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!

My favorite section of the Rijks Museum was the 
Asian Collection

Random Amsterdam park alligators!

I was super lucky to spend a night cruising the canals 
with Amsterdam friends!

Shore decor is a bit different here than in Jersey!

Sun!

I Miss Prague Already!

Back in Copenhagen after a 9 day excursion to Prague. I could have stayed longer - much longer. I felt instantly at home in that city and at the same time, like I could be there 10 years and never see it all. I wanted to check out everything, but it was overwhelming. How could I decide where to start? I planned a few destinations, but the small roads weave a web that can be quite difficult to navigate. The great thing was, when I couldn't find what I was looking for, I found something else just as interesting. It didn't take long for me to realize that the best way to investigate was to just pick a starting point and see where it lead.

I didn't go to a single museum or take a tour of any historical building, or pay for any of the countless attractions that I'm certain are worth seeing, yet I still witnessed more every afternoon than I could have hoped. The streets are cobblestone. I skipped running entirely but walked for hours each day - in Chucks - I do not know how the women of Praha wear heals in those streets! For the most part, pedestrians obey the traffic laws and cars stop for people in cross walks. For someone who drives down 2nd Street through Liberties Walk 5 times a week, THAT was an incredible site in itself!  Another huge difference from Philly - those streets were clean. It wasn't until I saw one piece of trash in the road that I realized it was the ONLY trash I saw. How refreshing! Mainly tho, it was the amount of detail spent in the creation of Prague's architecture that got me. Various styles are represented, each more ornate than the last. Of course you expect it from the Baroque churches and Gothic castle, but the post office and the pizza shop, and the apartments down the street - the sheer abundance of beauty amazed me. And where there was a break in the buildings, there was a park, with even more sculpture. 

Besides eating at a different vegetarian, often vegan, restaurant every day, a big highlight was getting a tour of Prague. My host works as a tour guide and was generous enough to spend 5 hours showing me the highlights - free of charge! By that point I had seen most of the city, but hearing the history enriched my experience of each place we stopped. Prague was occupied by the Nazis in WWII and I again found myself holding back tears as I was told about events that took place not all that long ago. To be honest, I never fully understood the connection that Jewish people today feel with those who lived during the time of the Holocaust. Of course the violence was horrendous. I am disgusted by bigotry and the level of mistreatment was astronomical. I cannot wrap my head around how something so wrong, gained so much power and destroyed so many people. But I had never felt it. I felt it in Warsaw and I felt it in Prague. I felt connected with a history that wasn't even my own, and I thought to myself if I was in a place where thousands of vegans were rounded up and persecuted for their beliefs I would be balling my eyes out. That feeling, along with a personal connection, would be more than I could take. 

During this tour I did learn that the Christians thought to work with finances was to work with the devil, and therefor forced Jews to be the ones who handled the money. Of course it didn't take long for people to realize that those who handled finances ended up with money, which threw everyone off their game. This gave me a good chuckle :)

I will wrap up my ramblings about Prague by praising the people that I met there. Funny enough, most were not Czech. Tourism is huge there and I met a lot of couchsurfers from various European countries.  Travel, as opposed to going to a vacation destination, seems much more prevalent in Europe than the US and I feel more akin to that mentality. Not that I am opposed to sitting my ass on a beach and sipping piña coladas for a week, but I always have the urge to get to know the inter workings of a new place. I will also say that I am a big fan of traveling alone. Again, with another person would be great, but when you are walking by yourself, your company is your surroundings. For me, it makes for a stronger connection with the area and the people in it. Thank you Prague for being so good to me!