Sitges, Bitches...

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Me: It's so nice to see you guys! I'm so happy I'm here!
Sar: Yeah, it's so cool we are all here! It's going to be such a relaxing week, can't wait for the festival!
Me: What festival?
Sar: Ummm, the one on Sunday! That's why we are all here! Every Spanish town has an annual festival to celbrate their patron saint. We are here for the Sitges one, cos our friends Miguel and Alex live here.
Me: Oh. I thought we just wanted to be in the Spanish city of gay men, sangria and sunshine.

I don't want to brag, but I'm in Barcelona

It's so wonderful to be here, and tomorrow I am seeing so many great friends of mine, and we are going to Sitges, I can't wait...

Sunshine, Deck chair, and my beloveds ... Will post the pictures up soon.

It's amazing how your morale can be boosted by being with great friends...

I had a great night out with my friend Fran, from Edinburgh, last night.

She came with her 2 flatmates for ONE NIGHT ONLY and we had a great night.
Well, I am pretty sure we did, because I can't remember much of it. Mexican for dinner,along with some Margharitas, and then I bought a beer from the supermarket that was like 11.6% alcohol called the "Amsterdam Maximator".

The rest, as they say, was history...

Good Night, Sleep Tight, I'm probably getting eaten alive by bed bugs tonight...

Nasty, freaky, spotty, itchy spots all over my entire body because the room I'm staying in is definitely not as nice as the one I was in when I first got here, and I am sure the blanket i used last night was infested with fleas or something.

So I asked the staff to change my sheets, and then when everyone was out of my dorm, I swapped blankets with another bed that had just been made.

UUUUUUGGGGGGGH. Bring on Spain!!!!!!!!

I am trying to channel into good vibes only, but it's hard!!

Check out the place me and my amigos will be staying.... ahhhhhhhh, I can almost feel the breeze and the sunshine on my face (irritating my bitemarks), and the cool fruity tangy sangria slipping down my throat....

The case of the Culture Clash: The people versus the Dutch culture Pt 1

Topics discussed over Prosecco (Italian Champagne or something like it) and noodles tonight in West Amsterdam's 9 Canal district.

1. Dutch people have no fashion sense
What's the issue?
Surrounded by the chic french, somewhat showy italians, and the design concious Scandanavians, the dutch seem to have picked up a taste for the... tacky,mismatched (and not in a "stylish-put-together-pret-a-porte kind of way" - think Orange Crocs, and green jeans) Gulp. It feels wrong just talking about it.
Verdict: 3 Australian girls from Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney, and a French lad agree, and have no idea why, despite the geographical proximity to style, it somewhat proves, nature over nurture. You can pump the country with all the designer labels, and magazines you want, I think genetically, they have no idea how to wear it with class.


2. Fresh Mint leaf "tea"
What's the issue?
A large fistful of fresh mint leaves, with hot water poured over it. It makes me gag every time I smell it here, and that means quite often, because it's currently a la mode. I think they think it's peppermint tea. How can a race of people, over a 300 year period, attempt to colonise a kingdom of 2000 islands (ie Indonesia) whose terrain bears nothing but the best spices, tea and coffee, and still not know what a decent beverage tastes like? Dumb, Lazy or Greedy? I guess they were just trading the shit, and fobbing it off to other Europeans, not actually interested in what it tasted like, in case, you know, they actually developed some sort of class.
Verdict: The jury agrees that global flavours bypassed the dutch way back in the day, just like fashion does today. It might be too late for them to "get it." Poor things.


3. Decent Food
What' s the issue?
Fried french fries in mayonnaise? Ok, they stole that from the Belgians.
Nasi Goreng? Oh yeah, they stole that from the Indonesians. As well as Fu Yong Hai, Babi Guling, Satays .... need I go on?
Deep fried Cheese straws? Dutch.
Deep fried meat? Dutch
Deep Fried Bitterball things (apparently made froma thickened white sauce and bits of veal, rolled together, crumbed and deep fried, and served with Mustard dip)? Dutch.
Mini pancakes with icing sugar? Please. Even the Americans know how to make that. That's not culture.

See both my rants above for more point about this. (Ie. Despite proximity to some of the best food cultures in the world, the Dutch were busy trying take over the world and failing to notice there was something horribly wrong with what they were eating.) Spices? None. Taste? Bland. (Tried to conquer Indonesia, land of spices and exotic flavours, and their favourite food now is fried potatoes with mayo. Pffft. Revenge is sweet.)
Apparently Dutch people have the most deep fryers in their households (per capita), than anywhere else in the world. Over the Americans.
I have been told that pre WW2, Dutch cooking was highly influenced by Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French etc. Then after the war, a whole generation of young ladies were hauled off to Home Economics school where they were taught to cook with more bang for their buck. Which meant, highly fillings foods for not much money. Carbs essentially. Flavour optional. In fact, I am also told that the Dutch lunch of choice is bread roll, with a slice of cheese. No butter, no condiments, no meat, no salad. They aren't used to having two warm meals a day, thus, breakfast and lunch are always cold.
Verdict: 4 foodies all agreed, it must be our new mission to seek good food in this gastronomically starved capital.

I want to learn more! Interesting society.

PS It might sound like I am being slightly rude, harsh, and presumably bitter about the whole Indonesia thing, but, seriously, it's all for shits and giggles. :P

I'm sorry, I need something less.... innocent.

Standing in the cafeteria line this morning, to be served breakfast.

Me: I'll have the french toast this morning, thanks.
French Christian cafe dude: (thick french accent) Ok, oui, ok. So, er, how was your night last night?
Me: Yes, fine thank you. How was yours?
FCCD: Err, I am a little bit tired today, because I was up very late last night.
Me: Oh, ok, what did you do?
FCCD: The staff from here, we had a pancake party.
Me: (pause) A pan-cake party? (thinking I had misunderstood. Is it easter or Shrove Tuesday already?!?)
FCCD: Oui, we had two staff members leaving today, so we had a farewell for them last night. Very late night.
Me: (the penny finally drops. This is how Born Again Christians have a good time.) Oh, Awesome.
FCCD: So, tonight is Hostel night, you will join us, no? There will be games and activities and a free meal from 7 o'clock here in the cafe?
Me: Uhhh, sure.


(2 hours later on the tram from the Foreign Police station.)
Ring Ring...
Me: Hello Pia?
Pia: Hey! How are you?
Me: Great thanks! So... what time are we going for drinks tonight?
Pia: See you at my place at about 6 o'clock?
Me: Perfect, see you then!

Things that are currently annoying me.

1. Supermarkets don't take credit cards here. Plastic ain't so fantastic in the Netherlands. So, you can only use your credit cards for 'useful' things I guess, like marijuana, hookers, and eurotrash clothing. Bah.

2. I caught a tram 20 minutes south to Ghettoville, Deep South of Amsterdam, to the Foreign Police station (don't ask, it's another freaking paperwork thing that I just got round to doing.) It was closed. Apparently it's only open from 8am to 12pm. Not that I could have known, because if I had tried to ring them it would have cost me a ridiculous amount of money, like 0.10 EU a second from a payphone. I had to turn around and get back on the tram back to the city

3. After not paying to ride on the trams for the last week, I decided to be honest and pay for one ticket to get to here said Foreign Police Station. I forgot to beep my card out of the tram (?!), and the conductor standing behind me didn't say anything as I hopped off. After being told the FP station was closed, I got the next tram back to the city, and my card wouldn't work because I didn't beep out, and the new conductor made me a buy a new ticket, even though I argued that my ticket was still good for another half hour. That is the last time I pay to get on a tram. Maybe.

The same conductor hunted down people that hadn't swiped their cards on the tram by shouting into the tram microphones at random people. "Hey you, Sir, swipe your card, yes you, swipe it!"


4. I was supposed to check in with the foreign police within 3 days of arriving, apparently, but I have so many different sheets of paper that all say different things, I don't know if I have done the right things or not. After experiencing the wrath of a mere tram conductor, I fear my visit to the Foreign Police tomorrow.

5. I move out of my nice 4 bed dorm in the attic of the hostel tomorrow, and into a 16 bed dorm for 2 nights. Joy.

6. I just realised the dictionary I bought yesterday is English to Dutch, not Dutch to English. Grrrrr.

7. Still no replies to any responses I have put out for rooms, and not many rooms in my price range popping up.

The bells are chiming, tinkling notes dancing over the canals

Thursday morning...

I just made it to the hostel cafe on time to get breakfast. They stop serving it at about 10.30 in the morning, yesterday I got there at 10.30 and they still had a hot breakfast going (fried eggs on bread with melted cheese and a slice of ham... gourmet stuff!) and today, I got there at 10.29 am, but no hot breakfast to be had. Darn it! And today's hot breakfast was french toast!!! Just 3 pieces of bread, jam, ham, and cheese, and a cup of tea.. Perhaps this is why I haven't met anyone in the cafe yet, as it is usually deserted by the time I get there, all the eager wide eyed backpackers setting off early to make the most of their days.

Meanwhile, back in my dorm, the two english girls are trying to sleep off football match hangovers, dozing happily beneath me (I am on the top bunk.)

As I type this, the bells of a church nearby are chiming a little melody, it sounds really sweet. It's quite different to what I have been hearing out of the attic window over the last few nights, drunken Brits chanting stupid football songs down the alleyways. I suppose they are all hungover and sleeping, or hopefully, leaving.

I was a bit disgusted yesterday, I went to meet the Swiss girl, Laura in Dam Square, where a WW2 monument stands in the centre of the city. The monument had been fenced off, and draped and hung all over the fences were flags of St George ( White with Red Cross ) with slogans relating to the English football team that was playing. Crowds of white clad male bogans stood around drinking beer, snorting with laughter, acting like idiots. A strong police presence of vans and horses were nearby, watching them. The atmosphere wasn't tense, just jovial, but there was potential for some action seeing as its so crowded with tourists and cyclists and cars etc.

Fancy coming to another country to support your sporting team, and then taking over another country's national monument, desecrating it with stupid flags and memorabilia from your country?! How is that even remotely appropriate?

Actually, there was quite a strong police presence in the centre last night, with lots of packs of police on horses galloping down the alleyways, walking around the canals, a helicopter hovering around, cycling through streets. It wasn't scary, in fact, a little disconcerting but comforting at the same time. I didn't see anything get out of hand, so it must have worked. The english girls came back and said the game was a 2-2 draw.

Anyway, I met Laura at about 6pm and she turned out to be a pretty awesome and laidback girl, and we had a drink at a cafe that had a terrace over a canal on the outskirts of the Red Light district, where it starts to meet the Canal district. We got along really well, chatting until about 11pm, where we decided to call it a night, and maybe catch up over the weekend.

Yay, a new friend!

When I got back to the hostel, Pia had written me an email, saying it was nice to meet me, and she would like to get together again and introduce me to her friends in a little "Welcome to Amsterdam" shin dig for me, and gave me a few more places to check out in my exploration days.

Yay, another new friend!

What a great day yesterday was!

Call me a bit of a nerd, but I was thinking about how my life has sort of turned out like the Sims game. Which is actually just a glorified virtual reality game revolving around Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Yesterday I felt like I had a boost in my Social interaction meter, and over the last few days, my environment and shelter meter improved. Just need to get the aspirations meter higher, and the income meter peaking!

Stoners, Dutchies, and Foodies

Today is Wednesday and there is a football match between England and Netherlands on today... I only know this because 2 english girls just arrived in my dorm. They are nice, and chatty. They are here for the soccer match, but they literally just walked into the room giggling, after eating a cake at a coffee shop. In fact listening to them stoned right now is pretty hilarious.

They are lying on their beds, one is comatose and not talking, the other one is just giggling her head off and saying " Don't be paranoid Lorna, don't be paranoid, you're still breathing, it's ok."

Lots of English people around singing and Dutchies standing around dressed in Fluoro Orange. I don't know why they would choose that colour - especially because they are so pale and tall.

I just got back from a little lunch meeting with a girl called Pia, who is from Sydney. One of my friend's friends ( Vanessa's friend; Vic) gave me her name and number and email, and wrote an introductory email for me. I rang her yesterday, and today we had lunch.

Pia is a interior, lifestyle and food stylist, living and working in Amsterdam. In short, she's pretty amazing, and one of the nicest, down to earth people I have ever met in my entire life.
We had a long lunch, talking about her work, her story, my story, setting up life in Amsterdam, and other such things.

I am just stopping by at the hostel to check the sharehouse bulletins, and have a short rest before I meet another girl called Laura from Switzerland. We got in touch through a sharehouse site, and she's got a room in a sharehouse now, but she's new to Amsterdam too, so thought I would meet her.

It's raining today, I think I just got a taste of "normal" Amsterdam weather. Lately, it's been muggy, and warm, not really sunny like in Copenhagen. Today is the first day where is has actually rained.