Twelve: Donkeyville?

Last weekend one of Kim's old friends came through town on a European tour with her band, Hercules and Love Affair. We went down to the Heineken Music Hall on Friday night to check out their show. They were opening for Roisin Murphy, the one-time front woman for Moloko. Roisin was alright, but H&LA rocked! Fantastic horn section, bassist, drummer and keys/synth. And of course Kim Ann Foxman (hello, perfect rock star name) sounded great on vocals. It was fun to watch Kim watch Kim Ann. She was grinning like a proud parent or something. "She sounds so good!"

After the show we met up with Kim Ann and her lovely lady friend Silvia Prada. Yes, Silvia Prada. It's so fun to say, we only want to call her by her full name. Silvia Prada is from Barcelona. We had a super time hanging with these girls. On Saturday we walked around the Canal District. We ate Dutch pancakes (do I write that in every blog entry??). Kim Ann regaled us with stories of life on tour. Silvia Prada told us about life in Barcelona. Unfortunately for her, she made it sound too good; we'll be turning up on her doorstep sometime in the near future. Kim and Silvia taught Kim Ann how to say "thank you" in Dutch. Dank u wel (Dank-oo-vel), but Kim Ann thought "Donkeyville" sounded better. We also spent an evening OUT! Yes, we went out. Out to a bar and then out to a CLUB. We stayed out until 3 am. We danced. We played ping-pong on a neon table. We danced some more. When we got home, we ate ramen noodles. It was just like the good old days.

On Sunday, Kim Ann boarded her tour bus and hit the road. Kim, Silvia and I had the right kind of lunch (the leisurely kind; still a novelty to me) and then we dropped Silvia at Schipol. It snowed all day! The first real snow of the season. Oh man, I'm already thinking "Ft. Lauderdale isn't that far away..." But then again, neither is Barcelona!

Eleven: Ultra Fun-Fest

We've finally recovered from the Ultra Fun-Fest that was Chris and Julie's visit! Man, we did some stuff. This stuff included the following:

Day 1: We met up at Schipol Airport. I confirmed that Obama had won handily (they flew on election night). We took a train back to Central Station in Amsterdam, then a tram to our apartment where we watched Obama's victory speech online (there may have been crying). Throughout the rest of the day (and indeed the rest of the visit) one or all would periodically shout "OBAMA!!!"

Julie and Chris managed to slog through the rest of the day (jet lag) via a visit to the cute corner cafe, a stroll through the neighborhood, and a light take-home dinner. We decided to visit Brugge over the coming weekend.

Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii. A tradition was established.

Day 2: Bicycles! Everyone who visits must do this. We rode to City Center / the Canal District (debated whether "Canal District" is a real title or something Kim and I invented). Ate dutch pancakes. Generally saw the sights.

Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii.

Day 3: Rode our bikes to the Van Gogh Museum. Julie almost got hit by a tram!

Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii.

Day 4: Drove to Brugge (in Belguim), through lots of typical Dutch countryside. Brugge has a very well preserved medieval city center surrounded by moats. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, because of the very cool medievalness it is also a major tourist destination. Our hotel was in keeping with this medieval theme; Julie and Chris' room smelled just like an antediluvian sewer.

We spent a lot of time wandering the streets searching for hot chocolate and waffles. In the evening we went to a dungeon-y pub with a fireplace and a generally appropriate vibe. We ate at a so-so restaurant recommended by the Hotel clerk (Brugge is not really known for culinary greatness. It's all about the beer and chocolate).

Day 5: Got into the groove in Brugge. Climbed the tower in the center of town (as seen in the film In Bruges), finally found the kick-ass hot chocolate we had been searching for, visited a couple of churches, a museum, and an art gallery. We ate dinner in another below grade establishment; a fine setting for a medieval meal.

Day 6: Returned to Amsterdam. Kim had to be back in the office by noon. Chris, Julie and I decided to visit the Rijksmuseum, which is undergoing a major renovation and is therefore condensed into one "best of" wing. This cliff notes version was fine by us. Julie almost got busted using Kim's defective Museumkaart (free entry for card holders). They quizzed her on where she purchased it. She was all, "... aahhh, ....ummmm", and Chris was like, "you got it at work, remember?" which was the wrong answer but a good try, so they let her in.

The Rijks also has Damien Hirst's For the Love of God exhibit (named after his mother's response to it) which consists of a single diamond-encrusted skull. Maybe you need to really love diamonds to appreciate it. Or I guess it's supposed to be a statement? Something about the folly of excess? I don't know. It was a bedazzled skull. And not even a real skull, but a platinum skull. It cost 59 million euros. It has 8,601 diamonds. Hooray.

Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii.

Day 7 (are you bored yet?): Chris and Julie opted for an evening at the Chic and Basic hotel (this is actually the name of the place) overlooking a canal in the Jordaan. The Jordaan is my favorite neighborhood, located just outside the madness of City Center but within the "Canal District". It was pretty darn Chic, and I guess Basic by virtue of its minimalist decor. After they checked in, we went to the Anne Frank House. There is usually a long line but on this Tuesday afternoon it was relatively quiet. I had been once before during a European vacation with cousins (backpacks, hostels). I'm glad I went again. It was an intense and very worthwhile experience.

Day 8: Chris, Julie and I met up for cappuccinos and poffertjes (tiny sweet pancakes) at our favorite Dutch pancake house. Then we shopped. It was one of those good shopping days. Reasonable and stylish purchases were made with little angst or debate. Goals were set and met. A variety of interesting shops were discovered. Homecoming gifts were procured. Before heading back to the apartment we visited a coffeeshop and swung through the Red Light District.

Chris cooked a fantastic meal. Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii.

Day 9: Julie, Chris and I rented a car (poor Kim! meetings all day!) and drove to the Kroller Muller Museum, about an hour east of Amsterdam. The website describes Kroller Muller as "A magnificent amalgamation of art, architecture and nature". AND HOW. The museum is essentially the one-time art collection of a wealthy Dutch family, located on their one-time hunting grounds. It is now run by the Rijks. The hunting grounds have become part of a national park (Hoge Veluwe). A series of sculpture gardens were added in the 1950's. There is a fleet of 1,700 white bicycles that visitors can use (free) to travel through the park.

On the day we visited there were maybe a handful of people there. It was our own giant surreal playground.

We returned home for dinner with Kim at a good neighborhood Italian restaurant. Later that evening, Chris, Kim and Julie played some Wii.

Day 10: The visit ended as it had begun; at our cute corner cafe for a breakfast of croissants, yogurt and toasties (grilled ham and cheese). I dropped Chris and Julie at Schipol, returned the rental, and immediately went shopping for vegetables.

Ten: Exhale

Let's see; some U.S. Presidents. We've had George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan, William Clinton, John Kennedy. George Bush, Howard Taft, Jimmy Carter. Harry Truman, Andrew Johnson, and Abraham Lincoln. Today we elected Barack Hussein Obama the 44th president of the United States. That's right people. It's huge.

I'm sad about Proposition 8 in California and similar measures in other states (though not surprised), but in general really proud of my country right now (I have no illusions that this feeling will last, but still it's something).

As my mother wrote in an e-mail this morning, "the people have been redeemed."

Nine: November 4

Election day. It's 3am on the east coast. I've been more than a little obsessed with this. Pouring over poll results, articles, opinion pieces. Count me among the many Democrats who are freaking out, despite strong evidence we need not. I've tortured myself by reading a number of What If?, Cart Before the Horse and Here's How it Could Happen articles.

I know many of you think this is a foregone conclusion. I mean, he is obviously the best choice. But it's just monumental on a number of levels. This is history in the making, as they say.

I keep thinking, "If he wins, it means we're not just a bunch of hypocrites." If he loses they'll say it was his inexperience, but it won't have been. Race seems to be the factor that will ultimately decide this election. If people can get over it, he wins. If they can't, he loses. Big city folks don't want to admit how strong a role this will play, but you can bet it will.

This seems to be the perfect storm of circumstances that would allow for an Obama presidency. Eight years of horridness courtesy of a good ole' boy from Texas. I guess the silver lining is that this could have never come to pass if the last eight years had been good or even just so-so. By all accounts, most Americans feel it's time to try something entirely "other". But I just cant feel the confidence everyone says I should. It seems that in a country that still had segregated facilities as recently as forty years ago (that would be within Obama's lifetime), a great number of people will be unable to take that leap. And for them, it is a major leap.

I hope I am worrying needlessly. I hope that today, at least, America can be what it claims to be. Tomorrow we can worry about whether or not he'll actually be able to do anything. Today let's just hope he gets the chance to try.

Eight: Waffles and Hats; Redux

Kim and I went back to Brussels to pick up my Christophe Coppens hat. Little did we know it was some weird European holiday where everyone closes up shop to go put flowers on graves. When we got there Christophe Coppens was closed. But we found an open cafe/bakery where we had a fantastic lunch and bought some take home treats (including waffles). That makes five excellent meals in Brussels, if you count the two times we ate street vendor waffles and the one time we ate street vendor frites (during our last visit). Conclusion: the food in Brussels is great.

On our way back to the car we swung by the hat shop again and somehow managed to catch the woman who had helped us on our previous visit. She was just picking something up on her way to the movies! She gave us the hat and told us about the holiday (All Saints Day). She added that she preferred to give flowers to the living.

We had planned to spend the rest of the day shopping in Antwerp, but of course the shops were closed. Oh well. We didn't need to spend a bunch of euros on fabulous Antwerp Six designer-wear anyhow.

Instead we visited the Cathedral of Our Lady, viewed the Rubens there, and went to the Martin Margiela exhibit at the Fashion Museum (honestly, this was a little confusing). We ate a "traditional" Belgian meal at a place called Princess of Spoons. I never knew how good pea soup could be.