The Dams

Amsterdam

So.........Before I elaborate a little on my concluding remarks from the last blog entry, I must digress and give a little background info. It'll become clear in a minute or so.

I was meeting up with a friend of mine in Amsterdam. I met this friend about 9 months ago in Montreal and we had a certain affinity for each other from the get-go, yet our paths weren't on the same track.......at that time..... 2 days before I left, this friend emailed me in order to go get a coffee.......make that tea.........so that we could chat before I left. I was able to tell the person in question my preliminary itinerary, and we again had a great night smoothly talking of everything and nothing.

So...............SHE said she was also planning a trip to europe for the upcoming summer, and that she was also looking into eastern europe........Well my friends. We kept in touch throughout the summer, and finally decided to meet up in Amsterdam no less! So, my romantic first date was in the Red Light district with no other thab my little sweet heart, Andreanne. (pic left)

We will finally (or should be if everything holds up) be travelling together for the next month and a half, with little self vacations here and there to keep things sane and healthy. Andreanne had reserved a little hostel just outside the central area, and this is where we met. It was pretty sweet to finally see her and grab her in my arms after all of this time............ and lack of affection. And of course being in Amsterdam, it was a peculiar, and thus kinda hot way to kick off a potential "more than friends" relationship. Naw mean ! ..........right Delis........

You'll see, there will be many pictures of her in the time to come, and I will interchangeably say I or we.......kinda weird for me !!!

The hostel was freakin cool. Fluorescent funky paintings, and sheets with vibrant colours, (pic right with Andre) coloured spot lights in our room with a disco ball, and the bathroom was awesome; Blacklights to fuel the various fluorescent fish and underwater life (pic left), and spot light on the white porcelain sink to really make it jump out. All you need to see within the somber water-closet; The John, and the sink.........okay, okay.........maybe it's good to find the toilet paper from time to time. But all in all..........Perfect !

Amsterdam is actually a gorgeous city. I had the impression it was just going to be people partying and doing drugs everywhere, and that it was going to be kinda decrepid.........Well, I was right about the former 2........thank god !............no disappointments there..............but I was completely thrown away by the beauty of the city, with its old architecture, canals everywhere (pic left), and yes cleanliness. They have no choice to clean the street severynight cause there's so much garbage, but it does stay clean in the end. There's so much life around every corner of the city center...........so many people.........so many people!!!!!!! Concerts, and museums and just, ACTION ! And it's really cool to see everyone riding the old school bikes like in Leiden.

I don't know if you've heard, but there are these things, or places of business, called "Coffee Shops". I accidentally walked into one or two while I was in the Dam, and they sell marijuana, and other fine marijuana products like hash, over the counter. It's actually a great idea cause everything is controlled, and you get explanations on the different strains, and their effects, and you get a very respectable price. It's all legal !!!

There is also, of course, the Red Light district which is a helluva sight to see. You have to make it there in your life to experience it first hand. Girls in bikinis, behind a plate glass door, shakin dat booty like no tomorrow, tryin' to lure their bait into a little cell with a bed and stereo, waiting to push some buttons and make some music........naw mean ! Some are good lookin', and some are hit every branch falling off the ugly tree, and you have the rest of the gambit in between. Well, good fun appeasing the voyeur in all of us. A little window shoppin' never hurt anyone! But you can just imagine someone walking down an alley with about 5 girls' stalls right beside each other, and saying to himself "no..........decent........no..........definately not............maybe.........so let's go with number 2". Some places even had lineups!!!!!!!!

I wanted to check out the Heineken brewery, but's it's more of a museum, and I kinda didn't go anyways (I am so hitting Pilsner Urquell when I get to Plzen in the Czech Rep). Well then, if I am such a classy guy, and there are so many nice museums in Amsterdam like the Rijks and the Van Gogh, after thinking "REALLY HARD" about it (picleft), I decided to go to the Sex Museum with Andre for our official first outing together (the red light stroll came later that night). There was some really interesting stuff like ancient Greek sex toys, and artifacts, and cool stuff like chastity belts from the midieval times (pic right) and funky automated exhibitionists (pic left), but there was also of course the hard to look at hard core porn like beastiality and gimps and the like. We had a grand and informative time, and I had to take a picture of this artwork since it follows a certain theme I started in Granada (pic right).


Catou and Matt, came over from Leiden for an evening in the Dam, and so we met up and had a cool night checkin out the scene. I can't believe I didn't even take any pictures, I feel like such an ass. Those two are so awesome ! They really helped me out in Leiden, and they're just so easy going.......good to be around. We had a sweet chill time, and I hope I can meet up with them in Austria later.

We really enjoyed Amsterdam, and it was the little extra things that made the difference. There are many parks, and really nice street markets with fresh produce and souvenirs that are much cheaper than in the center.


Potsdam (Berlin)

After Amsterdam, Andre and I went straight to meet up with my buddy Matthieu in Potsdam, Germany. Matthieu is an awesome guy from montreal that I did a good part of my bachelors with. He's a walking encyclopedia that just sucks up whatever interests him like a sponge, and holy shit, a lot of things interest him. He's doing his Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, which is in Golm, just outside of Potsdam, which is just outside of Berlin. He's actually studying the properties of small fat like vesicles that could be used as vehicles for medecines across cellular membranes. Not too shabby huh!!! Astie d'tronche !!! He was accomodating us at his dorm on campus. It's actually a dorm with only girls and him. He stays with his girlfriend Vonetta, also at the Max Planck, and we actually got another girls' dorm for the 1st two nights since she was away. Great people usually have great friends!

This guy is a riot.......Un bon crisse de Jack! He gave us a perfect tour of the Parc Sanssouci, with the old castles and palaces, (pic left of la Orangerie) and never ending grass fields and woods............really, really beautiful.........especially with a full moon out in broad day light (pic right of Matt's classy quebecer side). And here's Matt's bad side......as we look out onto the Parc. (pic middle left) The Parc and palaces were Friedrich's answer to Versaille. The Parc is just insane and incredible, and then you get to the piece de resistance, the Palais Sanssouci (pic right); Levels of grape vines lace the front side, and it is surrounded by a little river........majestic! Andre had a little fun with one of the palace's guards (pic left). We also visited the interior of the Orangerie but we couldn't take pictures......it was quite luxurious, as we wore slippers not to dammage the floor.
Matt was awesome giving us all of the historical info and all that jazz! Great guide.

We also walked around Potsdam to see other impressive castles, and nice houses (pic left), and of course finished it off with a nice beer (pic right)...........ahhhh perfect !




Berlin

After Potsdam, Berlin seemed like nothing special, although Andre and I only spent an afternoon. Of course, the major sight and appeal for Berlin was the remnance of The Wall (pics). You have some that are still original, like the picture on the right at the Gallarie des Terrors, and others that were transposed into more public areas like Potsdamer Platz, like the pic on the left. Keeping the Wall evident is of course to always remind the Germans of that horrible social division.

We also went to see the Jewish Museum as we thought we'd prepare ourselves for the upcoming Aushwitz visit in Poland. It wasn't too negative. It was mostly Jewish history, and not the torment during the holocaust. We wanted to see the Freud exhibition (pic left) but had to pay almost 25 euro so we said screw it! There was also the last exhibition that was cool (pic right). It was an add. Go figure!

Berlin has a lot of monuments, museums, great night life, a huge and amazing park right in the middle of the city. What was really special was the feeling in the city with the monuments left as they are. Along with the wall, there was also a church which was damaged during the war (pic left). Really hits home to see something battered like that, downtown with all of the bigger, newer buildings surrounding it; a real good contrast, to again make you remember the past.

Our last night at Matt's, Vonetta prepared an awesome salmon and spinach (soap and peanut........inside joke) lasagna. It was perfect and we finished it off with the appropriate night cap (pic left) .....................You can call me Borris!

And now that I have my little baboushka by my side, I can finally retire to the Polish country side and die a happy man (pic right)........ picture actually taken in Golm on the way to the Max Planck Institute.

Matty really served us up something sweet, and I will never forget it..........Again........I am full of it.....good friends that is.

I am really having a lot of fun with Andre........She's a bit cuckoo just like me. She's a beautiful lady in both body and mind, and it's really nice to share all of this traveller's sensual overload with someone. It's a different type of trip now, but I welcome it. We will need our days off to keep things fresh and exciting, but she is starting to grow on me like a fungus! A hot little mushroom that gives me loads of good energy!

Next stop Krakow, Poland...........................(Easyjet, 35 euro each all in..........I love it!)

Love ya guys...........and if it ain't recipricol, than stuff it!


Raff