). As a nice cap to the trip, we flicked on Paris Je T'aime and fell off to sleep.
The next morning we went on one more market and department store trip before Bronwyn and Emily headed off for the bus en route to Spain. Cynthia visited for a few hours longer before heading off to the train station en route to Italy (I did mention we're royalty, right?). The apartment has never felt so empty. To go from four voices filling a tiny bachelor to just me getting back to schoolwork was a bit of a downer. After living with Emily at 135, I've become good friends with her louder volleyball loving other half Bronwyn, and after visiting Rennes in September I've also become close to her quieter med-school bound flatmate Cynthia. It was an absolute pleasure to host three really amazing girls, and surprise surprise; there was no noise complaint! I'm really proud when my MAIPR classmates tell me how wonderful my friends are, but I can't say I'm surprised they feel so.
I return to Canada a month today to see all my other wonderful friends and family.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Euroshopper choco-peanuts (one third the price of M&M peanuts) were our companion this weekend. I don't know if you can get a hold of them, but they may just change your life.
I greeted the girls as their bus arrived at 11:30pm. The meeting could have been in a movie: I cycled up just as the girls were dragging their suitcases away from the bus. I rang my little bell (which I think was a welcome sound after an eight hour journey) and we rejoiced in a mini-reunion. After the obligatory bike photos, we walked with luggage in tow to my apartment. There we blew up an air mattress (three guests is a new one for me) and then had a catch-up over a few beers. Emily and Cynthia had moved out of their apartment in Rennes that very day so we hit the hay quite early. It struck me afterwards that I was there to bookend Emily's Rennes experience in some ways. When I arrived in September she had only moved into her new apartment a few days before and the day she moved out of the city she arrived in Amsterdam. It's hard to believe how much time has passed since then.
The next morning we had a breaky feast (with the fresh market items bought the day before) and then we hit the city. I took the girls through the market. It was, without a doubt, the longest market visit I've ever had. That's because I've never been with shoppers before. Instead of just walking the length of the street and just "taking it in," the girls were keen to investigate, inquire about the price, and PURCHASE. This was totally fine with me. The next stop was MuseumPlein where I pointed out all the cultural spots. The I AMSTERDAM sign has returned to the area after a two-week absence (sorry Michael, Graham, and Leslie) so we took some shots with the sign. Bronwyn, not wanting to miss an opportunity for a great profile pic, sat in the lower case 'd' and we took photos from the opposite side so it looked like a 'b'. Clever girl. We wandered to the north of the city past all the galleries and busy shopping areas - both Emily and Bronwyn purchased some comfortable Birkenstock shoes. I might nab a pair before I ship off.
After a quick grocery stop to get supplies to the evening we headed to Hetta's house for an MAIPR BBQ. The girls had been in the city one evening and they were already invited to a party. We had prepared a platter of guacamole (made with fresh avocadoes, onions, tomatoes, and lemon juice). It was a big hit. Emily also made her own hamburgers, and Bronwyn and I opted for some grilled poulet. I am happy to announce that all the MAIPR crew made it out to the BBQ so Emily finally met Dev from India who she had heard a lot about; she was particularly interested by a story he told about sneakily catching a culprit back in Heronbank. I think they're kindred spirits - tricks and pranks rank high on their lists. We stayed late into the night chatting with the big group (Hetta also had three friends from home), avoiding RAs for a noise complaint, and enjoying the left over grill items. On the way home I took the girls through the Red Light District (an AMS must). Yet again, after previous visits from Emily and Michael, all the MAIPR kids told me just how much they love my friends. If they could just see us ALL at one gathering.... they’d probably run for the hills.
Saturday was also a busy day. Our first stop was the World Press Photo Exhibit. I took Michael two weeks ago and thought the girls would enjoy it. It was great the second time around; there is something interesting for everyone. We went through a few more markets, saw other parts of the city, and eventually ended up at the Anne Frank Museum. Bronwyn and Cynthia went inside. Since Emily and I had been in before we hung out in oversized patio chairs for an hour and talked about plans post-September. After that proved taxing, we read through a Dutch menu and tried to guess what each other would have for each course (some things never change).
That night we made a tasty and healthy dinner: pesto, tomato, mozzarella, and pine nut sandwiches (a recipe I picked up in Amsterdam) with an everything salad with corn and broccoli that Cynthia and Emily made. Delicious. I took the girls to a club on Rembrandtplein called Club Smokey since it has cheap cover and plays accessible 'poppy' tunes. The song playing as we entered was a Will Smith classic. I think Bronwyn had a heart attack. It turned out to be the perfect place for the Saturday night - they played new stuff and some old classics. Best of all, there was no cover and drinks were relatively well priced. We stayed there late until one of the group (who will remain nameless) parked herself in a chair and said she was danced out from all the walking; Lady Marmalade quickly cured her inability to walk. The girls sang Fill Me Up Buttercup on the walk home - undeniably one of the best nights in Amsterdam.
Sunday we took a day trip out of the city to Zandvoort. I'm not sure if Zandvoort translates intoSandfort in English, but it's the closest beach to Amsterdam and boy, is it beautiful. Who would have thought that 25 minutes outside of the city there are sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. Hotels and restaurants pepper the beach and there are wind tents for rent. If you had told me we were in Florida I would have believed you. It also helped that it was a scorching 24 degrees (scorching by Netherland standards). We made the most of it: tanning in the sun, eating lays potato chips and choco-peanuts, watching little children fight over a mountain of lounge chairs, and we even considered a game or two of beach volleyball. The latter was deemed too much effort on such a sunny day. From 2 - 7pm we soaked it up like beach royalty before taking the train home with everyone else who made the pilgrimage to the beach. That night, us lobsters made a wonderful peanut stir-fry and chatted over a beer (yes, we were beered out). As a nice cap to the trip, we flicked on Paris Je T'aime and fell off to sleep.
The next morning we went on one more market and department store trip before Bronwyn and Emily headed off for the bus en route to Spain. Cynthia visited for a few hours longer before heading off to the train station en route to Italy (I did mention we're royalty, right?). The apartment has never felt so empty. To go from four voices filling a tiny bachelor to just me getting back to schoolwork was a bit of a downer. After living with Emily at 135, I've become good friends with her louder volleyball loving other half Bronwyn, and after visiting Rennes in September I've also become close to her quieter med-school bound flatmate Cynthia. It was an absolute pleasure to host three really amazing girls, and surprise surprise; there was no noise complaint! I'm really proud when my MAIPR classmates tell me how wonderful my friends are, but I can't say I'm surprised they feel so.
I return to Canada a month today to see all my other wonderful friends and family.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Euroshopper choco-peanuts (one third the price of M&M peanuts) were our companion this weekend. I don't know if you can get a hold of them, but they may just change your life.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Pass the Catchup.doc
To begin this mid-week post, I'd like to formally announce my trip back home to Canada for 10 days. Unfortunately, if this is news to you then you might be the last one to know. The bomb was dropped over phone and facebook a few weeks ago. This is a reminder to bust out those calendars and write it down: June 27 - July 6. I'll be splitting my time between visiting my lovely family back in Thorold and friends in Toronto. I'll firm up the exact dates of each location in the coming month, but I plan to schedule a few jams and sneak in a baseball game or two. Please, any plans you may have will be welcome. Homeward bound in 36 days.
So I'm back in the world, so to speak. After two weeks of not having a computer at my apartment, I am writing this from the luxury of my own desk. Not only did I extract my old hard drive from the macbook, but I installed a new one with Michael's guidance (he is a former Mac employee). All I needed were the start up disks from home, which arrived yesterday, and now i am fully back online. After the new facelift (and five times more storage) my computer and I rekindled the romance last evening by tweaked settings and uploading all the necessary programs. It was nice to be able to use skype again and watch the season finale of Lost which I had been anticipating for a few weeks. My old hard drive will ride with me back to Canada where I'll try every possible avenue to rip my photos off the thing. I'm confident it'll work out. I've missed the glow of my macbook and the subtle ways she says I love you.
After Michael left I was nervous I wouldn't know what to do with myself! Seven days of relaxing and walking around the city got really comfortable. We had a great time. Thankfully, I had a project to jump directly into after he left. Two hours after I guided him to Centraal Station (after one final hurrah on the Sunday night) I was back in the library trying to complete my paper for the International Performance Theory class. We were requested to have an abstract or a full draft ready for Tuesday. In true Doctor style, I pumped out the 4200 word draft (see my earlier post on vomiting the ideas out). I am writing on the Performance of Citizenship as a constructed series of behaviours that define the relationship between citizen and state. I'm looking at the performance through the theories of Judith Butler and Homi Bhabha. With the draft done I can continue to work on it over the next month before it's due at the end of June. It's child's play.
Just when I thought things couldn't get worst (after two weeks of computer connection anxiety) I started my day off with a flat bike tire yesterday. When problem after problem that I can't really deal with on my own start to mount, I feel more and more like an adult (think the Simpson's montage: 'Lisa Needs Braces!'). Add to this the fact that there are no bike shops open today because it's Ascension Day. My reaction cycle took the following path: unbelieving that this has happened to me, an attempt to fix it myself, anger at having no tools at my disposal, a bit of mild sulking, an afternoon patio pint to cheer me up, eventually fixing the problem after realizing it was easy all along, and laughing at myself for being so frustrated in the moment. I bought a pump at the market for 2.50 and the tire seems to be doing fine. Both computer and bike problems in a two week span? I'm not buying a lottery ticket until my luck starts to change.
In addition to continuing to improve the essay, I have an internship report to complete and summer school in Finland to prepare for. It's hard to believe that our week long retreat in the Finnish forest is only about three weeks away. It looks like they've got a full 8am - 9pm schedule planned for us, but the resort facilities include a beach volleyball court, a sauna, and a lake. I'm hoping to play just as much as work that week. As I mentioned before, I've volunteered to be one of three members of the Student Committee to help plan all the social and student lead sessions (what can I say, I just can't say no to Student Council Work - Year 8 and counting). I don't think a professor spoof video is in the works though, sorry Queen's grads.
So, after great visits from Graham and Leslie, and Michael, the final round of May visitors arrives tonight. I welcome Emily, Bronwyn, and Cynthia for FOUR nights here in the city. In preparation for their arrival I visited the markets today where it was packed with holiday shoppers. I managed to pick up some brie, grapes, mangos, oranges, and avocados for really cheap. I also scored a 24 of Grolsch for an incredible 10 Euros at the AH (One of the things I'll miss most about Europe: cheap alcohol). We're all ready for an incredible visit. There may even be bike rentals involved.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: The computer catastrophe was a reminder to BACK UP your important files. I was able to retrieve a lot, but I'm still waiting on the photos. Also, if you don't show it often...let your computer know you appreciate all they do. That is all.
So I'm back in the world, so to speak. After two weeks of not having a computer at my apartment, I am writing this from the luxury of my own desk. Not only did I extract my old hard drive from the macbook, but I installed a new one with Michael's guidance (he is a former Mac employee). All I needed were the start up disks from home, which arrived yesterday, and now i am fully back online. After the new facelift (and five times more storage) my computer and I rekindled the romance last evening by tweaked settings and uploading all the necessary programs. It was nice to be able to use skype again and watch the season finale of Lost which I had been anticipating for a few weeks. My old hard drive will ride with me back to Canada where I'll try every possible avenue to rip my photos off the thing. I'm confident it'll work out. I've missed the glow of my macbook and the subtle ways she says I love you.
After Michael left I was nervous I wouldn't know what to do with myself! Seven days of relaxing and walking around the city got really comfortable. We had a great time. Thankfully, I had a project to jump directly into after he left. Two hours after I guided him to Centraal Station (after one final hurrah on the Sunday night) I was back in the library trying to complete my paper for the International Performance Theory class. We were requested to have an abstract or a full draft ready for Tuesday. In true Doctor style, I pumped out the 4200 word draft (see my earlier post on vomiting the ideas out). I am writing on the Performance of Citizenship as a constructed series of behaviours that define the relationship between citizen and state. I'm looking at the performance through the theories of Judith Butler and Homi Bhabha. With the draft done I can continue to work on it over the next month before it's due at the end of June. It's child's play.
Just when I thought things couldn't get worst (after two weeks of computer connection anxiety) I started my day off with a flat bike tire yesterday. When problem after problem that I can't really deal with on my own start to mount, I feel more and more like an adult (think the Simpson's montage: 'Lisa Needs Braces!'). Add to this the fact that there are no bike shops open today because it's Ascension Day. My reaction cycle took the following path: unbelieving that this has happened to me, an attempt to fix it myself, anger at having no tools at my disposal, a bit of mild sulking, an afternoon patio pint to cheer me up, eventually fixing the problem after realizing it was easy all along, and laughing at myself for being so frustrated in the moment. I bought a pump at the market for 2.50 and the tire seems to be doing fine. Both computer and bike problems in a two week span? I'm not buying a lottery ticket until my luck starts to change.
In addition to continuing to improve the essay, I have an internship report to complete and summer school in Finland to prepare for. It's hard to believe that our week long retreat in the Finnish forest is only about three weeks away. It looks like they've got a full 8am - 9pm schedule planned for us, but the resort facilities include a beach volleyball court, a sauna, and a lake. I'm hoping to play just as much as work that week. As I mentioned before, I've volunteered to be one of three members of the Student Committee to help plan all the social and student lead sessions (what can I say, I just can't say no to Student Council Work - Year 8 and counting). I don't think a professor spoof video is in the works though, sorry Queen's grads.
So, after great visits from Graham and Leslie, and Michael, the final round of May visitors arrives tonight. I welcome Emily, Bronwyn, and Cynthia for FOUR nights here in the city. In preparation for their arrival I visited the markets today where it was packed with holiday shoppers. I managed to pick up some brie, grapes, mangos, oranges, and avocados for really cheap. I also scored a 24 of Grolsch for an incredible 10 Euros at the AH (One of the things I'll miss most about Europe: cheap alcohol). We're all ready for an incredible visit. There may even be bike rentals involved.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: The computer catastrophe was a reminder to BACK UP your important files. I was able to retrieve a lot, but I'm still waiting on the photos. Also, if you don't show it often...let your computer know you appreciate all they do. That is all.
GQ Comes Calling.doc
Apparently the Dutch bike is becoming all the rage in NYC. I've read five articles about the new bike lanes and how fashionable riding will become in these "tough economic times." It figured that GQ would want to snap some pics of "authentic" Amsterdam riders. I was more than happy to oblige.
Special thanks to the wonderfully talented and accomplished photographer.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Nothing sounds so sweet as a city filled with a cacophony of bike bells.
Special thanks to the wonderfully talented and accomplished photographer.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Nothing sounds so sweet as a city filled with a cacophony of bike bells.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A Week With a Friend.doc
Oh wow, readers, it is tough to find time to blog when you're hosting a friend or friends in the city. There are just so many great places to visit, conversations to have, and time spent on the computer is seldom. Today, on Murph's last full day in the city, I'm stealing five hours to work on the internship archive I've been neglecting for the last week and a half hosting friends. I would choose the latter any day.
Murph and I have had a wonderful time here in Amsterdam. The nicest thing about the journey is that he is staying a full 7 days so there is no time crunch to fit everything in. We've done a lot of great things in the city, but I haven't felt like a complete tour guide, more like a city ombudsman. I think the most economic way to detail all of our adventures is a day to day highlight reel.
Monday: We arrived at the Amstel bus stop after the long trek from Belgium. It's not exactly the most beautiful place to first land in the city, but it makes the rest of AMS look stunning. We arrived back at my place and made a fantastic pasta dinner. Instead of hitting the city (after two full days in Brussels) we chilled in that night and caught up on all kinds of stories and developments since I've been away from Canada. I asked about each and every one of you in Toronto and what you've been up to. It was a great way to get back in the loop.
Tuesday: I had class for three hours in the morning and after I returned home I took Michael on an initial tour of the city. We walked through the Waterloo Market, my UVA buildings, Dam Square, Rembrandt Plein, and stopped by a canal or two. That evening we made yet another fine meal, and I rehearsed my presentation for the next day's class. Again, we had some of the convos I've missed since leaving: politics, theatre, the future, and a bit of reminiscing about Queen's Drama. My apartment, with its big floor to ceiling window, is a great place to spend away an evening.
Wednesday: The day started early with a tour through Amsterdam's largest market (an obligatory stop for any visitor). From there we visited the Concert Hall (for the second week in a row) and caught the free lunch time concert. This week, it was a saxophone ensemble. I had never seen such a thing. A dozen saxophones (from soprano to bass) combined in beautiful harmony. It was a nice afternoon treat. Afterwards, I went to my LAST OFFICIAL MAIPR CLASS. This is a big deal for me. Aside from summer school, this is the last of the formal in-class instruction. There I presented my 15 minute Verbatim Theatre exploration as part of the portfolio. I got such great feedback from the students and professor, that it was one of those moments where I questioned my disinterest in continuing with the PhD. These days come every once in a while. After the class, we all went out for drinks at the restaurant near the Theatre Studies department. There, Murphy met all my MAPIR class mates and some of the students who had joined us from other departments. I'm really going to miss this group of students from the Theory class - they're extremely intelligent and socially have been great to get to know. Murphy made quick friends chatting with Adam and Stu about directing and Bec about Mac computers. Worlds colliding in a great way! After the restaurant we moved to our "One more beer bar" to round out the night.
Thursday: I took Michael to the Amsterdam Public Library which must be one of the nicest PubLibs in the world. I knew he would appreciate the six floors of architectural wonder and mac computers. We sipped coffees on the patio overlooking the city and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon. We walked by the Anne Frank museum on our way to the MacStore where I purchased a new hard drive for my computer. Thankfully, the hard drive cost me only 85 Euros and is about five times the size of my old one. It'll be nice to have the computer up and running in under a week. That evening, I made my favourite Amsterdam Peanut Stir Fry. After, we figured we'd catch a film so we went to the late show of Angels and Demons. I can't say Dan Brown is my favourite author, but the film was entertaining.
Friday: Any tourist loves to shop! We went up and down the shopping district, the flower market, and the indoor mall in the city centre. I was doing a bit of window shopping (after tying my money up in future travel tickets) while Michael spied some items to take home. It was yet again, another restful afternoon spent in Amsterdam. That night, we went to Dev and Stu's place for (what was bound to be) another late-night MAIPR get-together. The whole group had come together to celebrate Stu's birthday and the party did not disappoint. Michael was introduced to our intercultural games and was able to chat with the rest of the contingent. The highlight of the night was a game Hetta introduced which is a toast circle that progresses with the passing of a champagne bottle. I'd entitle the game "MAIPR gets Sappy." It was really touching to hear everyone speak fondly of each other after three months of classes.
Saturday: Museum and Culture Day. One of the highlights of the visit with Michael was our trip to the World Press Photo Exhibit 2009. Having become interested in photography in the past year, I was moved by some incredibly stunning photos from journalists all over the world: conflict, everyday, sports, arts, and war. It was a reminder how powerful the captured image can be. From there we traveled to the Van Gogh museum. It was my third trip, but I never tire of floating through the collection. There is something indescribably inspiring about Van Gogh's work (and his story) that I appreciate. I'm sure I'll make one more trip before heading out. That evening we made a makeshift meal and stayed in after such a late night with the MAIPRs on Friday. (Note for Emily: I introduced Michael to the Survivor/Truman Show games!)
Sunday: I'm working on my internship stuff which needs attention ASAP. I've stolen 40 minutes out of that to catch up with the blogo. Tonight, we're heading to my favourite Sunday night spot for Michael's last night in the city. It has been a great visit!
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Most of you won't have a chance to visit me in Amsterdam, but read through as if you've spent a week - this is the type of visit I'd love to spend with each of you.
Murph and I have had a wonderful time here in Amsterdam. The nicest thing about the journey is that he is staying a full 7 days so there is no time crunch to fit everything in. We've done a lot of great things in the city, but I haven't felt like a complete tour guide, more like a city ombudsman. I think the most economic way to detail all of our adventures is a day to day highlight reel.
Monday: We arrived at the Amstel bus stop after the long trek from Belgium. It's not exactly the most beautiful place to first land in the city, but it makes the rest of AMS look stunning. We arrived back at my place and made a fantastic pasta dinner. Instead of hitting the city (after two full days in Brussels) we chilled in that night and caught up on all kinds of stories and developments since I've been away from Canada. I asked about each and every one of you in Toronto and what you've been up to. It was a great way to get back in the loop.
Tuesday: I had class for three hours in the morning and after I returned home I took Michael on an initial tour of the city. We walked through the Waterloo Market, my UVA buildings, Dam Square, Rembrandt Plein, and stopped by a canal or two. That evening we made yet another fine meal, and I rehearsed my presentation for the next day's class. Again, we had some of the convos I've missed since leaving: politics, theatre, the future, and a bit of reminiscing about Queen's Drama. My apartment, with its big floor to ceiling window, is a great place to spend away an evening.
Wednesday: The day started early with a tour through Amsterdam's largest market (an obligatory stop for any visitor). From there we visited the Concert Hall (for the second week in a row) and caught the free lunch time concert. This week, it was a saxophone ensemble. I had never seen such a thing. A dozen saxophones (from soprano to bass) combined in beautiful harmony. It was a nice afternoon treat. Afterwards, I went to my LAST OFFICIAL MAIPR CLASS. This is a big deal for me. Aside from summer school, this is the last of the formal in-class instruction. There I presented my 15 minute Verbatim Theatre exploration as part of the portfolio. I got such great feedback from the students and professor, that it was one of those moments where I questioned my disinterest in continuing with the PhD. These days come every once in a while. After the class, we all went out for drinks at the restaurant near the Theatre Studies department. There, Murphy met all my MAPIR class mates and some of the students who had joined us from other departments. I'm really going to miss this group of students from the Theory class - they're extremely intelligent and socially have been great to get to know. Murphy made quick friends chatting with Adam and Stu about directing and Bec about Mac computers. Worlds colliding in a great way! After the restaurant we moved to our "One more beer bar" to round out the night.
Thursday: I took Michael to the Amsterdam Public Library which must be one of the nicest PubLibs in the world. I knew he would appreciate the six floors of architectural wonder and mac computers. We sipped coffees on the patio overlooking the city and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon. We walked by the Anne Frank museum on our way to the MacStore where I purchased a new hard drive for my computer. Thankfully, the hard drive cost me only 85 Euros and is about five times the size of my old one. It'll be nice to have the computer up and running in under a week. That evening, I made my favourite Amsterdam Peanut Stir Fry. After, we figured we'd catch a film so we went to the late show of Angels and Demons. I can't say Dan Brown is my favourite author, but the film was entertaining.
Friday: Any tourist loves to shop! We went up and down the shopping district, the flower market, and the indoor mall in the city centre. I was doing a bit of window shopping (after tying my money up in future travel tickets) while Michael spied some items to take home. It was yet again, another restful afternoon spent in Amsterdam. That night, we went to Dev and Stu's place for (what was bound to be) another late-night MAIPR get-together. The whole group had come together to celebrate Stu's birthday and the party did not disappoint. Michael was introduced to our intercultural games and was able to chat with the rest of the contingent. The highlight of the night was a game Hetta introduced which is a toast circle that progresses with the passing of a champagne bottle. I'd entitle the game "MAIPR gets Sappy." It was really touching to hear everyone speak fondly of each other after three months of classes.
Saturday: Museum and Culture Day. One of the highlights of the visit with Michael was our trip to the World Press Photo Exhibit 2009. Having become interested in photography in the past year, I was moved by some incredibly stunning photos from journalists all over the world: conflict, everyday, sports, arts, and war. It was a reminder how powerful the captured image can be. From there we traveled to the Van Gogh museum. It was my third trip, but I never tire of floating through the collection. There is something indescribably inspiring about Van Gogh's work (and his story) that I appreciate. I'm sure I'll make one more trip before heading out. That evening we made a makeshift meal and stayed in after such a late night with the MAIPRs on Friday. (Note for Emily: I introduced Michael to the Survivor/Truman Show games!)
Sunday: I'm working on my internship stuff which needs attention ASAP. I've stolen 40 minutes out of that to catch up with the blogo. Tonight, we're heading to my favourite Sunday night spot for Michael's last night in the city. It has been a great visit!
Doc's Prescription of the Day: Most of you won't have a chance to visit me in Amsterdam, but read through as if you've spent a week - this is the type of visit I'd love to spend with each of you.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Muscles in Brussels.doc
I am back in Amsterdam, with a one Mr. Michael Murphy in tow who will be staying for a week. It's great to have a friend here for such a long time so I can show him all the wonderful places in the city.
We were joined by our friend Paul who took a weekend off from Oxford and came down by train. I met the boys at a central metro stop in the city after a very short three hour bus ride to the EU Capital. It was great to see Michael. It's been a long eight months where our talks about politics, theatre, and the like have had to take place over skype. I look forward to a number of good chats this week. It was also good to see Paul after our adventures in Stockholm back in November.
The weekend in Brussels was unlike some of the other travel-a-thons of the past. The three of us decided to mainly take it easy and soak up the city rather than burden ourselves with a whole schedule of museums and must-sees. Our first stop was a patio while we waited for the check-in to open at our hostel. There we sipped on some beers in the sun and went over a bevy of updates. After months of not seeing friends, the stories seem to just pour out. We stayed at the Van Gogh Hostel (apparently the artist lived in the building at one point). It was clean, modest, and we shared the room with another guy. We nicknamed him Scotland because he had a Marks and Sparks water bottle that said Scottish Water on it - he wasn't from Scotland.
That first afternoon we walked around the centre of the city. The Grand Place is an enormous piazza with beautiful old buildings with gold accents on the roofs. The square was packed, but we managed to take some obligatory photos. There was also a giant (like huge) comic strip that was being assembled in the centre of the place. I think it was some sort of comic book event. Apparently, comics are huge in Belgium. We saw the tiny Mannequin Peeing statue that everyone mentions. He was wearing a silly costume. I can't imagine how many pictures such a small and seemingly mundane statue must appear in. For dinner we stopped in at a Thai restaurant and sat out on their patio. Michael had a dish that was served in a Pineapple and Paul and I both had curry.
That evening we went to a special weekend party after getting a tip about a great spot not to be missed. We searched for about 10 minutes in the area where the party should have been (in regards to the map I had) before realizing that the party wasn't near the subway station, it was IN the subway station. Two weeks ago it was a party under a bridge, now it's a party in a metro station. Europe. We had a great time. It was neat to explore a deserted metro station at night where the music reverberated off the concrete walls. We stayed quite late - once again I felt like we were surrounded by a crowd "in the know."
After a sleep in the next day, we walked towards a beautiful mosque on the horizon from our hostel and spent a good hour just lounging in the park outside. The sun was extremely hot and it felt good to just relax and chat with friends. We went to an organic restaurant for lunch (how trendy, how healthy) and had some decent grub. The Iris Festival was going on that week so we checked out all the booths, performances, and free swag scattered throughout the old town area. Like the day before, we walked and walked around the city just content to be in a new place.
That evening we went for a wonderful pasta dinner at the patio around the corner from our hostel. I rarely go out for dinner in Amsterdam (to save money) so it was great to be able to indulge while on vacation. From there we went back to the hostel, had some cheap Jupiler beers, and went out to a club. The cover was 9 Euros, but with that you got 3 drink tickets for 3 Euro drinks. A bit of an odd system, but I guess it guarantees three drinks a head. It was a big club with a DJ booth built into the wall overlooking the main area. Again, we boys had a great night. No OPDs to speak of, sorry friends.
The next morning we split paths after a really restful, but considerably fun, weekend in Brussels. The ride back to Amsterdam was long and drawn out, but I was happy to arrive home and show Michael the city I've settled into. Update on that to come.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I did not sample one Belgium chocolate. For shame? Maybe. Have some chocolate in lieu of my transgression.
We were joined by our friend Paul who took a weekend off from Oxford and came down by train. I met the boys at a central metro stop in the city after a very short three hour bus ride to the EU Capital. It was great to see Michael. It's been a long eight months where our talks about politics, theatre, and the like have had to take place over skype. I look forward to a number of good chats this week. It was also good to see Paul after our adventures in Stockholm back in November.
The weekend in Brussels was unlike some of the other travel-a-thons of the past. The three of us decided to mainly take it easy and soak up the city rather than burden ourselves with a whole schedule of museums and must-sees. Our first stop was a patio while we waited for the check-in to open at our hostel. There we sipped on some beers in the sun and went over a bevy of updates. After months of not seeing friends, the stories seem to just pour out. We stayed at the Van Gogh Hostel (apparently the artist lived in the building at one point). It was clean, modest, and we shared the room with another guy. We nicknamed him Scotland because he had a Marks and Sparks water bottle that said Scottish Water on it - he wasn't from Scotland.
That first afternoon we walked around the centre of the city. The Grand Place is an enormous piazza with beautiful old buildings with gold accents on the roofs. The square was packed, but we managed to take some obligatory photos. There was also a giant (like huge) comic strip that was being assembled in the centre of the place. I think it was some sort of comic book event. Apparently, comics are huge in Belgium. We saw the tiny Mannequin Peeing statue that everyone mentions. He was wearing a silly costume. I can't imagine how many pictures such a small and seemingly mundane statue must appear in. For dinner we stopped in at a Thai restaurant and sat out on their patio. Michael had a dish that was served in a Pineapple and Paul and I both had curry.
That evening we went to a special weekend party after getting a tip about a great spot not to be missed. We searched for about 10 minutes in the area where the party should have been (in regards to the map I had) before realizing that the party wasn't near the subway station, it was IN the subway station. Two weeks ago it was a party under a bridge, now it's a party in a metro station. Europe. We had a great time. It was neat to explore a deserted metro station at night where the music reverberated off the concrete walls. We stayed quite late - once again I felt like we were surrounded by a crowd "in the know."
After a sleep in the next day, we walked towards a beautiful mosque on the horizon from our hostel and spent a good hour just lounging in the park outside. The sun was extremely hot and it felt good to just relax and chat with friends. We went to an organic restaurant for lunch (how trendy, how healthy) and had some decent grub. The Iris Festival was going on that week so we checked out all the booths, performances, and free swag scattered throughout the old town area. Like the day before, we walked and walked around the city just content to be in a new place.
That evening we went for a wonderful pasta dinner at the patio around the corner from our hostel. I rarely go out for dinner in Amsterdam (to save money) so it was great to be able to indulge while on vacation. From there we went back to the hostel, had some cheap Jupiler beers, and went out to a club. The cover was 9 Euros, but with that you got 3 drink tickets for 3 Euro drinks. A bit of an odd system, but I guess it guarantees three drinks a head. It was a big club with a DJ booth built into the wall overlooking the main area. Again, we boys had a great night. No OPDs to speak of, sorry friends.
The next morning we split paths after a really restful, but considerably fun, weekend in Brussels. The ride back to Amsterdam was long and drawn out, but I was happy to arrive home and show Michael the city I've settled into. Update on that to come.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I did not sample one Belgium chocolate. For shame? Maybe. Have some chocolate in lieu of my transgression.
Friday, May 08, 2009
A Month of Mayhem.doc
The reason I haven't posted in a few days is because I had an accident on Monday. It was actually quite a non-event of the day (save that I thought readers would enjoy hearing about it). Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite the game-changer when I became aware of the consequences of the accident. Let me explain...
On Monday, I was biking to school on the seven minute route as usual. The sun was out and a boat was passing through in the adjacent canal. The road was strewn with some sand left over from the dump trucks working on construction the week before. Now that I've build up the seemingly perfect morning conditions, I can tell you about the actual accident. I rounded the corner much too quickly, buoyant and aggressive on a beautiful morning, and skidded my bike on the sand strewn road. I was able to slow the bike down with my feet, but did end up toppling over. I got up without a scratch - I was wearing my down Canadian vest which absorbed a lot of the soft blow. I chalked it up as my first official Amsterdam bike wipeout (every ex-pat has one) and laughed it off. A non-event, yes?
Wrong. Upon arriving at school, I took out my lovely macbook, and it wouldn't boot up. The usual apple screen would pop to the surface but what followed was a black screen with a blinking rectangle a la Microsoft Dos. Insert multiple expletives; not a good sign. It seems the damage in the accident was to my computer, rather than to me or my self-esteem. The mac shop here in Amsterdam diagnosed a damaged hard drive. It was a mix of emotions - I was gutted, frustrated, angry, and pretty much hopeless. You see, I hadn't done a good backup in a while (I don't want to hear about it either) so it seemed that I had lost all the school documents and the wonderful photos I had snapped in the past eight months.
Enter my Australian friend Bec, MW (mac wizard). She told me to buy a firewire cable and get over to her place. We docked my poor injured machine to her Macbook and went through five hours of digital surgery trying to retrieve important files. I was able to salvage the portfolio presentation I was working on for next week, the ten page essay draft I was working on, and a lot of other important documents. We tried to access the photos but to no avail. I'm going to try next week to extract them again. If worst comes to worst, I can keep the hard drive and then send it to a Disk Recovery company once I'm making a salary somewhere. I'm optimistic about the possibilities. Next week, I'll purchase a new hard drive and slip it into the machine to get back online. It has been a truly interesting experience (a blog post all its own in the coming weeks) full of ups and downs, but at the end of the day all that was lost (and possibly salvageable) was digital files. Life goes on.
And go on it did! I was extremely excited to host Graham and Leslie for two nights in Amsterdam. Graham and Leslie are two friends from the good old Queen's days. I lived with Graham on the third floor of the infamous 309 Earl St of 2nd year drama. 8 guys, one house, one rooftop...lots of jousting and parties. They are doing a five week tour of Europa and Amsterdam was the second stop along the way. I met them at the Centraal Station on Tuesday evening and walked them back to the apartment. I give them credit; they are authentic backpackers. Huge sacs filled to the brim on their backs (properly Canadian flagged) and small backpacks in the front. We had a quick little dinner before heading out to see what was going on in Amsterdam.
They arrived on a wonderful day in Canadian/Netherland history - Liberation Day. It's a national holiday commemorating the day the allies freed the country from the Nazis. And who lead the charge to free the Netherlands? Canadians, of course. I wore all my flag pins with pride. We wanted to check out a concert as part of Liberation Day, and arrived at midnight to see them closing up shop. I know it was a Tuesday, but that was a bit unfortunate. Never fear, we hatched an alternate plan. We sipped a few AH beers and I took them for a night tour along the Amstel, across my favourite bridge in the city, through Rembrandtplein, and all the way to my favourite bar in the city, The Neighbour. The place is just undeniably cool - a hidden gem. We watched the locals play pool, sipped on a few beers, and caught up with where everyone was. Graham just finished his first year of Law school in Ottawa and Leslie just completed her MA of Teaching at UofT. An impressive couple, yes?
The next day was a whirlwind. We woke up at a decent hour and toured the Albert (the largest market in Amsterdam) and then made our way to Museumplein. There, I wanted to offer them the opportunity to take photos with the I AMSTERDAM sign but it had disappeared for Lib Day festivities. A disappointment. What was NOT a disappointment was the free lunch time concert we attended at the Concert Hall. I figured it would be a nice treat, but I had no idea how special it would be. The concert that day was in the Grand Hall and there was not an extra seat in sight. We figured it must be a bigger concert than usual. Joining the orchestra for a lunchtime rehearsal of their concert that evening was none other than Lang Lang (worth a google) - he's was a child prodigy who is one of the foremost pianists in the world. He played at the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, has countless other honours, and just so happened to be performing in Amsterdam. It was magical - all the other orchestra members were watching him work the keys with his magical hands. A superb surprise.
Our day of culture continued with a visit to the Van Gogh museum - probably my favourite in the city. We saw the special "Colours of the Night" Exhibit and the permanent collection that traces the evolution of his work. We stopped for a coffee in a cafe that afternoon, and continued to tour the city. After enjoying a late lunch I took them through the school facilities and we passed a beautiful outdoor exhibit raising awareness for children with Downes Syndrome. After an afternoon nap, Graham and Leslie treated me for a dinner at a great Thai place. We then went on a leisurely tour of the Red Light District (no trip would be incomplete) and finished the night off in another Amsterdam pub.
The next day they continued to explore the city with a visit to the Anne Frank museum while I did internship work. I walked them to the train station at 5pm and saw them off to Bruges. It was great to re-connect with Graham and Leslie. It's such an adult thing to host "university friends" for a few nights but I had been looking forward to it for some time. As with any close friendships, we picked up right where we left off and it was great to get updates as to what they had been doing the past two years or so.
The visits continue! Tomorrow I head to Brussels to meet Michael and Paul for a weekend in the EU captial. I could not be happier to escape the city for a week and hang out with two more good friends from home. On Monday, Michael turns with me to Amsterdam for a week long visit. I'm extremely looking forward to hosting again.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I've been waiting for the 'May'hem for months - I'm finally glad the visits are here. Visit with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, enemies, and nemesis in this wonderful sunshine.
Doc's Blog Prescription: I'm not sure who is and who isn't reading anymore. Comments and responses to what I was writing from friends is what initially inspired me to fit the blog into my already busy schedule. So, all I ask is, if you are still reading, just let me know sometime so I know it's not all for naught. I'm going to keep pressing through so I have a record of my travels, but if I know more people haven't tuned out, it will inspire me to post often and with pride. A lone Canadian half-way around the world just needs to know that his messages in a bottle find their way to shore. Yuck, how jam-down-your-throat poetic.
On Monday, I was biking to school on the seven minute route as usual. The sun was out and a boat was passing through in the adjacent canal. The road was strewn with some sand left over from the dump trucks working on construction the week before. Now that I've build up the seemingly perfect morning conditions, I can tell you about the actual accident. I rounded the corner much too quickly, buoyant and aggressive on a beautiful morning, and skidded my bike on the sand strewn road. I was able to slow the bike down with my feet, but did end up toppling over. I got up without a scratch - I was wearing my down Canadian vest which absorbed a lot of the soft blow. I chalked it up as my first official Amsterdam bike wipeout (every ex-pat has one) and laughed it off. A non-event, yes?
Wrong. Upon arriving at school, I took out my lovely macbook, and it wouldn't boot up. The usual apple screen would pop to the surface but what followed was a black screen with a blinking rectangle a la Microsoft Dos. Insert multiple expletives; not a good sign. It seems the damage in the accident was to my computer, rather than to me or my self-esteem. The mac shop here in Amsterdam diagnosed a damaged hard drive. It was a mix of emotions - I was gutted, frustrated, angry, and pretty much hopeless. You see, I hadn't done a good backup in a while (I don't want to hear about it either) so it seemed that I had lost all the school documents and the wonderful photos I had snapped in the past eight months.
Enter my Australian friend Bec, MW (mac wizard). She told me to buy a firewire cable and get over to her place. We docked my poor injured machine to her Macbook and went through five hours of digital surgery trying to retrieve important files. I was able to salvage the portfolio presentation I was working on for next week, the ten page essay draft I was working on, and a lot of other important documents. We tried to access the photos but to no avail. I'm going to try next week to extract them again. If worst comes to worst, I can keep the hard drive and then send it to a Disk Recovery company once I'm making a salary somewhere. I'm optimistic about the possibilities. Next week, I'll purchase a new hard drive and slip it into the machine to get back online. It has been a truly interesting experience (a blog post all its own in the coming weeks) full of ups and downs, but at the end of the day all that was lost (and possibly salvageable) was digital files. Life goes on.
And go on it did! I was extremely excited to host Graham and Leslie for two nights in Amsterdam. Graham and Leslie are two friends from the good old Queen's days. I lived with Graham on the third floor of the infamous 309 Earl St of 2nd year drama. 8 guys, one house, one rooftop...lots of jousting and parties. They are doing a five week tour of Europa and Amsterdam was the second stop along the way. I met them at the Centraal Station on Tuesday evening and walked them back to the apartment. I give them credit; they are authentic backpackers. Huge sacs filled to the brim on their backs (properly Canadian flagged) and small backpacks in the front. We had a quick little dinner before heading out to see what was going on in Amsterdam.
They arrived on a wonderful day in Canadian/Netherland history - Liberation Day. It's a national holiday commemorating the day the allies freed the country from the Nazis. And who lead the charge to free the Netherlands? Canadians, of course. I wore all my flag pins with pride. We wanted to check out a concert as part of Liberation Day, and arrived at midnight to see them closing up shop. I know it was a Tuesday, but that was a bit unfortunate. Never fear, we hatched an alternate plan. We sipped a few AH beers and I took them for a night tour along the Amstel, across my favourite bridge in the city, through Rembrandtplein, and all the way to my favourite bar in the city, The Neighbour. The place is just undeniably cool - a hidden gem. We watched the locals play pool, sipped on a few beers, and caught up with where everyone was. Graham just finished his first year of Law school in Ottawa and Leslie just completed her MA of Teaching at UofT. An impressive couple, yes?
The next day was a whirlwind. We woke up at a decent hour and toured the Albert (the largest market in Amsterdam) and then made our way to Museumplein. There, I wanted to offer them the opportunity to take photos with the I AMSTERDAM sign but it had disappeared for Lib Day festivities. A disappointment. What was NOT a disappointment was the free lunch time concert we attended at the Concert Hall. I figured it would be a nice treat, but I had no idea how special it would be. The concert that day was in the Grand Hall and there was not an extra seat in sight. We figured it must be a bigger concert than usual. Joining the orchestra for a lunchtime rehearsal of their concert that evening was none other than Lang Lang (worth a google) - he's was a child prodigy who is one of the foremost pianists in the world. He played at the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, has countless other honours, and just so happened to be performing in Amsterdam. It was magical - all the other orchestra members were watching him work the keys with his magical hands. A superb surprise.
Our day of culture continued with a visit to the Van Gogh museum - probably my favourite in the city. We saw the special "Colours of the Night" Exhibit and the permanent collection that traces the evolution of his work. We stopped for a coffee in a cafe that afternoon, and continued to tour the city. After enjoying a late lunch I took them through the school facilities and we passed a beautiful outdoor exhibit raising awareness for children with Downes Syndrome. After an afternoon nap, Graham and Leslie treated me for a dinner at a great Thai place. We then went on a leisurely tour of the Red Light District (no trip would be incomplete) and finished the night off in another Amsterdam pub.
The next day they continued to explore the city with a visit to the Anne Frank museum while I did internship work. I walked them to the train station at 5pm and saw them off to Bruges. It was great to re-connect with Graham and Leslie. It's such an adult thing to host "university friends" for a few nights but I had been looking forward to it for some time. As with any close friendships, we picked up right where we left off and it was great to get updates as to what they had been doing the past two years or so.
The visits continue! Tomorrow I head to Brussels to meet Michael and Paul for a weekend in the EU captial. I could not be happier to escape the city for a week and hang out with two more good friends from home. On Monday, Michael turns with me to Amsterdam for a week long visit. I'm extremely looking forward to hosting again.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I've been waiting for the 'May'hem for months - I'm finally glad the visits are here. Visit with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, enemies, and nemesis in this wonderful sunshine.
Doc's Blog Prescription: I'm not sure who is and who isn't reading anymore. Comments and responses to what I was writing from friends is what initially inspired me to fit the blog into my already busy schedule. So, all I ask is, if you are still reading, just let me know sometime so I know it's not all for naught. I'm going to keep pressing through so I have a record of my travels, but if I know more people haven't tuned out, it will inspire me to post often and with pride. A lone Canadian half-way around the world just needs to know that his messages in a bottle find their way to shore. Yuck, how jam-down-your-throat poetic.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Orangeade and Sunny D.doc
As promised, here are some of the best Queen's Day photos from the Orange Nation.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: An orange, carrot, or pumpkin. Then enough with the orange.
Sailing Through at Day's End.
Pure excess.
Plexat!
Leisure Time.
Where are we going?
Put Your Hands in the Air.
Park Chilling.
House of Orange, MD.
Hello, may I have something orange please? Thanks.
Booze Cruise.
Early Morning Wake Up.
The Breakfast Club.
Bonfire Under the Bridge.
Orange Steel.
Under the Bridge.
Sights and Sounds.
The Orange Lights Come From Everywhere.
Queen's Night Music Venue.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: An orange, carrot, or pumpkin. Then enough with the orange.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Queen's Orange Colours We Are Wearing Once Again.doc
So it wasn't exactly Queen's College Colours (red, blue, and gold) that were proudly on display last Wednesday and Thursday, but rather orange, the national colour of the Netherlands in honour of Queen Beatrix. The combination of Queen's Night and Queen's Day was a boiling over of revelry and merriment with a dash of whimsy and a sprig of hooliganism. It goes down as the craziest 36 hour stretch I've had since leaving Canada and, for that reason, (as with most events of this magnitude) hard to do justice to in a Sunday post.
Queen's Night began on the Wednesday at our favourite hangout called Orlaam which is an authentic little Dutch pub on Nieuwe Dolenstraat which is just up the street from where we study. Unfortunately, the majority of the group opted to finish their thesis proposals (mine had been sent in that morning) rather than partake in the Q Night festivities. There is only one word I can use to describe that decision: LAME. Thankfully, Hetta, Adam, and Stu also grasped the importance of such a night to our development as temporary ex-pats. After a few introductory pints, we went to an outdoor music venue near the Music Theatre where there was a DJ spinning some mad Euro techno. Beers were (unfortunately) two and a half euros with a one euro deposit on the cup: also LAME. The Dutch, who had done this a dreadful number of times before, brought their own which was what we should have done. A girl wandered up to the four of us and insisted we have orange stripes under our eyes - no complaint here! We spent a good two hours taking in the sights at the concert and decided to head to a "special invite only" party that was taking place elsewhere in the city.
I say it was "invite only" because the location was secret up until an hour before the party, however, because the party turned out to be directly under a bridge in the north of Amsterdam, I don't know how "invite only" you could say it was. That's right, we took a cab to the north of Amsterdam and had the driver drop us where we could hear the beat reverberating off the walls of the....bridge. I can't say I've ever been to a party under a bridge before. You should have heard the voice mail describing directions from just about anywhere in the Netherlands. Every instruction ended with, "and there you will find us, under the bridge." Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical (and thinking that this type of party was more for our teenage or freshly 20 counterparts), but it turned out to be an amazing night. It was, as usual in Amsterdam, a really alternative, hip, cutting-edge type group that was at the party. The music was really great, it was amazing to spend the night outside, and there was a bonfire under the opposite side of the bridge that proved to be a welcome place to sit and relax. Like The Neighbour, De Trut, and some of the other places I've been in the city, this party was a reminder of the types of spots that only really exist in a city like Amsterdam. I don't think I could have had this type of wild experience (I mean, an all night party under a bridge?) in Canada. It's nights like that, that at first I was weary to attend for fear of it being completely difference to what I've been to before, that make it the reason I've loved the European growth.
We should party under bridges more often; if the homeless don't mind the noise. I'm going to be honest in my chronicle and tell you that I stayed there until 5:30am (yes Mom and Dad...late). At that point, we walked back to the main section of the city (to avoid a 40 Euro cab fare). Luckily, I had biked to the North of Amsterdam before so I knew the route home. After a thirty minute hike, I climbed into bed at 6:00am and bolted awake 3 hours later to get up and ready for the breakfast I was hosting at 9:30. Ah, Queen's Day! The crowd started filtering in around 10:00am recounting stories about the evenings adventures and getting ready for a full day in the sun joining the Dutch faithful. We brunched on all kinds of fresh fruit, pancakes, waffles (of course), salmon, cheese, and, of course, some beer and mimosa. My initial reason for throwing the breakfast was to remember those nostalgic pancake-kegger mornings at Queen's homecoming and the one here in Amsterdam didn't disappoint. It reminded me really fondly of Kingston. Everyone arrived in their orange garb, we sat around listening to good music, and preparing ourselves for a leisurely afternoon.
After an extended two hour brunch, we hit the city at about noon. We visited the famous flea markets scattered all throughout the city. Anyone, everyone, and their neighbours all hawk their wares at the side of the street for dirt cheap. While I understand the tradition, I don't know who would want to spend an entire day trying to peddle old clothes when you could be among the parks and parties. Our second stop was a wander by the canals which were absolutely packed with orange boats filled with people having a few drinks and enjoying an afternoon ride. We then set up camp in a big park outside the Heineken Brewery where we had a patch of sun to call our own. It may not sound exciting but we sat for two hours chatting with other Dutch people, taking in the sights, and enjoying the beautiful sun (the .70 Euro cent beers weren't bad either). After park lounging, we went to a concert near the Museumplein where a huge sound system had been erected. The headlining group was none other than 2Unlimited. WHO? How about - ("Let Me Hear You Say Yeah! No No, No No, No No, No No, No No, No, No, there's no limit!") That's the correct number of 'No's for your information. They also sing Tribal Dance. I am certain that most of you have skipped to this at a Jump Rope For Heart near you. The Euros love the classics.
The concert was packed, but it was great to be part of a big group. Our last stop of the day was a park near Museumplein where we sat around and leisurely wasted away the afternoon. We had a Dutch visitor who joined our group and requested to know more about our international makeup. He pronounced Canada, KA-NA-DA with stress on each syllable and said that he was pretty certain that was the right way to pronounce it. He thought that being from Canada, I was just use to pronouncing it incorrectly, or as I think he called it "a localized version." I'm certain he had come from a "coffeeshop" just before joining us. Not to worry, I let him know who was boss of Canadian knowledge - he got the 411.
It was about that time, 10:00pm, that we all began to feel the effects of 28 hours of go-go-go partying. Instead of heading out further downtown, we decided to call it an early night. The three hours of sleep that I barely registered were ultimately, not enough to get me (or any one of us for that matter) to forego sleep and hit the town. I crashed into bed at 11:00pm and slept until noon the next day which happened to be par for the course for our group. I thought we had missed out on capitalizing Queen's Day Night, but it turns out (after consulting some Dutch friends) that going hard Queen's Night into day and not making it out for the latter part of the day is the preferred way to 'do' the holiday. So we actually followed the correct procedure without even knowing it. Unfortunately, the holiday was marred by the attack on the royal family in a small town which shut down some of the evening events in Amsterdam. It was a really shocking piece of news which put a damper on a lot of the festivities.
Queen's Day goes down as one of my most memorable European experiences yet! I think years from now, whenever I see a canal flooded with orange hooligans on orange boats with orange beers, I'll think back to the 32 hours of constant revelry. It was great to be in the centre of it all.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I'd prescribe a wicked party under a bridge to shake up some of the Canadian uptightness, but I don't think it'd fly. What's everyone up to on Canada Day - bridge party anyone?
Queen's Night began on the Wednesday at our favourite hangout called Orlaam which is an authentic little Dutch pub on Nieuwe Dolenstraat which is just up the street from where we study. Unfortunately, the majority of the group opted to finish their thesis proposals (mine had been sent in that morning) rather than partake in the Q Night festivities. There is only one word I can use to describe that decision: LAME. Thankfully, Hetta, Adam, and Stu also grasped the importance of such a night to our development as temporary ex-pats. After a few introductory pints, we went to an outdoor music venue near the Music Theatre where there was a DJ spinning some mad Euro techno. Beers were (unfortunately) two and a half euros with a one euro deposit on the cup: also LAME. The Dutch, who had done this a dreadful number of times before, brought their own which was what we should have done. A girl wandered up to the four of us and insisted we have orange stripes under our eyes - no complaint here! We spent a good two hours taking in the sights at the concert and decided to head to a "special invite only" party that was taking place elsewhere in the city.
I say it was "invite only" because the location was secret up until an hour before the party, however, because the party turned out to be directly under a bridge in the north of Amsterdam, I don't know how "invite only" you could say it was. That's right, we took a cab to the north of Amsterdam and had the driver drop us where we could hear the beat reverberating off the walls of the....bridge. I can't say I've ever been to a party under a bridge before. You should have heard the voice mail describing directions from just about anywhere in the Netherlands. Every instruction ended with, "and there you will find us, under the bridge." Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical (and thinking that this type of party was more for our teenage or freshly 20 counterparts), but it turned out to be an amazing night. It was, as usual in Amsterdam, a really alternative, hip, cutting-edge type group that was at the party. The music was really great, it was amazing to spend the night outside, and there was a bonfire under the opposite side of the bridge that proved to be a welcome place to sit and relax. Like The Neighbour, De Trut, and some of the other places I've been in the city, this party was a reminder of the types of spots that only really exist in a city like Amsterdam. I don't think I could have had this type of wild experience (I mean, an all night party under a bridge?) in Canada. It's nights like that, that at first I was weary to attend for fear of it being completely difference to what I've been to before, that make it the reason I've loved the European growth.
We should party under bridges more often; if the homeless don't mind the noise. I'm going to be honest in my chronicle and tell you that I stayed there until 5:30am (yes Mom and Dad...late). At that point, we walked back to the main section of the city (to avoid a 40 Euro cab fare). Luckily, I had biked to the North of Amsterdam before so I knew the route home. After a thirty minute hike, I climbed into bed at 6:00am and bolted awake 3 hours later to get up and ready for the breakfast I was hosting at 9:30. Ah, Queen's Day! The crowd started filtering in around 10:00am recounting stories about the evenings adventures and getting ready for a full day in the sun joining the Dutch faithful. We brunched on all kinds of fresh fruit, pancakes, waffles (of course), salmon, cheese, and, of course, some beer and mimosa. My initial reason for throwing the breakfast was to remember those nostalgic pancake-kegger mornings at Queen's homecoming and the one here in Amsterdam didn't disappoint. It reminded me really fondly of Kingston. Everyone arrived in their orange garb, we sat around listening to good music, and preparing ourselves for a leisurely afternoon.
After an extended two hour brunch, we hit the city at about noon. We visited the famous flea markets scattered all throughout the city. Anyone, everyone, and their neighbours all hawk their wares at the side of the street for dirt cheap. While I understand the tradition, I don't know who would want to spend an entire day trying to peddle old clothes when you could be among the parks and parties. Our second stop was a wander by the canals which were absolutely packed with orange boats filled with people having a few drinks and enjoying an afternoon ride. We then set up camp in a big park outside the Heineken Brewery where we had a patch of sun to call our own. It may not sound exciting but we sat for two hours chatting with other Dutch people, taking in the sights, and enjoying the beautiful sun (the .70 Euro cent beers weren't bad either). After park lounging, we went to a concert near the Museumplein where a huge sound system had been erected. The headlining group was none other than 2Unlimited. WHO? How about - ("Let Me Hear You Say Yeah! No No, No No, No No, No No, No No, No, No, there's no limit!") That's the correct number of 'No's for your information. They also sing Tribal Dance. I am certain that most of you have skipped to this at a Jump Rope For Heart near you. The Euros love the classics.
The concert was packed, but it was great to be part of a big group. Our last stop of the day was a park near Museumplein where we sat around and leisurely wasted away the afternoon. We had a Dutch visitor who joined our group and requested to know more about our international makeup. He pronounced Canada, KA-NA-DA with stress on each syllable and said that he was pretty certain that was the right way to pronounce it. He thought that being from Canada, I was just use to pronouncing it incorrectly, or as I think he called it "a localized version." I'm certain he had come from a "coffeeshop" just before joining us. Not to worry, I let him know who was boss of Canadian knowledge - he got the 411.
It was about that time, 10:00pm, that we all began to feel the effects of 28 hours of go-go-go partying. Instead of heading out further downtown, we decided to call it an early night. The three hours of sleep that I barely registered were ultimately, not enough to get me (or any one of us for that matter) to forego sleep and hit the town. I crashed into bed at 11:00pm and slept until noon the next day which happened to be par for the course for our group. I thought we had missed out on capitalizing Queen's Day Night, but it turns out (after consulting some Dutch friends) that going hard Queen's Night into day and not making it out for the latter part of the day is the preferred way to 'do' the holiday. So we actually followed the correct procedure without even knowing it. Unfortunately, the holiday was marred by the attack on the royal family in a small town which shut down some of the evening events in Amsterdam. It was a really shocking piece of news which put a damper on a lot of the festivities.
Queen's Day goes down as one of my most memorable European experiences yet! I think years from now, whenever I see a canal flooded with orange hooligans on orange boats with orange beers, I'll think back to the 32 hours of constant revelry. It was great to be in the centre of it all.
Doc's Prescription of the Day: I'd prescribe a wicked party under a bridge to shake up some of the Canadian uptightness, but I don't think it'd fly. What's everyone up to on Canada Day - bridge party anyone?
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