December

Ruth, who hosted me in Munich (and arranged for my hike through the Alps) took a break from her work to visit Amsterdam. We spent most of Saturday walking around Amsterdam, and I had a chance to reflect on how the city looks in December after seeing it closely when I first arrived in the early summer.

In walking in the center of town, I saw a tall, narrow hostel, and I had a funny feeling that I'd stumbled upon the hostel I stayed in ten years ago when I first visited Amsterdam. They staff agreed to buzz me in to let me check, and, based on my memory of the unique lobby, I decided that this is indeed the hostel I first stayed in. Fun.


I did not take a picture of the "Houseboat Museum" that Ruth and I visited, but I did get one of this boat that is about to be pulled skyward by lit reindeer.


Recall that Zwarte Piet is the slave/helper/friend of Sinterklaas who helps deliver presents around children. Apparently there was some demonstration against the tradition last week.


In Amsterdam, scantily clad prostitutes entice customers behind windows, women look at Playboy in the grocery store (I saw a woman looking at a nude pullout in the magazine aisle in our version of Albertsons), sex boutiques dot the small streets in the center of town, right by cafes and clothing stores, and there are live sex shows in the Red Light District. Even so, I was a little surprised that, while browsing this innocent looking chocolate stand in the Albert Cuyp Market, I saw some rather suggestively shaped chocolates.
I'll leave it to you to guess what "Massief Lekkere Tietjes" means.
And I'll leave it to you to guess what "Massief Geintje" means.
I took Ruth to Beer Temple, which serves a lot of American beers, and serves a lot of American style beers brewed in European countries.
This is what's on tap - there are three times as many beers in bottles. Note Rogue and Flying Dog. They also often have Anderson Valley, Great Divide, and Left Hand, as well as some Eastern U.S. beers that I'm not familiar with.


And the partly cloudy night made for some nice nighttime pictures.