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.

Amsterdam Wildlife

We have a bit of a mouse issue in our building.

Sinterklaas

For me, being in an environment with ubiquitous biking, small grocery shops, and non-judgmental attitudes toward many social issues is totally natural.

One thing that I've found rather odd, though, is the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Sinterklaas is accompanied by Black Peter, a black helper who helps deliver gifts. In December, legions of Dutch people dress up as "Zwarte Piete" using a black face costume that has been considered somewhat inappropriate in the U.S. since the 1960's. Needless to say, it's a fascinating sociological phenomenon to witness:

And thanks to Loren for reminding me that David Sedaris actually had a nice commentary on this:

Gent

I had the opportunity to go to Gent, a city in Belgium, to give a talk, a lecture, and an interview (all of which are slightly different, but put together involved me talking for approximately five hours over an eight hour span) at the university there.

Gent was a gorgeous city. I don't know much about Belgian history, apart from quick defeats in world wars and misguided actions in African colonies (not its brightest moment), and my ignorance led me to think that there's not much of interest in the country. But the region was part of multiple empires during the middle ages, and it makes sense that there would be some impressive architecture and monuments.

And, indeed, there were three cathedral/churches in close proximity in the city center:

One of these - the Belfry of Gent - included a 300 foot tower in which visitors can look down upon all of Gent (a few of the higher angled pictures of churches above were taken there):

A fortress is close to the churches:

And, beyond churches and a fortress, the city center has large squares, a river, and a plethora of interesting restaurants and cafes.

Escargot from a street stand

Belgian waffles

Apparently Gent is nearly as enthusiastic about biking as Amsterdam.

The Antwerp train station.

Gent has invested in lighting the city up during the evenings. Night time walks on the cobbled paths along the river have a magical feeling.