And here I am, in denial that spring isn't here and winter isn't really over. Hence, all decked out in my light spring jacket, I endured it all: rain, high winds, hail and snow. Of course, Peter forgets to mention that the local weather forecast also warned that it was going to be the coldest Easter in the past 40 years. Thanks, Pete.
I guess I shouldn't have taken it literally when a family friend whom I was going to visit requested in his e-mail to "bring along sunshine from Prague." Yes, Prague, for the past week has had sunshine - with lots of snow. I hereby apologize to the Dutch for such terrible weather.
This trip turned out to be a weekend of reunions. I also got to see a lot more of the Netherlands than initially planned - although Brussels sadly didn't happen.
Peter, I met last semester in Prague during our university exchange shenanigan. Karin and I were AFS students in New Zealand 5 years ago where we attended the same high school and played in the school rugby team. The van Gompel family has known me since I was a fetus. The meetings were short, but it sure was good to see familiar faces and catch up.
- Back in the days of wooden clogs, homeowners paid taxes on the width of their property. This encouraged narrow, tall houses where floor space was at a premium. -I guess the homeowner of that maroon house really didn't want to pay his taxes.If there's one word to describe Amsterdam, it would be "unique." Wonky buildings lining the canals look like they're trying to pull the Pisa; drugs are tolerated and prostitution is legal - there's even a nursery situated in the middle of the Red Light District. My first venture into the District was by accident rather than on purpose. The first indication telling me that I was in the heart of it was the sight of a vertically challenged and...horizontally gifted woman clad in glittery lingerie. Hmm...
The Dutch government's ways with dealing with certain social issues - drugs, for instance - is quite ingenious. While the rest of the world wastes billions on this seemingly unending War on Drugs, the Netherlands decided drug use is more of a health problem than a criminal issue. By officially allowing such coffeeshops, they separate smokers from criminals who would deal drugs if they were illegal and it works. In my humble opinion, the rest of the world has a lot to learn from the Netherlands.
Weather aside, this trip has been absolutely super. Like the Terminator would say: "I'll be back."
