Simple Thursday

After a full Wednesday, Tex and I had what I would call a half-full Thursday. Basically, we let the variables dictate. I got up early to both write and eat a fried egg breakfast at a local cafe. I struck up a conversation with a fellow Dutch studier and she mentioned that she had looked into attending the University of Texas at Austin to study in their Linguistics program. I was proud the school name has reached across the ocean. I am always surprised at how foreigners know the names of many of the states that make up the United States of America. I think I could name very few of the states of any other country.

We switched hotels and are now staying at the NH Amsterdam Centre - nicer, and one I would recommend to any visitor for the price, service, and location. Back in the heart of the Leidisplein, we were eager to follow up our previous productive day with another. It was productive, just not as I had hoped.
Tex wanted to say goodbye to his friend from our old hostel before she left back home to Beijing. I waited in a local diner and used the ample time to brief and people watch. One large mug Heinekin led to another and then the laptop went closed for the day.

I have no idea where the rest of the afternoon went. The Texas gentleman that we sometimes are, we helped Tex's new friends get to the Central Station to catch their train. Somehow I ended up toting a heavy bag full of newly purchased clothes across Amsterdam. Following that ruckus we entered a coffeeshop. I will write about the Amsterdam coffee shops and the red light district in my final two posts. For now, it is enough to say we took a great nap and finished the strange Thursday with the 2nd most incredible meal of my life.

We dined on Greek food at a restaurant called Mykonos. The Leidesplein - a busy tourist plaza full with bars and restaurants - is beautiful at nighttime. Adding to the beauty is the fact that there is a wide selection of foods from which to choose. We settled on Greek and were not dissapointed. Fried Feta cheese and a seafood sampler kicked us off in the right direction. The lamb was tender and crumbled in your mouth. Tex washed it down with style with a glassy of sharry and I sat back in exhaustion. It is now established: The food in Amsterdam is awesome.

We did a quick stroll around the city, over the canals and under the lamps that illuminate the still nights. And again, we made it a point to walk through the red lights that cast their finishing glow over the available women.

That was how it went, with everything new in between. Last night (Friday) was a great time. I am writing from the city of The Hague as everyone is still asleep. I will write of the experience sometime later today.