Farewell to Amsterdam



 All good things must come to an end, so it's time to pack up for the final time on Part 1 of my trip, and prepare to board the Dawn Princess tomorrow afternoon for the start of Part 2.

Despite the variable weather here this visit, I've still had a great time. Amsterdam is such a fun city. And I do it drug-free, and don't even venture into the Red Light district... I probably need therapy!

What I've really enjoy this time is all the free entertainment. On Friday night there was a concert in Dam Square by Giovanni Bassano - probably the best singer/songwriter I've never heard of. I spent a couple of hours there, as every second song he did was a U2 classic. Most of the others I knew too, and it made such a pleasant break from the techno/dance music being played in all the shops. Long live acoustic music - so look the guy up on YouTube and see what you think...

Today I was back in Dam Square, where in just 2 days they had set up an arena for beach soccer - that's truckloads of sand shipped in and dumped on the paving in front of the Royal Palace, with grandstands erected around the edges. I wonder what the Queen thinks?

Then of course there's an endless assortment of buskers. A great way to dispose of that pile of coins that inevitably accumulates...

Speaking of things Royal, I did a nostalgia trip to Garry's Muffins this afternoon, which was my favourite place for coffee on my very first visit to Amsterdam, many years ago. The cafe is still there, but it's now called Royal Bagels... maybe Garry retired, or went back to New York? Either way, he must have passed on his muffin recipe to the new owners, as they are still only barely edible - but the coffee is even better than I remember!

Nothing left to say really...

Shopping was also on the agenda today, as there are sales on everywhere. And Amsterdam is one of the few places I've come across where there are as many men's clothing shops as there are women's. So all very exciting until you realise that on the main shopping street, there are probably only a dozen clothing shops - they just repeat several times along the street. Same stock, same prices. Oh well, managed to pick up a couple of bargains - just need to find space for them in my bags now!