Amsterdam: Check! Antwerp: Check!
Everything is going well. This is my favourite story from today:
We're driving around downtown Amsterdam, looking for a place to park so the band can set up at the evening's venue. Downtown Amsterdam is a driver's nightmare, and we're in a big car with almost no visibility, because it's packed so full of gear.
We turn down a tiny, one-way street with cars parked on either side. We figure we can find a free spot pretty easily, with ALL of these spots to choose from. We drive on, no free spot. A little further, no free spot. Further still, no free spot. Finally, about 1/2 a kilometre up the road, we discover that the end of the street has been closed off for construction. I now have to REVERSE down the whole street, with about 30 cm of clearance on either side of the car, while watching for other drivers, cyclists (there are a million-trillion cyclists in Amsterdam), and pedestrians. Using only my side-view mirrors. While balancing a ball on my nose. (Okay, I threw that ball part in for dramatic emphasis, but really, it would haven been too much harder.)
One of the guys in the band jumped out of the car and shouted directions at me, and we went pretty slowly, so everything worked out. But there were at least three separate times when the words "I hate Amsterdam" were muttered. And maybe once when they were screamed. I can't remember too clearly.
And I haven't seen any of the band's performances yet, because I'm always on babysitting duty when they go on. Tonight's gig was close, though. I stood outside the window with the stroller, watching as the crowd listened to what I'm sure was beautiful music. I looked like a sad hobo from an old silent film. A sad hobo with a baby.
Europe is unbelievably beautiful. I don't know why it isn't a more popular tourist destination.
We're driving around downtown Amsterdam, looking for a place to park so the band can set up at the evening's venue. Downtown Amsterdam is a driver's nightmare, and we're in a big car with almost no visibility, because it's packed so full of gear.
We turn down a tiny, one-way street with cars parked on either side. We figure we can find a free spot pretty easily, with ALL of these spots to choose from. We drive on, no free spot. A little further, no free spot. Further still, no free spot. Finally, about 1/2 a kilometre up the road, we discover that the end of the street has been closed off for construction. I now have to REVERSE down the whole street, with about 30 cm of clearance on either side of the car, while watching for other drivers, cyclists (there are a million-trillion cyclists in Amsterdam), and pedestrians. Using only my side-view mirrors. While balancing a ball on my nose. (Okay, I threw that ball part in for dramatic emphasis, but really, it would haven been too much harder.)
One of the guys in the band jumped out of the car and shouted directions at me, and we went pretty slowly, so everything worked out. But there were at least three separate times when the words "I hate Amsterdam" were muttered. And maybe once when they were screamed. I can't remember too clearly.
And I haven't seen any of the band's performances yet, because I'm always on babysitting duty when they go on. Tonight's gig was close, though. I stood outside the window with the stroller, watching as the crowd listened to what I'm sure was beautiful music. I looked like a sad hobo from an old silent film. A sad hobo with a baby.
Europe is unbelievably beautiful. I don't know why it isn't a more popular tourist destination.