Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Last 2 Weeks

Radhika went to London the weekend before her birthday to hang out with 2 friends from boarding school, Dimple and Shraddha. Shraddha came in Friday afternoon and bolted back out Saturday morning. What's that about? Anyway, I hear they had a good time hanging out Saturday and Sunday before she left to come back to Amsterdam. However, she conveniently left her camera home so there's no visual incriminating evidence, which is probably best!
Radhika's birthday fell on a Friday this year, so she had to spend a good deal of it at work. But, we went out to eat at a restaurant she likes that's close to the house that serves good, organic, vegetarian meals. They also display artwork by local photographers, so I spoke with the owner about hanging some of my work for 2 months. She wanted her gifts early in the evening, but I played mum, wanting to wait and extend the fun into the evening. After dinner we walked home and then I sprang the gifts on her. She didn't think the black dress was "her style", but the necklace and earrings I bought to go with the dress were perfect!! I shot 50%!!! That's a respectable field goal percentage in hoops and a downright record breaking batting average in baseball. That's not too bad. We'll shop for another dress together.
Well, we've had a stretch of good weather now that fall is upon us! There was a 10 mile race (called Dam To Dam) last weekend from Amsterdam to some other city nearby ending in "dam". I want to say Vandam, but I can't help but think of that acclaimed thespian, Jean Claude, and want to say that's not the name of the city (although I did like "Time Cop"). Brad and Natalia hosted a "Carbo-loading" dinner the night before the race, serving 3 types of pasta that were all delicious. Also, while I was talking to Natalia earlier in the week about what I was doing for R's birthday she suggested doing something the night of her pasta-fest, a cake to finish off the meal. I brought the candles to tennis in the week and gave them to her, and she picked up a great cake at the bakery near their flat. I went upstairs to use their "facility" only to come down with a cake and lit candles. Like magic, the attendees spontaneously burst into "Happy Birthday" as I came down the stairs. Radhika was totally surprised!!! Everyone went home with happy bellies and spirits. Anyway, Brad was running as well as two GE colleagues of Radhika's (Zsolt and Phil). All had great times and fared pretty well after the race. I went to the start of the race, but decided to walk around the city as it was the one day of the year where cars are not allowed on the streets and "things" were going on here and there. Meanwhile, Radhika and Natalia took the train to "the other dam" so they could be at the finish line when Brad, Zsolt, and Phil came blazing across it. I didn't see too many "things" happening in the city, but it sure was nice walking and riding the bike without worrying too much about automobiles. Taxi's and tram's were still operating, and taxi's are always worth keeping an eye on! Played a little tennis in the late afternoon with Vikram and John Atkinson, who is married to yet another GE employee. By the time I made it back to the apartment after tennis, Radhika soon followed 5 minutes after I arrived.
The reservations have all been made, the schedule is set, the clothes are in process of being packed, the camera gear is being checked, the plan to sneak out of the office early is in place (oops!), the car is being readied - - I believe it's a go for Friday!!! 2 days at Oktoberfest in Munich, followed by 4 days in Venice, 3 days in Florence and 2 days in Siena, 5 days in Cinque Terre, 1 day at Lake Como and finally 2 days around Lake Luzern in Switzerland before heading back October 14th. You will hear a full update from me when we return. Until then, think Sophia Loren, Ferrari, Rocky Balboa, and everything Italian.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Now you see it, now you don't, now you see it!

Okay... here's that story I briefly mentioned yesterday. Radhika got 25% of the way to work Monday morning when she called me to say her tire was flat. I took the pump and rode the other bike to where she was. I couldn't get air in the tire, so she took the "good" bike to work and I walked the "bad" bike to the local bike shop. So as you may know, I am using a borrowed bike until I get one to replace mine which was stolen earlier in the year. Vikram, a GE colleague of R's and my tennis partner had an extra bike that I have been using. I used his bike that morning to go over to R's dentist office to get copies of her x-rays for a 2nd opinion she was getting. I locked Vikrams bike back up when I returned where I normally do. I left the apartment around 2pm Monday to drive to a camera store, passing the locked bike as I went to the car parked around the corner on PC Hoofstraat. Ninety minutes later I returned, parked the car, and as I came up on the apartment building noticed the bike and BOTH locks gone! Stolen in broad daylight! Now the irony of this is the bike was being returned to Vikram at 5pm or so that day, as we were to play tennis and I would leave it with him. Radhika had bought a bike she liked better then the one we brought over from the US from a GE co-worker a week or so ago, so we technicall had 3 bikes...her old one, her new one, and Vikrams. So, I would ride her old one until I got one that I liked after returning Vikrams'back to him. I had been in possession of his bike for at least 2 months if not longer, and it being stolen just hours before I was returning it was just unbelievable! So, I emailed Vikram who was at work, told him the tale, and he basically said "Shit happens" and to not worry about it. We, of course, intended to compensate for his loss. He seemed "skeptical" at first, because he had a very heavy duty chain on the bike. He thought maybe the authorities had removed it thinking I had locked it to a road sign or other location where it's not allowed to do so. But it was secured to our private, apartment building. In the meantime, I went to the bike shop around 5:30 when they told me it would be ready. I paid, and then drove to a bike store to look at locks to get another one. I bought one and when I came out I found the front tire on R's bike flat again!! So I walked it back over to the shop where they said they would fix it for free (no kidding!) and it would be ready when they opened at 9 the next morning. Fast forward to Tuesday morning. I describe where the bike shop is to Radhika, but she hems and haws about going. After 18 years of "exposure", I translate this behavior to mean she wants me to go with her. She also "fesses up" and asks me, but I had already used my "husband filter" to decode what she wanted (in this case...I haven't perfected it yet and don't expect I ever will...but that's where some of the excitement comes from!). So, she wants to walk to the bike shop using a certain route, but I say the route I use will be shorter. We take my route. As we near the shop, I spy a bike 3 feet to my left that is locked near a tree that looks a lot like Vikram's. Something like holyfu%kingshit comes out of my mouth as I realize IT IS the very bike that was stolen 19 hours earlier!!!! Disbelief, joy, anger, tension... yeah I'm feeling it all! Seeing as how it was to be a quick walk to the shop, I left my cellphone at the apartment that had the police number in it from when they told me if I were to ever find my bike that was stolen months ago to not confront the possessor of the bike, physically assault them, or steal the bike back, but to call them immediately. Radhika, of course, does not have the police number programmed in her phone. Luckily I ask a passerby and he gives the equivalent of 9-1-1. We call it and they send someone out. In the meantime I call Vikram, tell him what has happened, and to get here as soon as possible to ID his bike. The police get there 60 seconds before Vikram does. He 100% identifies the bike to the cops, but they say they can do nothing! Even if he had serial numbers and a purchase receipt, they still can't do anything! This discussion went on for a while, but ultimately they said to "steal it back" but only after they leave!! I was later told that one has to get the person in possession of the bike to sign a statement indicating that they are not the owners of the bike!!! And you thought the US had the monopoly on stupid laws?! So, the cops leave. I run to the bike shop to see if they have bolt cutters and can tell me where to buy them. No real help there so I went back to the bike. R had to get to work, so they stayed there while I went back to the apartment to get my cellphone. Once there, I noticed Vincent (our landlord) had left a hacksaw on our stairs as I had asked to borrow one about a week ago. PERFECT TIMING!! I went back and cut off the lock and brought the bike back to the apartment (inside and upstairs off the street!). Vikram used a piece of paper and lipstick from Radhika to let the person/possible thief know that it was stolen Monday and was stolen back on Tuesday. He stuck it to the pole the bike was locked to with chewing gum. A little closure for him, I guess! Anyway, we played tennis that afternoon. The bike is safely back in his possession, and we are thinking of methods to use to keep our bikes nearby and safe from any further thievery. You see.... Hollywood hasn't cornered the market on happy endings (or Thailand). We can have them too in Amsterdam!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Whirlwind of Visitors

Man! We had a stretch there of several weeks where we had people coming in and out of Amsterdam. They've been gone now for about a week, so I can get caught up now on what's been going on. Got a real good story to tell that just ended today, but let me touch on all of the visitors that blew through.
First, Barbara came through in early August for a few days on her way to a cruise that she was taking from Copenhagen. Barbara had never been to Amsterdam before, so we walked around the city a little, hitting the touristy spots. We went to Brugge, Belgium and she really enjoyed that (who doesn't really, other than Colin Farrell's character in the movie?). There were a few days between Barbara leaving for her cruise and Radhika's Mom, sister Dolly, and Dolly's husband John (JK) arrival from NY. They went through the usual adjustment period with the 6 hour difference and then were good to go... more or less! This is Dolly and John's 2nd visit to Amsterdam in 4 months, and we are hard pressed to ever get out of the apartment before noon during their visits! But that is the nature of their vacations here, so we're "good to go" when they are! We saw "Mama Mia" because Dolly loves Abba and saw the Broadway show but not the movie yet. They liked it. We returned to Brugge again, because this was Mom's first visit and she has never visited. We all climbed the tower this time, squeezing past the others in the narrow, twisting stairwell like you find in your average Amsterdam apartment building. We ate outside at cafes, walked the streets, went in shops, bought chocolates... the usual Brugge itinerary. Mom, Dolly, and JK went to the Rijk's Museum, and one day we drove to The Hague, as we hadn't even checked that city out since arriving last year. It's definitely worth a repeat visit. One story ends with us getting 2 cool outdoor chairs for our rooftop terrace. We were all walking back to the apartment after yet another great dinner one evening, and the sidewalks had scattered piles of "stuff" that had been formed by resident's for the refuse pick up the next day. JK and I noticed what looked like 2 wooden outdoor chairs on top of a pile. After 30 seconds of inspection, we could find nothing wrong with them so we carried them back. The next day I removed the cloth seating and back from the wooden frame, tossed them in the washer, and they came out looking like new! The next time we need some furniture, we've decided to just hit the streets the night before trash collection. One man's trash IS another man's treasure (or garden terrace chair!). I have noticed that resident's do toss out a lot of stuff that normally Americans would find at a yard or garage sale. There appears to be no Goodwill, Salvation Army, or any other similar organization here. I'm told things of this nature are handled exactly how our situation occurred. In the Netherlands, the low-income family sector is much smaller then it is in the US due to the amount of government assistance. Anyway, one of the most enjoyable things we did was go to a local pub that has a live band playing near Leidseplein. Mom hit the sack, but the 4 of us went out for some drinks and music. The band was quite good, and it happened to be the night where it's an "open mic" situation. Several people came up before different numbers and joined in. There were 2 guitarists who came up for different numbers, and a saxaphonist. We were telling John he should go up to do something with them. He eventually did go up and did the number "Flip, Flop, Fly" by the Blues Brothers. It rocked, and the guys in the band and the crowd really enjoyed it!
So after Radhika's family scoots back to NY, her marathon coach and boyfriend come in for a couple of days before they take part in a triathlon in nearby Almere. Also, at the same time, Barbara comes back from her cruise and spends 2 1/2 days here before she heads back to the US. We go to an area just outside Amsterdam where there are farms to see the "rural" side of Holland, she tours the Ann Frank House, and shops for souvenirs for her friends back home. The apartment was now empty, with the slight possibility that Consuela and Trung (the afore mentioned marathon coach and her boyfriend) might stay a night or 2 after their triathlon and visit to Belgium. But they headed back to the states straight away, and thus ended our own "guest marathon". Now it's back to the normal craziness involving us and the local cast of characters. More on that later.