Travel Talk

Where to Travel From Amsterdam?

Greetings,

There is no denying that Amsterdam is a great city and entrance point for an international flight into Europe. The question is, where does one go after they arrive in Amsterdam?

Considering doing nothing has never been easier, amusing or eventful, getting stuck in Amsterdam is quite easy. Having been stuck most places I’ve ever been, I’m beginning to recognize the signs.

The signs are simple, you’ve developed a daily routine. For those of you incomprehensibly slow, a daily routine is something people do, like everyday. So if basically everyday you woke up, tried to look at women on the subway but it came across as more of a creepy leer, drank coffee, sat a desk drawing childish scribbles of words you hate, your name and pictures of your wife, co-workers and or clients caught in spiderwebs, that would be your routine.

I have some matters to attend to in Poland and have decided to meet my cousin in France on the 31st. Hotels in Amsterdam are typically more expensive on weekends and cheaper during the week, atleast some are.

I tried to check back into another “Rat’s Nestesque” establisment of the lowest standards but most were booked. Luckily a lady at the current place just booked me through. She told me I’ve been here a few days and do the same thing each day, wake up early say I’m going to think about it and come home at 5 to pay for the room. 

Considering the cheaper accomodations start today or tomorrow, it only makes sense to stay until Friday. From there I’ll have to look at a map. I prefer the week day crowd, more random people from everywhere.

Amsterdam is great for a solo traveler and random encounters. Was having a coffee yesterday in this cafe and out of nowhere this Swiss lady just sits down and asks if she may join. There are no seats left but obviously it’s a “@#$# yes, you can join me” type scenario.

I think the only regret of this trip was not asking her contacts before she left. She was with her mom and aunt, one minute I’m chatting to her next thing I’m drinking coffee having smokes at some tea party with her family. When she left it was one of those prolonged handshakes which would be most certainly awkward if both parties weren’t totally into it. Therefor it c0uld have been a most awkward goodbye.

If you have a few pints during the day you run into all sorts of characters, if you have a few at night, same thing. Met some British blokes in the hotel lobby who were going off about “the ladies”. Those ladies behind the glass doors, I was too harsh on them earlier. SOME of those doors have some of the most attractively packaged disease distribution systems known to mankind. Therefore they aren’t all old and decrepit, however if that is your style, plenty of it here.

Got down to this hotel lobby at 4am. Woke up to some alarm clock going in another room, came down and drank a coke from some machine. Then drank an orange soda and bought internet credit.

There are people sleeping in this lobby as they have no alarm clock. Imagine paying for a room, then sleeping in some crappy lobby where there is nothing but a pool table, flat screen TV and some guy drinking a pint while typing furiously into wordpress at ~7am. This is when these people need to be woken up and sold the benefits of quasi luxurious yet affordable airport accomodations.

I think it’s Sunday. Time to have a large English Breakfast, a few coffees and then head to church minus the whole church part. I keep buying shoes that don’t fit right. Trying to think if giving old pairs to a bum on the street would be more satisfying or away on the internet.

Giving to bum is cheaper and they may be more grateful. That said, some bums are like “Shoes, WTF am I supposed to do with your old shoes, @$$hole!? I can’t smoke, sell or sniff that sh~T!.” That was the response I got until one guy took them, like he was doing me a favor in Vancouver at the start of this trip, another hot bed for bums, bed bugs, you know. All this said, the shoes I’d be giving away here are new 1 day worns, not old used and abused ones.

In Dam Square, they have all these like dudes who dress like dead people and stand on boxes. Silly tourists encourage them by giving them $$$ and taking a photo. Also people playing music now and look at you and say like “music” and you’re kinda like “yeah, music, the kind you should be annoying your neighbors with in your apartment”.

After Asia, it’s like “don’t even think about asking me, for anything”. So while I have been giving street workers no love, I have been tipping a bit. Am I supposed to tip? You can tip someone here more than the price of  your meal in Asia and them just smile like thanks. It’s kinda like… Thanks for reminding me why I’m never going to tip you again, ever.

Cordially,

P.S: “could i have fractured my forehead”, ranking for stuff like that make it all worth while.

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