madam striga: Hang Time in Amsterdam

After Metal Days we had some time before we were due to play Tilburg so I took one last opportunity to do some traveling on my own. I had only been to Amsterdam once for an evening so it immediately popped into mind as a place to spend some time. I used couchsurfing.com to find a place to stay my first few nights. My host wound up being an awesome, really interesting guy named Cleverson. This Brazilian born, 9 year Amsterdam resident looks like a pretty extreme guy. Big, muscular build, waist-long dreds, stretched ears, and tattoos on his face… this look doesn't phase me but it makes me laugh to think that many people would be suspicious of a man with his appearance. Meanwhile, this animal-loving vegetarian, doesn't drink, smoke, do any drugs, keeps a tidy apartment, and was in the midst of purchasing some investment real estate while I was there. I can't help but love when people squash stereotypes. Cleverson was a generous host and great company, telling me his tales of world travel. His roommate Bruno was also very nice, but the real treat was getting to hang with his Rottweiler, Jimmy :)

3 days in, I left West Amsterdam and headed to my next residence up north by the docks. Amsterdam is a busy city and Gay Pride was bringing even more people into town, so I found my second place to stay through airbnb.com. This place had a very different atmosphere - a modern apartment in a very quiet neighborhood. My host Ken was also a friendly guy who worked from home helping companies out with their branding and collateral. From this location I could easily hop the tram downtown, and even better, borrow a bike and cruise around the city. I visited the Rijks Museum, and while there was a slew of super impressive work, looking at all the classical artwork reminded me that I'm really more interested in contemporary art. Unfortunately I never made it to the Stedelijk Museum, but I did wander into quite a few galleries and saw some really cool work along the way.

One thing I did not expect to do during my visit was go to the beach. There was one exceptionally hot day while I was at Ken's, and lucky for me, a Bjilburg Beach was just a tram ride away. It was no Catalunya, but it was pretty cool to find a spot so close to the city to enjoy the water. It was really more of a lake, and the water only got about 2 feet deep, but it was a beach! People came from all over to claim their spot on the sand - even tho it was a bit like dirt. It made me smile when I imagined the same place but in Philly - tattoos and PBRs as far as the eye could see - and I'd probably be having an awesome time there with my friends :)

The best part of going to Amsterdam tho was reconnecting with an old friend. David German, "the Knife", now "the Germ" played drums for Shadows Fall back in 2000 when they supported King Diamond on the US House of God tour. It's been 12 years since I last saw Dave when I went to Brooklyn to watch his final show with the Shads. Through the wonders of Facebook, I found him last year living in Amsterdam, married to a lovely lady named Lana and playing in a punk/reggee band, Jaya the Cat. After all this time it was SO great to be reminded why it was so much fun touring together years ago - I forgot how funny that fool is! I had a blast getting reacquainted, hanging with his better half, and tearing up Amsterdam with the Jaya guys. Can't wait to see you again!