2010 was a year of surprises for us. We won a trip to Australia, lost a trip to Italy, and took an unexpected trip to Maui. Now it was 2011 and it was time to revert back to the original plan. Come hell or high water we were heading to Italy.
We didn't have to do as much planning for this trip, it had already been planned and canceled so we just went back to the original script, booked the same hotels, tours and flights and kept our fingers crossed that no volcanoes or other natural disasters struck.
I have some of the original emails that I sent from this trip, and will copy them into my blog. Where emails are missing, I will depend on my and Joani's memories to recreate the trip as faithfully as possible, so here we go!
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2011 5:56 PM
Subject: Amsterdam ...We are definitely not in Kansas, Dorothy!
So we are on Vacation. Have I mentioned that . In case I haven’t told anyone on this email list . Joani and I have been been planning a trip abroad . Three weeks in Italy to be exact, with a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam on the way there and a 2 hour layover in Paris on the way back. The trip started officially Friday evening at 11:05 pm when we boarded our flight to Amsterdam . I’d like to say I slept on the plane ride over but that would be a lie . Sleeping sitting up just doesn’t come easy to me so I got to Amsterdam 6 hours later but actually noon Saturday, their time because of the time change ,tired mentally and physically . Now one of Joani’s sons had already told us that 6 hours would be plenty of time to take a quick trip around Amsterdam and at first thought I was totally in to it but by the time we got there . Feeling tired ,sleepy , and more than a little bit cranky .( me cranky you’re saying , not Garry ! never ) but it’s the truth . After 36 hours without sleep I was feeling a little cranky . But Joani and I talked about it and decided that ,as we would never be in Amsterdam again we would give it a go. So we bought a train ticket and off we went . We got into Amsterdam and the first thing that blew us away was the sight of parking lots everywhere for bikes .
Not motorbikes or scooters . But old fashioned, single geared pedal bikes . Thousands upon thousands of bikes. How could people possibly remember where they had parked . I mean it’s not like you could look for your 4 door red ford sedan . Nor could you activate your car horn to have your bike call out to you like we might in a mall parking lot . ( Oh tie a yellow ribbon around my old bicycle)They all looked the same to us.
Anyway Joani had read that if you are in Amsterdam with only a small amount of time what you must visit is a place called Dam square .I think it is their version of Queen’s Park with the skating rink or Mel Lastman’s square in North York . A sort of community gathering place. Off we headed with no idea that of course the government of Holland had just decided that with what has been going on in Japan , now would be a good time to build a few new nuclear power plants . The populace of the country don’t quite seem to feel the same way so we were lucky enough to walk smack dab into the middle of a protest party and parade . Right down Joani’s alley and although I am not that keen on nuclear power either, I would have preferred to just see the sites . Ah… but Joani got to talk to some of the locals and commiserate . ( I talked her out of carrying a sign ) Unity ,unity down with the government . After we finished protesting ???? We walked around looking at some other sites . Saw some canals
a couple of shoe shops.
We were pretty tired by this time so we decide to pop into a small coffee shop to get a tea and coffee . We had close to 2 hours left before we had to head back to the train station and we were definitely flagging by this time. When we were finished our drinks I asked the two young girls serving us ( neither of them could have been more than 20 years old ) If they only had an hour or so left in Amsterdam what would they recommend . After some debate between them they decided that since we didn’t have time for a canal cruise . We should go for a walk in the red light district . These looked like two young girls who barely had graduated high school but were telling me and Joani that we should go walk the red light district because as one of the girls proudly said .” it has some really old buildings and it is after all, The red light district. So being as we had to kill off a little more than an hour and we had gotten such a high endorsement from a couple of locals off we headed to the land of loose morals, attitudes, and well, what did we know, perhaps loose clothing to boot ! Warning The rest of the photos included in this email are for adults only . Drugs, actually are considered illegal in this city ,just the same as ours . That doesn’t deter anyone . We walked by cafes where people could buy marijuana ,roll it into a joint and smoke it right in front of open windows we were passing .
I asked one guy if I could take a picture and he gave me a very firm NO and being as he was sitting with a couple of friends I didn’t bother but you get the point. I saw kits to grow your own magic mushrooms . Become your own little “Alice or Alex in wonderland” Marijuana seeds to start your own garden , needle kits if that was your thing . It was all on display and for sale . Never see that at Wal-Mart I bet . But if you think that is strange I can tell you it only got weirder the further into the neighbourhood we got .Sex shops everywhere !
Stores that sold gadgets ,lubricants ,colored condoms,clothes that would amaze you unless you are much more experienced than me .Video stores with displays that made both Joani and me blush and I don’t blush easily .But what neither Joani or I could understand was why most of the people walked by these strange stores without a second glance .Then Joani noticed that most of the people,men and women were walking into these small little alleys. Hey, what the heck, let’s go find out what’s behind door number three .Or in this case ,alley number three .The first thing we noticed in the first alley was that there would be a door followed by a series of floor to ceiling windows with small little rooms behind each window .
Some were empty, some had curtains across,but most were inhabited by …….almost naked women . Dancing , chatting ,laughing ,and beckoning . It was surreal ! Joani and I looked at each other in amazement . I think we were thinking the same thing . Its one thing to read about it in a book .It’s another thing to see it right before your eyes . We walked through 4 or 5 of these alleys completely stunned .Each alley served a different purpose tall ,short ,younger ,older ,even heavier or senior women were there on display . ( When I say younger ,I don’t mean pedophile age just young adult , sorry to be so graphic )When we hit the 5th alley we were in a section where a heavier older woman was actually beckoning to Joani and we looked at each other and decided it was a good time to leave !!! What an experience . We made our way back to the train station . Took a train back to the airport and waited for our flight to Rome .These were not the sites we intended to see when we left for Europe . It was fun though and I told myself to each his own . I’m glad I live in Canada with Joani . See you in Rome .
Garry
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