The Ivory Tower Roadshow - part 2
Saturday 9th June 2012. Ted has a book by Algernon Blackwood "Episodes before 30" which has something to do with his lectures. Read a couple of chapters - not sure I warm to the narrator. In return I show Ted how to cook fried eggs for a fried egg sandwich (he's not a big fan of cooking) and then we repair to the local flea market for a wander. As it's June I had foolishly assumed I wouldn't need my coat. After an hour return to the flat for my coat. Have a coffee in a local cafe and split an apple tart (local speciality) between us (as this is Amsterdam I would like to stress that this is not a euphemism). Then the tram to the COBRA museum, COBRA being an early-20th century art group based out of Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Paris. Suitably cultured-up, we go back to Amsterdam, which, as Holland are playing in the first stages of Euro2012, is full of people wearing orange, orange, and more orange. It resembles some sort of international Fluorescent Jacket Manufacturers convention, and the OORRRSS!! and ARRGGGHHHASSSS!! from the bars all around mean that we don't have to go to the bother of actually watching the game when we can tell what's going on just from the noises the fans are making.
May I take this opportunity to mention the mosquitos that plague Amsterdam? Being quite a damp city, they are plentiful and healthy and it becomes a minor hobby of mine to swat the fuckers - final score 37/1 to me. Better than Holland did in the game, anyway.
Sunday 10th June - I take my hangover and Ted on the train to Utrecht, which is a pleasant and laid-back town. Further bicycles, including one with a live parrot balancing on the handlebars. I'm not making this up, I swear. We visit the Centraal Museum, which has a slightly ideosyncratic way of arranging exhibits, but which includes an exhibition on Punk in the Netherlands 1977 - 1984 which is quite fab. A band are playing very loudly and tunelessly in a room next to the exhibition, which I assume is on purpose. http://centraalmuseum.nl/en/visit/exhibitions/god-save-queen/
Monday 11th June. I have the pleasure of returning via Easyjet this afternoon, so in the morning we mooch round Amsterdam looking for souvenirs. I end up buying a bunch from a chinese-themed shop, on the basis that the only other souvenirs available are about the sex industry, or the dope cafes (I try to be open-minded, but I do have a 6 year old nephew to buy for). We also drop into an exhibition in a local church of the World Press Photo 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/17/world-press-photo-12-review plus the obligatory cappuchino in a cafe (where Ted managed to ask for two coffees in such a convincing dutch accent that the waitress began chatting to him about the weather in dutch and we had to hurriedly admit that was the extent of his dutch language skills).
Back to Gatwick airport. Oh look - it's still raining.