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.
Showing posts with label Brugge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brugge. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Conservatives in A Liberal Land.... pt. 2
Well, what would become the standard during this visit... we were able to leave the house no earlier then 12 noon. I forgot we were dealing with retiree's in their early to mid 40's! The only thing missing is the "blue plate" dinner special at 3pm. But, we made the drive up to Brugge on a very pleasant day. First time this year that the thermometers "smashed" through the 60 degree barrier!!! Of course some in the car nodded off to sleep here and there, but their identities will remain draped in secrecy to hide their shame. Radhika sat in the back, talking with her sister, which did a fine job of keeping the "backseat" driving down to almost non-existant. We parked the car in one of the many underground garages in the city around 2:30pm, and proceeded to walk around this gem of a city in Belgium that is probably overlooked and unknown to most Americans who come to Europe. We did the touristy things... took a horse and buggy ride, bought Belgian chocolates, took a boat tour down the canals, sat at several outdoor cafes drinking and people watching, and had a nice dinner. This was our 2nd time there, going once before with Dimple back in February. Obviously the weather was much more pleasant now, therefore there were many more people. We left around 10pm, with another round of "auto-napping" for some, getting back to the apartment in Amsterdam around 12:30am. We pretty much went to sleep soon after, as Dolly and John had a full day of sightseeing ahead of them on Monday.
Of course, Monday started around noon for everyone with the exception of Radhika, who had to go to work. John and Dolly made it out of the house (you guessed it!) around noon, to go to the Rijks Museum. It's less then a 5 minute walk from the house, so it is very convenient. I was still feeling a little ill, so I decided to stay and rest to hopefully get back to 100%. Of the many things that were uttered by John while they were here, "I'm on vacation." was the early favorite when Dolly would bust his chops concerning whatever it was he was doing or saying that got a reaction from her. Those two are quite the comedy team. After the museum, they took a 2 hour boat tour on the canals of Amsterdam. The weather was absolutely perfect to be outside. It's the first time I had the windows open at the apartment. They came back around 5:30 or so, and Radhika came home from work not long after. We went to dinner at the Nepalese restaurant near our apartment around Leidseplein. R and I really like the place, this being our 3rd time there. Dolly seemed to rub our server (who recognized Radhika and me) the wrong way, and he threw a little verbal smackdown on her (only a warm-up however, to what she would experience in a few days at the tulip farm). Things settled down eventually, although Dolly is now banned from eating in any Nepalese or Tibetan restaurants throughout the world. We walked to Dam Square, again enjoying the night air and checking out different areas of the city. We got back to the apartment pretty late, watching a little TV and then calling it a night.
Of course, Monday started around noon for everyone with the exception of Radhika, who had to go to work. John and Dolly made it out of the house (you guessed it!) around noon, to go to the Rijks Museum. It's less then a 5 minute walk from the house, so it is very convenient. I was still feeling a little ill, so I decided to stay and rest to hopefully get back to 100%. Of the many things that were uttered by John while they were here, "I'm on vacation." was the early favorite when Dolly would bust his chops concerning whatever it was he was doing or saying that got a reaction from her. Those two are quite the comedy team. After the museum, they took a 2 hour boat tour on the canals of Amsterdam. The weather was absolutely perfect to be outside. It's the first time I had the windows open at the apartment. They came back around 5:30 or so, and Radhika came home from work not long after. We went to dinner at the Nepalese restaurant near our apartment around Leidseplein. R and I really like the place, this being our 3rd time there. Dolly seemed to rub our server (who recognized Radhika and me) the wrong way, and he threw a little verbal smackdown on her (only a warm-up however, to what she would experience in a few days at the tulip farm). Things settled down eventually, although Dolly is now banned from eating in any Nepalese or Tibetan restaurants throughout the world. We walked to Dam Square, again enjoying the night air and checking out different areas of the city. We got back to the apartment pretty late, watching a little TV and then calling it a night.
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