Dinner and a Cruise

“When logic and proportion/Have fallen sloppy dead/And the White Knight is talking backwards/And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"/Remember what the doormouse said;” ~ “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane
 

[Fair warning: These posts are about 90% clean. There is still a bit of smut, and if you want to avoid it I understand. If not, I hope you enjoy.]

April 13, 2013 (Continued)Andy met us in the bar to take us to the Thai restaurant. Because of the trade routes again, there is a large Thai population in Amsterdam. This restaurant was a hit with locals, but drove most tourists crazy. That was because the entire restaurant (kitchen included) was probably 20’x20’. There was enough seating for 24 people, spread out at various tables. Guests lined up outside, where they gave their order to the waiter. As seats opened up, the next two or three people would go to sit. Groups and families were not seated together, but rather seated where seats were available.

Jen was holding our spot in line, but it was still about a 20 minute wait. Andy pointed out a huge, family-owned liquor store down the street and encouraged us to go buy drinks for the evening. We did. The place was huge. I mean it wouldn’t compare to an American liquor store, but compared to most other European family-owned shops, it was amazing!!! The way the different colored glass bottles were stacked and arranged was almost…artistic. I tried to take photos, but the shop owner immediately scolded me and asked me to stop.

The girls bought a few bottles of wine. I bought a bottle of Fanta. When we got back we gave our order to the waiter. Andy suggested the Pad Thai, but I ordered the cashew chicken. It was good, but in hind sight, I should have taken his suggestion. We were seated shortly after, but the 11 of us were spread out across all six different tables. I wound up with Katie at one in the corner, which we shared with two different couples that cycled in and out.

In Europe, it is not always customary to get a drink with dinner. I’ve been given the impression from talking with people that you drink at dinner to compliment the food, not for your thirst. I definitely drink for my thirst and I downed two Cokes with the Thai food.

As we were finishing eating, Andy asked us to be done within about 5 minutes so we could make it to the canal cruise we had booked. Our reservation actually wasn’t for an hour, but it was flexible, so if we showed up early, we might be able to get on an earlier cruise.

We paid our bills and met outside. Rushing down the crooked streets, and dodging traffic by the train station (there isn’t much traffic in Amsterdam since the bikes are so popular…but the drivers they do have are crazy!) we made it to the dock just as the cruise left.

“No big deal,” Andy said. “That bar over there is the oldest one in Amsterdam. What do you say we hit it for a few drinks before the cruise?”

Sitting in the bar was fun. I didn’t order anything to drink but we all swapped stories of our trips around Europe. A few of the girls had been to Prague and told me about their favorite sites. Of course, the cheap Czech beer was a highlight for them too, but they enjoyed the castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town, new town, and over all feel of walking in the golden city.

When it was time to catch out boat, we headed back across the street. It was raining again, but we got on board right away. The boat was a large glass dome, with about 20 booths, each with seating for five.  Andy and Jen sat on one side with four of the girls. The other four and I sat across the aisle from them.

“Hide your booze,” Andy told us. “You aren’t supposed to have drinks on board.”

Once the boat pulled away from the dock, Andy brought out a bottle of champagne. He poured us all a glass and we had a silent toast “To Amsterdam!”

Sipping champagne and sailing down the canals was fun. The rain was pouring down and between the streaming water and the condensation from the 50+ tourists on the boat; you couldn’t see a thing out the window. The guide would make announcements, switching from Dutch to English. I caught that we passed an old battleship and that house 81 was the oldest in Amsterdam, but other than that, it wasn’t much of a sightseeing tour.

Either way, the company was great. We talked a lot about our families back home and people we were looking forward to seeing. All of them were headed home around May 1^st and they were all more than ready.

“This is just fun,” one of the girls said. “Just sitting and talking. I’d do this over clubbing any night.”

Everyone agreed.

The cruise was about an hour and finished up back at the same point it left from. The rain had lightened up a little but was still sprinkling. It was a little after 10:00. Andy asked us what we wanted to do, and the consensus was to go back to the hostel. He stayed behind to tip the boat captain, and the rest of us headed back through the rain.

Lauren, a girl from Canada, and I took the lead and we were soon several blocks ahead of the group. Gradually, we began to get back in the midnight crowd and stopped to let the group catch up to us.

“Hey! Check it out!” she pointed.

On a building across the canal from us was a blue neon sign that read “Jesus Loves You.”

It made me smile…I knew He’d be here, and sure enough, he was.

The group never did catch us, and standing in the rain became less and less fun. We decided to go back to the hostel without them. When we got back, I went to store my jacket in my room and then returned to the bar. The group was just arriving as I got back. A few of the girls were going to go see the sex show around the corner, but I declined that invitation too. I wanted to go see the tulip fields in the morning before heading back to Prague, so I decided to head to bed.

After another disinfecting shower and several minutes of journaling, I fell fast asleep.