The Dam

Its Sunday Morning and I'm in Amsterdam, Holland (AKA the Netherlands). I got here Friday night late and am staying with my friends Shawna and Corey. They have lived here for just over 2 years, as Corey works for Wieden + Kennedy and was transferred out from Portland in 2007. Their tour is up however, as at the end of the month they are headed back to Portland.

I will go out on a limb and say that this is the most comfortable arrangement I will find myself in while on this Eastern-Atlantic adventure. They have an amazing 200 yr old, tall skinny house right on a canal in the main part of the city. I have my own room with a full size bed which is very comfortable, (in contrast to the spongy super single in my Copenhagen flat). They brought their big dog Riley from Portland, who is happy here, as am I to have a dog to play with. Truly a beautiful place to live, a point I am trying to not dwell on as the reality of leaving is starting to set in for them. However, the redeeming quality being that they have a beautiful house off Hawthorne waiting back in Portland, which will undoubtedly be the scene for another great chapter in their lives.

I am their last guest to visit, and they are showing me a fine time beyond the lavish accommodations. Yesterday we walked and rode bikes all over the city, seeing not only the main tourist sights, but the locals niche they have delicately carved over the last 2 years. Compared to Copenhagen, Amsterdam seems more like a trip back in time. The buildings are tall, skinny, and all leaning one way or the other having settled over time. Missing is the Copenhagen juxtaposition of post-modern architecture peppered throughout the old. Paintings from a hundred years ago, and pictures from the Nazi occupation largely resemble the same visual scene of Amsterdam today.

Eating out is actually an affordable option here, relative to Copenhagen anyway. After some coffee and a walking tour of the neighborhood, with a snack lunch from the outdoor market, we had a delicious Belgian beer at a neat little pub. Then following a bike tour of town we wound our way on the crooked cobblestone streets to a little laid back and delicious Dutch restaurant, where I got a venison steak. I have hardly eaten at a sit down restaurant at all in Copenhagen considering the inflated prices there, so this was a great treat to be able to afford a good meal. And nonetheless, it was on par with the best steaks I have had.

After dinner we walked through the red light district and saw all the prostitutes in the windows. That was interesting, and made me actively consider societal morals and where a line in the sand should be drawn to protect against exploiting young girls.... That waltz led to another pub where people were playing chess while sipping beers and smoking joints. We had a beer and then wound our way back to the house and made it to bed before midnight. All in all an awesome day in yet another new land. I will be staying until Tuesday evening, and will be capturing as much of the scene as possible through the experiential constraints of my camera lens.

Prost!