Mar 30 2009
Amsterdam
En route to Amsterdam via Eurostar from Brussels immigration busted into our train car and asked for everyone’s passports. They had some sense of urgency about them which made the atmosphere a little more intense. As it would turn out they escorted 4 gentlemen off the train at Rotterdam. One of them was hiding in the bathroom right next to me and I saw the guard posted outside waiting for him to emerge. Exciting times.
Time in Amsterdam seems to slow down just a bit. The pace is very relaxed and the people are exceptionally friendly. I was staying in Sacha’s Bed & Breakfast which was within 5 minutes walking to 
everything in Amsterdam. I thought I was lost when the taxi first dropped me off because it is very unassuming and appears to be rooms in his house that he rents out. A simple buzzer on the front door encourages guests to call for service. I had a moment of panic when the taxi was telling me that this was the address and to get out of the car into the rainy night. With an establishment like this I should have heeded the registrations notice to contact Sacha with arrival times as I showed up at 8pm for a 2pm standard check in time. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice single bedroom place in central Amsterdam. At 30 euros a night it was quite comfortable.
Within an hour I had discovered the Cafe de Fles whose fine proprietor had spent some time in Canada and had a large flag hanging in the corner of his pub. He furnished me with the most delicious short-ribs and kept the libations liberated throughout the night. If you find yourself lost in Amsterdam, find yourself here to get acquainted properly.
I met some local chaps in the pub that night and learned many things of local ways and customs. They’re both students who lived nearby and worked in the bar part-time as well. They showed me the ways of the town that night including their shoe-boat which was unfortunately not sea-worthy at that particular moment. I was invited back to their house on the canal to listen to some euro-beats and keep the party going because everywhere in Europe seems to close way too early.
I took a boat tour of the canals and port to see the city from the water and try to get better oriented. There aren’t too many landmarks to orient yourself if trying to navigate blindly, so its important to pay attention to which canal your on and which way you’re heading. The boat cruise only added to the confusion, and my best guide was definitely the map and street signs.
The Torture Museum was recommended to me by my father so I found my way there first to see what the fuss was about. Although short, it was a great display of torture implements and some fascinating history. I particularly enjoyed the Bad Musician’s torture implement and guillotine.
I walked around town mostly and saw a lot of the shops and canals. Of course there were visits through the red light district and the coffee shops, but there was also some other quirky sights to the museum of bags and purses; collections of juices; fancy buildings. I even found another Australia store, although this one wasn’t serving alcohol!
The Van Gogh Museum had the most amazing exhibit on called Colours of the Night which was highly inspirational. It was the history and inspiration behind Van Gogh’s passion for painting a starry night. Another culturally significant site was the Anne Frank Huis which was a living story of the famous Jewish diary-writer of WWII.
Towards the end of my stay I noticed a significant increase in the amount of kilts flowing through the city streets. As luck would have it, the Scottish were in town to celebrate their eventual defeat to the Netherlands in a World Cup qualifying match (3-0). I say this because I spoke with many a Scotsman who were all forth-coming that although they fully expected to get smashed in the match, they were there to support their fellow countrymen. Someone told me that there were only 8000 tickets for the match reserved for the Scots but that they estimated 20,000 were in town. I caught a glimpse of the celebrations in Dam Square before the match including a few notable characters and animals.
If you had 24 hours in Brussels what would you do? They mainly speak French, but the people here are much better versed in English than France and they are all very friendly. Here’s what I managed to accomplish in from 17h to 17h. 
I arrived in Paris in the evening at the Taylor Hotel which is near Republique. The hotel suite was very spacious and included a bath tub which was very kind to my sore feet. I learned something about the European laissez-faire attitude while staying here as well. The internet connection had been having trouble for a few days now (no connection), but no one was even remotely interested in doing anything about it despite me asking patiently over a two-day period. Finally I took matters into my own hand and taught them how to reset the modem. Voila! I could finally plan the rest of my trip from the comfort of my room instead of an internet cafe. 
Dinner was delicious and we each ordered the fancy cheeseburger after overhearing others in the restaurant rave about it. We shared a bottle of wine over our meal and I had the pleasure to interact with some France natives. I learned a lot about French culture and the region, but probably the most culturally important thing I learned was that when toasting it is very important to look each person in the eye as you toast their glass. It is considered very rude to “cheers” at the middle of the table as the North Americans might be prone to do and to never cross arms when toasting. We spoke on many subjects throughout the evening, French-elitism in schools and business, the French people’s lack of optimism, and of course of Canadian weather. 
The next day I had breakfast at a cafe on Pont Neuf catching a glimpse of the Eiffel tower for the first time. My boat tour departed shortly after and I thought it a good way to get a sense of the city from the water. As I approached the dock, there was a large gathering of people wearing white robes with a strange symbol on them. They were holding a ceremony of some sort and no one nearby knew what it was about. There were about 10-15 different countries flags represented as well. If you recognize any of the markings let me know, I’d be very interested to know who they were. Bag pipers played the procession onto a private boat and they cruised down the river after the ceremony. 
had died in a stampede to see his holiness. Its also possible that they were protesting his ridiculous message of abstinence as the only solution to AIDS in Africa.
After a quick bite of a hotdog in baguette (Toronto listen up, you need better street foods), I ambled my way down to the Louvre. Being too massive to appreciate in my time span, I took to idle wandering and a few key pieces. La Jaconde, or the Monna Lisa as she is known, was actually not that busy and I had no trouble viewing the one on display. (Note: the real painting is in storage in the basement I have heard). I also stumbled upon the Venus de Milo, is it bad that my first thought was of Homer Simpson’s famous gummi de milo? I made my way out of the museum after viewing some more famous paintings and Greek artefacts. 
As if my feet weren’t sore enough, I decided to keep walking all the way down Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph. Along the way I made a few stops at some shopping locations, Nadine you are spoiled! About an hour later I found myself at the famous roundabout. I was unaware that it was actually a mini-museum and visitors were permitted at the top. Upon exiting, I was 
ushered round the roundabout by the local police force. They were preparing the area for a ceremony of some kind. I had a conversation with someone nearby, and I think it was some sort of cadet ceremony but cannot be sure with my French skills. 
way underground to the catacombs beneath Paris. Historically the spaced was used as an ossuary when Paris was running out of space for its bodies a few centuries ago. I would recommend a visit to anyone who also fancies Pere Lachais.
Borough Market
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down… Have you ever seen that iconic, two-towered bridge that dominates the Thames and just screams London? Well, I learned a most important bridge-identifying lesson today in that the bridge I speak of is actually 
After the bridge we took a stroll down Canary Wharf the fancy banking district, also where much of where the TV show Hustle is filmed. We were en route to Greenwich to see the beginning of time. 
It was time for my Fish and Chips. We found something that didn’t look too much like a chain restaurant and ate at the Spanish Galleon Tavern. Upon entering we encountered a most peculiar and curious man. He would later introduce himself as Mr. Beard but first asked us if we knew of a hospital nearby that could help his case of gout. After explaining our green-ness of Greenwich and that we didn’t know and hospitals we ordered at the bar and sat down in the corner of the pub.
Trying to learn of his past he told us that he lived in Greenwich which was great because we were looking for some directions around town. “I do all maps” he told us. “Could you tell us where we are on this map?”, pointing to a map on the wall. “No, I don’t do this map. I don’t waste my time with maps.” The conversation digressed into the ridiculous and soon we were being invited to fly away in a giant peach. I reminded him that a giant peach would be hard to navigate and we would likely get lost, where would we go? With such an important question to ponder, we agreed to meet back with him in 5 years at the same location to resolve this, he was grateful for the company, and the fish…
We headed down to Leicester Square to meet a University of Guelph alumni, Tony. As fate would have it there was a UK movie premiere of Fast & Furious and the square was packed. We really weren’t that interest in seeing the stars so we didn’t stay long. The stars must have been aligned because just as I started taking video Vin Diesel appeared and I caught a great video of him on the carpet. We left quickly and headed towards the Edinboro Castle, a Camden-town pub I discovered online while watching 
To finish the evening off, we went back to London Bridge area to Shunt Lounge and Theatre company. If you ever get the change you should check out this establishment. It is pretty unique and very artsy. We got lost in a maze, saw a number of weird art exhibits, contributed to their limerick corner, got kicked off of an empty stage, and heard some good music all in side a series of massive underground vaults. The place is apparently shutting down in the summer so make your way there soon.
