Thursday, October 16, Tonbridge.
Bear with me...I'm typing this update on a German keyboard in Munich, where the y's are z's and pressing the shift key gets me nowhere. Whee! Flash back to my last days in London... on Thursday, I finished up my last blog update, and after getting a bit lost trying to find the Gipsy Hill rail station, I was on my way into the English countryside. I was visiting friends Sam and Lisa in Tonbridge, about 45 minutes by train past rolling hills, pastures, and countless little English villages.
I stepped off into Tonbridge, a slick little town on a hill. I met up with Sam at one of the local pubs, after the kind bartender lent me her cellphone to make the call. (My cell doesnt work at all in Europe). Sam and I checked out the village, which included shops, pubs, and the 1000 year old castle. Lisa joined us for dinner at a cozy restaurant down the street from their house. A veritable FEAST ensued... fantastic mixed grill... I'm not a huge meat eater, but I'm occasionally able to make an acception. Everything was perfect... chicken, steak, sausage... all topped off with a fried egg. Everything, that is, except for the side dish of "black pudding". I tried a bite, but it's just not my thing.... (it's basically a packed, charred hockey puck of blood and animal parts). But we did have some incredible hot chocolate for dessert.
Slept over at Sam and Lisa's place, in this cool little guest house they recently built. It was tucked up the hill behind their house, through a beautiful garden. The next morning, I had a shower, and explored downtown Tonbridge. The day was sunny, but a bit cold. Temperatures have really turned more October-like in the past few days. The town itself was beautiful. I checked out the castle some more, as I wasn't able to see much in the dark the night before. Fantastic views from the castle's front yard, of the Medway River and the village below. For lunch, I stopped into the Goldbar, which Sam had highly recommended, and dined on some amazing English pie and mash. So so good... but thank God I'm walking so much, otherwise I'd travel back to the states well over 900 pounds. I hopped the afternoon train back to West Dulwich, for our last night in town before Joe and I skip country for Amsterdam.
Saturday, Amsterdam.
We arrived into the city's airport on EasyJet, one of Europe's econo-airlines. A quick 50 minute flight, a stamp of our passports, and we were released into Amsterdam. The city core is a 15 minute train ride from the airport, and we arrived about 7pm, where we began to search for a place to stay for the night. We walked down the main drag, Damrak, where thousands of people were hanging out, enjoying the weekend nightlife. After snagging a hotel, we ditched our bags to explore the city. So much going on... around every corner. Amsterdam has a night scene that reminds me a bit of Las Vegas, but just plug in some incredible architecture, hundreds of canals, and a public transit system that's dominated by bikes. You really need to keep your head on a swivel (as Joe puts it), otherwise you'll get run down.
Sunday.
We woke up early, and moved down our street to Bob's Hostel. Decent setup, with a cool little bar / lounge setup in the lobby. After a walk around town, trying to learn the area, we rented a couple bikes and joined the masses. The day was beautiful, if a bit cold, and we cruised up and down the canals... turning Amsterdam into one big video game. Stopped for some local cuisine... amazing pancakes. The main entree was similar to a pizza, but with a pancake crust. And we barely spoke as we downed the delicious meal. Jeeze...That evening we cruised back to the hostel, dodging other bikes, trams, pedestrians, and one mean old bastard of a Dutchman, who was looking to pick a fight with Americans. And back at the hostel, Joe is now my hero, because he gave the hostel bartender one of my band's new CD's, which sounded real nice in the lounge. Acoustic Carpet is now world famous!
Headed out for some dinner... fantastic sardines and cheese at a tapas place, and hit a couple clubs for some live music. The best band was over at "The Last Watering Hole".. the singer was amazing. Very few people can sing Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison, but he nailed it. Sounded a bit like Joe Cocker... was sure he was American, but learned he was definitely Dutch when he spoke between songs. The highlight over at the other bar, "Bourbon Street" was the painting on the wall. It was beautifully done, and depicted the Rolling Stones in their final final farewell, being led off stage by nurses... Mick Jagger limping, Ron Wood leaning on a cane, and Keith Richards in a wheelchair, pulling an IV.
After the music and back home at the hostel, Joe and I totally lucked out, as we were the only people in our room.
Monday.
Beautiful, cold bike ride to the Hortus Botanicus (Amsterdam's botanical gardens). Amazing greenhouses to tour, with many different temperate zones to choose from: desert, tropics, etc, with streams running through. Even a banana tree! Such a nice place... so alive. We biked around the outer canals for an hour or two, stopping for a brief moment at the Anne Frank house, which I will be touring tomorrow. We dropped off our bikes, and I was happy to survive in one piece. The locals are so confident with the chaotic traffic. For instance, yesterday I watched a sharply dressed woman riding along, steering with one hand, and pulling a roller bag / suitcase with the other, which bounced around on the bricks behind her. Maybe 10 miles an hour?!? After a solid bowl of soup, Joe headed for his plane back to London, so from here on out, I'd be traveling solo.
Wandered around town for a bit, and signed up for another night at Bob's Hostel. Stopped off for some dinner at another tapas place, but nowhere near as good as the night before. Watched a bit of soccer at a sports bar with a cool guy from Frankfurt, who's hometeam Mainze was playing a big game. The bar was decent enough, but every 10 or 15 minutes, a buzzer would go off. Loud. Not really sure why... but I got used to it eventually and watched the match.
Kicked down the street to a jazz club, and planted myself at the bar, hoping for some good live music. The music in fact was solid... a trio who held their own in a fantastic little venue, but the people were the best. I met a woman from Brazil, Victoria, who was backpacking across Europe solo. Much in common (and she spoke excellent English), we chatted the night away, and a could really cool locals eventually joined us. The music took a back seat, and we really had a great time, and the bartender kept the entire place happy, including us. Such a great night...
...until I got back to my hostel. I stayed at the jazz bar until about 2, and when I got back home, somebody was in my bed! Sooo... I went down to the manager. He and his buddy, both Middle Eastern men, snapped to attention and started speaking in their own language. I didn't want to get anybody kicked out of their bed... I just needed someplace to sleep (especially since I paid for one), and it was pushing 3am. They had extra beds, but for some reason, the owner's buddy dragged me up the four flights of stairs to my original room, so I could watch him yell at the guy in my bed. They argued for a minute before I interupted and said "This no longer concerns me, get me another bed, and I'll be outside." They put me in a different room, and I eventually got a couple hours of sleep before bolting. Bob can keep his hostel...
Tuesday.
I'm still kicking, even after so little sleep. It's a bit rainy outside... the first time it's rained in awhile. Guess we were due. I took the tram over to the Anne Frank house, and took the tour. Quite powerful, stepping behind the bookcase and into the secret Annex. It's a very simple tour, which serves the history here quite well. From rrom to room, different artifacts from Anne's life are on display, along with dozens of sayings, quoted directly from her diary.
The sun is trying to peek out, and the rain is over. I walked down from the Anne Frank house to a huge church, to climb the narrow, treacherous steps of the 300 year old bell tower. I really just wanted a good view of the city, but you have to pay for a tour. The rain seemed to drive many away, and it was just the Dutch tour guide and me. On the way up, you pass 1600's era graffiti and the original tower bells, which are still used on Sundays. We wound our way higher and higher, until we stepped outside onto the balcony. Spectacular! 360 degree views of Amsterdam... snapped as many photos as I could before the tour ended, and we very carefully climbed back down.
And now, I eat pancake. This time, at Sara's Pancake house. Not as good as the first place, but still very decent: salami, peppers, and cheese. On a pancake!
My last night in Amsterdam. Sat down to a suprisingly good pile of chicken wings at a pub down the street from my new digs, the Tulip Inn. Nice hotel.. they let me check in at 9 this morning. Great bath... watched some CNN, and even did some laundry. I think this is going to be the key from city to city... hit up the hostel for the first couple of days to meet people and get a lay of the land, and finish my last night in town at a nice hotel to relax before moving on.
I'm still a bit weary, with no nap, but feeling good. This pub, just off Nieuwendijk Street, has a perfect view for people watching. It's next to the soup restaurant I've hit up twice (amazing mug of soup), and street cars are constantly passing by in front of me on MY street, Nieuwezijd Voorburgwal. Say that a few times in a row.
To Amsterdam newcomers, it's rather chaotic when you first slide into town. But it's pretty simple after a day or two. Get lost in it, as Joe and I did, and pretty soon you'll start recognizing areas, streets, and buildings. And as a last resort (or if it's raining), hop on a tram. It's pretty hard to get lost on one of those... they pretty much either head deeper into town, or return to the main train station (Centraal). They're cheap, too... (but everything is compared to London).
That's all I've got for now... Munich is next. Such a blast, but that will have to wait till next time, faithful reader!
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