If today is Friday, then this must be Amsterdam... ja?

Happy Mr Summer got nudged over by grumpy Mr Winter for the last couple of days - cold, windy, wet... but the farmers in this part of the world really need the rain, so I'm not complaining... much!

We farewelled Berlin and blatted our way at 200km/hr to Duisburg, where we were met by old friends who live near by. We could only stay overnight with them, but we made the most of it and had a lovely time. The wine flowed freely in the evening, which seeing I rarely drink, meant that by the end my condition could best be described as "plastered". I was certainly a little under the weather the following morning, but still managed to enjoy the art show, and a lovely lunch before we headed off again.

We arrived in Amsterdam in the middle of a storm. Fortunately our hotel wasn't too far from the station, so we picked our way between the piles of abandoned, dead umbrellas, and ended up in a fairly damp state. The dinner we had planned outside beside some canal had to be abandoned, which was a bit of a disappointment...

This morning I farewelled Jenny at Schiphol Airport, then on the way back on the train had to endure a group of 30-something Brits mouthing off about whether they were going to get drunk or stoned first when they reached town - and this was 9 o'clock in the morning! What on earth the Dutch made of it all is beyond me...

My day was spent wandering along familiar streets of the city, watching street theatre, listening to music, and generally soaking up the atmosphere. It might be 10 years since I was last here, but I only needed to consult the map once in the entire day. I just love this place. Such a mix of cultures, and most people speak English (apart from in the Supermarket - I'm sure I was served by that woman last time I was here!) Now if I told you I saw a busker playing an accordion and a didgeridoo at the same time, you'd probably think I'd been in one of the "coffeeshops" (and we're not talking Starbucks here), so here's the picture to prove it... and the sound was very strange too!