I'd like to hear your Amsterdam stories (so that I may plagiarize them).

[Wat_Tyler]

I'm writing a novel, which partly takes place in Amsterdam at various points in the 1980's, and I'm struggling a bit - I've been there a few times, but my experiences are pretty hazy, and distant. So, if you have any stories about your Amsterdam experiences, please share them with me so that I may be inspired / inclined to steal them. Doesn't matter when you went, I'm looking for things such as feel and mood, plus detail about hostels, venues (particularly the Arena Hostel, Paradiso, Melkweg), whatever you've got. I'm at work, but I'll check this thread when the boss isn't looking.
Cheers.

[progmom]

1. hmmm...I lived in Holland in the late 80s

...but I was a young teen and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to things. Mostly my friends and I would take the train up to go shoe shopping and buy makeup at the Body Shop.

I'm no help, am I?

[Wat_Tyler]

2. That's alright - I'm looking for everyday details as well as hedonistic.

Where did you live?

[progmom]

3. Eindhoven

It's about an hour south by train.

[Wat_Tyler]

4. Ah. I've been there.

Well, for about an afternoon. Home of PSV Eindhoven and the giant Phillips plant, right?

[progmom]

6. exactly

My dad worked for Philips at the time.

We lived there when Holland won the European Cup. We all donned our orange clothes and lined up along the Boschdijk to watch the team bus drive by. I remember seeing Ruud Gullit's dreadlocks in the window.

[Wat_Tyler]

8. Cool.

I saw Gullit play once - he was extraordinary.

[Wat_Tyler]

11. Incidentally - did most people you met speak good English?

[progmom]

17. Most people in the cities spoke excellent English

I should say that most people under 60 in the cities spoke excellent English. Good enough that it could be tough to practice my Dutch on anyone.

Once you get to the more rural areas, there's more people who only speak Dutch, Ssometimes in a really difficult to decipher dialect.

I also found the over-60 crowd (ie most of my relatives!) to be uncomfortable attempting English.


We used to joke that in Amsterdam, it was getting hard to find people who spoke any Dutch. Probably the most international city I have ever spent any time in.

[Wat_Tyler]

19. Right.

I found people were rather shocked if you tried to speak Dutch.
(not that I can particularly - no more than a few phrases)

[Lisa]

55. There was a Belgian lady living down the street from me ...

This was in one of the older sections of Leiden (between the Hague and Amsterdam). She was a Walloon, and felt awkward in English and Dutch -- so we'd speak French to each other.

Most of the neighbourhood kids spoke excellent English -- they took it in school and were expected to speak and write it. One of the girls, about 11 I think, showed me a beautifully-illustrated assignment she'd done, all in English.

[trof]

20. So much so that I quit studying Dutch.

Seemed like a waste of time.

[progmom]

22. Yes,but then when you finally give up and start speaking English

...all the time, some cranky bus station ticket seller yells at you: "How long you live in Nederland and you can't bother to learn our language?!"

[BurtWorm]

5. I was in Amsterdam for a couple of days in the early 1980s.

I stayed on a canal boat hostel called Cura, which was next to a methadone treatment barge right near the Central Station. I remember there were several young people from all over walking around the square in front of the station offering "marijuana, hashish, cocaine, mescaline, heroin..."

I remember a lot of Indonesian restaurants along the Damrak in that part of the city.

I remember stands in public squares selling herring and beef tartare. I remember taking the street car out a ways to a big indoor market for used clothing where I bought a Swedish overcoat that I wore for the next 10 years.

Does any of this help?

[Wat_Tyler]

7. Good stuff.

Sounds like you were at the Waterlooplein market.

[BurtWorm]

9. I don't remember the name of it

but I think it may have been somewhere near the national museum or the van gogh museum? I also had a great vegetarian meal at a restaurant called Beit Hamazon, somewhere near Ann Frank's house. Those stairways are incredible. It wouldn't be the most accessible city if you were in a wheelchair!

[Wat_Tyler]

10. Yeah - ironic really.

Flat land, lots of stairs.

[trof]

23. Bought a way cool Bombay taxi horn at Waterlooplein market.

and a reproduction Titanic ship's bell.
Put the horn on my boat and the bell at the front gate.
I could spend the whole day there.

[XNASA]

12. I've never been, but....

I did work with a group of technicians from Amsterdam.

I was employed by an audio console (mixing desk) manufacturer and a TV station in Amsterdam was buying 5 custom consoles from us.

They decided the best thing to do was to fly to Chicago with 5 or 6 huge crates of equipment in order to check everything out before the consoles were delivered overseas.

The thing that really took us, we Yanks, by surprise was that they would show up around 10AM, with beer and assorted liquors....and drink all day long...while working. Then they would go out at night and party, then come back and do it again the next day. This went on for about 10 days.

We were amazed at their stamina.

[Wat_Tyler]

13. That's useful.

Weird mixture of diligence and hedonism.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

14. I had a Polish poster design teacher who have class at his place so he

could drink. He was always impecably lucid.

[Schema Thing]

15. It was a dark and stormy night....

... and, uhm... that's all I remember. But hey, you've got your first sentence right there; ya can't go wrong!

[Wat_Tyler]

16. Thanks.

The classics are always the best.

[trof]

18. How long do you have? I could tell stories all day.

I spent many layovers in Amsterdam in my airline days for most of the 90s decade. Stayed at the Marriott, just south of the Leidseplein and a short block west of the Vondelpark. Did most of my eating, drinking, and general hanging out in and around the Leidseplein.

Something odd and funny:
On the south side of nearby Wetering Schans is a Roman type arch or marquee supported by columns. It's the entry for a small shopping center. It's where I took first time visitors for "The Latin Test".

On it, in block Roman letters is inscribed "HOMO SAPIENS NON URINUM IN VENTUM".
Loosely translated: "Man should not piss into the wind."

Favorite (non-piano/karaoke) bar: The Whiskey Bar on Leidse-Dwarsstraat, I think. (And yes, I have my map out.) Over 100 varieties of Scotch whiskey. Huge fold-out menu. A Scotch lover's paradise.

Favorite (sometime) karaoke bar: The Family Bar on Kliene Gartman near the movie theater. I did a Sinatra tribute there, the day he died, which I must say was quite well received.

I could go on and on.

[Wat_Tyler]

21. I remember The Whiskey Bar.

I know the Leidseplein - Vondelpark area pretty well - I stayed a couple of weeks in the hostels there.

But do go on, if you like.

[trof]

25. Topless sunbathers in the Vondelpark in summer.

A real treat for a dirty old man.
The pancake tents that went up for...what...the queen's birthday.
The Jazz Fest where I heard a guy "play" the absolutely most amazing trumpet AND trombone using only a water tumbler.

And my favorite restaurant: De Klos
The bartenders/waiters were hilarious, always joking with us customers. One night they "confiscated' my bottle of habanero sauce as "too dangerous for you". Some reviews:
Kerkstraat 41 - 020-6253730
Restaurant specialising in ribs. \n\nLocated near the Leidseplein, accessible by tram 1, 2 or 5.
Cuisine: Cafe / Coffee Shop
Recommended Dishes: Smoked ribs, ribs Ribs Ribs and Garlic Bread Ribs, Escargot Ribs! ribs Spare ribs
Review: A rib joint

Review: Eat here NOW!
This is *the* place all my collegues ask to go to when they visit. I take all my friends and family who visit to de Klos (I'm taking a Swiss collegue there tonight). The food is great, there is plenty of it, and the staff are friendly.
Review: Ribz Palace!
This place is like heaven. Waiters are great, people are great food is great ... what isn't? Everything is great about the p(a)lace.
Review: A Real Score
With the many restaurants I have sampled in New York City, I unequivocally endorse Cafe de Klos. You go there for one thing, and one thing only - the positively, unmistakably, and most assuredly the best ribs in this galaxy. The portions are huge. P.S. Don't miss the bread and garlic butter ... as with the ribs, simply delicious.
Review: Best ribs in the world
Been there numerous times. It's always the best every time visited.
Review: Whoo hoo!
Been here so many times. The only thing to go for is RIBS. Meat extraordinaire on 'em. I'm going again in June and it's going to be the highlight of my weekend. Maybe three times in fact. And I'll have the ribs each time. Just fantastic. I've been going for 10 years + and none of my friends have been yet - but in June 2001 they will have and they'll just HAVE to go back!. See you in June fellas.
Review: The best ribs in the world
I've been there a lot, and always come back. Don't miss it on your next trip, even if the line is long...

[Wat_Tyler]

28. Thanks Trof.

Great stuff.

[trof]

32. Deserted red light district

Had a couple of new guys on the crew, South Africans. They'd never been to Amsterdam, so on a warmish May evening in 1995 I took them for the obligatory stroll through the red light district.

It was eerily quiet and deserted. Occasionally, as we'd pass a bar, we'd hear cheering. I later learned that Ajax was in the process of beating Milan to win the European Cup. Everyone was crowded around the TV sets in the bars. I think the hookers gave up and closed up that night.

[trof]

36. The bleeding black feet guy

He was a beggar who hung out around the Leidseplein.
Don't know if he was severly mentally challenged from birth or had fried his brain on drugs. Always had this vacant grin and apparently no idea where he was. He was definitely a basket case.

His "hook" to get coins were his feet. Swollen, black, and bleeding. Bare summer and winter. One of the grossest things I've ever seen.

In the 10 years I was flying there I saw him almost every trip.

[Wat_Tyler]

37. That one's like gold dust.

Thanks.

[trof]

40. The acrobat

There were almost always street performers in and around the Leidseplein, but more in summer.

The acrobat would rig his "traps" on a corner; a vertical pole about 15' high, and a set of rings. He looked to me to be in his forties, graying hair, but incredibly fit. Not "buff", not a lot of muscular "definition", just not one ounce of fat, and ropy muscles. He was a handsome devil, to boot.

After he's set up and thoroughly tested his rig, making sure guy wires were tightened and securely anchored, he'd strip off his street clothes, down to what amounted to a brief Speedo and go into his act. He was incredible. I had female companions nearly swoon during his "striptease".

[trof]

47. Rudy was the bartender at the Marriott.

Small Indonesian guy. Very nice.
He knew my name the second time I went in.
"Good evening Mr. trof, and how are you this evening?"
Always a big smile.

If I was drinking Scotch, he knew that I wanted a FULL glass of ice, not the one or two cubes in the European fashion.
The bowls of peanuts never got more than half empty before Rudy topped them up again.

He told me about the "best" rijstaffel (sp?) restaurant. It just happened that his cousin ran it, little hole-in-the-wall place that I would never have wandered into, but it was the best I ever visited.

One late night we had two crews in the bar, six guys. An older drunken English gentleman started giving Rudy a ration of shit about something or other. Started shouting him and ordering him around like the old days of the raj or whatever. The six of us got up and surrounded the loudmouth at the bar. We suggested that it was time for him to go tuck himself in. He took the hint. Rudy was very appreciative and served us a round on the house.

Rudy was a damn treasure and we didn't want anyone messing with him. We tipped him well, and he was worth every guilder and then some.

[trof]

51. The Bastille (I told you I could do this all day.)

Another little bar off of the Leidseplein.
Salted-in-the-shell peanuts, throw the shells on the floor.
On Friday and Saturday evenings big bowls of steamed mussels would appear, up and down the bar. Free.

Each Bastille Day they'd have a kick ass party. Rented a huge barge and parked it in the canal in front. On the barge was a three or four piece band, dance floor, and 55 gallon-type charcoal grill. Free hot dogs and burgers. All you paid for was the beer.
What a place.

Friendliest crowd of patrons I was ever around. One night a guy took a liking to my Kangol type cap. He was wearing a Tyrolean job that I thought was pretty cool. Luckily we had the same size heads, because we just swapped hats and kept on drinking. Amsterdammers are just neat folks to hang out with.

[Worst Username Ever]

24. I have a couple by proxy

from a friend that spent some time there. All relating to the red light district, of course.

One was living in a hostile, checking in, and the first person he met was a young med student visiting with a massive black eye. Turns our he got mugged the night before by some thugs and spent the rest of his vacation trying to get his passport etc. back in order, as all of his documents and money had been stolen.

Another night, my friend was loaded, out walking the streets, and there was an extrememly attractive female hooker who was talking to a couple guys. As she walked away to let them discuss the proposal, Dave (my friend) heard the mention 50 guilders (sp). Evidentally this was one hell of a deal, and he jumped into the convesation, excaiming "FIFTY GUILDERS? HOLY SHIT!" and began going off on the incredible value and relative merits of this deal. Evidenally it is a faux-pas to jump into such a transaction, because both these guys and the hooker started giving him a verbal lashing, eventually sending him running of into the night thinking he was about to meet the same fate as the young med student.

My $.02.

[sundog]

26. Ask MrScorpio when you see him here...

he has been there several times I believe.

[Wat_Tyler]

30. Will do.

Thanks.

[EstimatedProphet]

27. So, your recollections are "hazy"...:)

I remember Amsterdam as one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It's extremely relaxed and very comfortable. I went to an internet bar while I was there and checked my email, and a few days later I ran into the bartender in a different section of town, and he remembered me and we talked. You don't see that kind of thing in the US big cities anymore.
Begging is a serious issue.I was hit up for money every time I went near the train station. One day I wore a Barbour waxed coat-very English-and didn't attract a single beggar. They obviously target Americans for begging.

[Wat_Tyler]

31. It's very much on a human scale - everything worthwhile is within

walking distance.

[ernstbass]

29. I stayed at a youth hostel in Amsterdam

in 1979. It was large and chaotic - I don't remember the name but we walked there from the train station. It was the largest hostel we stayed at in Europe and the German girls appeared to be masturbating in their beds much of the night. I traded novels with some New York Jewish girls headed to a kibbutz. There was a little bar in the basement that was open til the wee hrs. Everyone spoke good english and was friendly. Went to a bar called the Milky Way or something and smoked hash. I remember eating a sandwich (brojdi?) that was tartar and quite good for raw meat. I remember the milk tasting very rich and good. Toured red light district with a man we met and my friend and I were mistaken for hookers (just had on jeans and tops - nothing trashy). I remember seeing the Ann Frank house too. All of this is rather typical tourist stuff bit I hope it helps.

[Wat_Tyler]

33. Perfect.

The Milky Way / Melkweg features in my book, so it's good to get any info about it.

[The empressof all]

52. Milkiway.....1985

SO and I were in Amsterdam for our honeymoon in 1985 and of course we went looking for a place to imbibe legally. We were sent to the Milki Way. We looked around and couldn't find the drugs-so not wanting to appear anymore like the total geeks we were we decided that they must put the drugs in the food. We ate about 14 cookies, brownies what nots..between us..with no effect...

We finally found a room with a rectangular card table and the "goods". After that we wandered around what I remember to be a huge multi-story wherehouse kind of place. We were weary and stumbled into a dark theater with an empty stage. The seats were full but we found two right up front. Within a few minutes a spotlight appeared and a tall thin man appeared on the stage. Without sound he began to shake uncontrollably in what appeared to be seizure like activity (only standing up). This continued for a very long time in what was a very silent room. We were both disturbed and fascinated at the same time and silently agreed not to leave out of fear of making a spectacle of ourselves.

(Go ahead a plage..away)

[Wat_Tyler]

59. Shall do - thanks for this.

[Modem Butterfly]

34. Michelle Shocked

It's 5 a.m. in Amsterdam
And this is how I know
Not by the voice on my portable radio
The batteries are old

It's 5 a.m. in Amsterdam
And this is how I know
Not by a digital watch
I don't even own one

It's 5 a.m. in Amsterdam
And this is how I know
Not by a traveler's clock
It wound down long ago

Isabel Ringing in my head
I remember you once said
"It's just a trick of lightning, Chel
Trippin' over power lines"
I'm living alone now

It's 5 a.m. in Amsterdam
And this is how I know
There's a church beside a park
And it fills the dying dark
With five strokes
There it is again
Did you hear that?
Did you hear that?
Did you hear that?

[Wat_Tyler]

35. I'll give her a call.

[Modem Butterfly]

38. If you do, ask her to write to me

And tell her I want to be her housewife. Thanks!

[Wat_Tyler]

39. Wilco.

[joeybee12]

41. Heading to Amsterdam in April--will you still want my thoughts after that?

I actually was there in 1983--don't recall a damn thing! That's why I figured I better go again. Actually, I recall two things--Rembrandt's "Nightwatch" and the Anne Frank House--very simple, but upsetting.

[Wat_Tyler]

42. Sure. I'll be writing this damned thing for months.

[joeybee12]

48. Good, then I'll force myself to go to the red light district and other

seedy places...it's the least I can do to help you out!

[Wat_Tyler]

50. It's all research, Joey.

It's all research.

[joeybee12]

57. Yes, in the name of research, I'm willing to make a few sacrifices!

:evilgrin:

[RagingInMiami]

43. I spent two weeks there ten years ago

I remember ordering a spacecake from a coffee shop for breakfast, along with my capuccino. I left the coffeeshop to do some sightseeing, waiting for the effects of the spacecake to hit.
Almost an hour had gone by and I felt nothing. I thought to myself, what a scam, I'll never do that again.
Then I realized I had been staring at the same postcard for ten minutes. Yes, the spacecake had finally hit me.
Then there are street names that I could never pronounce. Most Americans just learned the first two syllables as they learned how to navigate the city.
And then there are the trams. They work on the honor system. Here I was, a guy from Miami, the most corrupt city in the U.S., tripping out on the city's public transportation system working on the honor system.
I could go on, but like you, many of my memories are "hazy".

[Wat_Tyler]

45. Thanks - that's good stuff.

[magnolia]

44. I spent about a week in Amsterdam...

...in 1998 and fell in love with the place.

I loved the smoke shops that had varieties of marijuana, hashish written on a board on the wall like specials at a diner. And there would always be American couples in there 50's and 60's. They looked like the old timers you see driving around in Winnebagos, bragging about their grandchildren, but here they would be lighting up and reliving their youth and giggling like children.

I loved the red light district. The buildings were architecturally beautiful, tall and narrow, usually four or five stories high. The ground floor had big picture windows displaying young, scantily clad ladies. The upper windows had white lace curtains and red geraniums.

I'm not one for tourist attractions but we happened to walk past the Anne Frank house and on a normal week day there were lines on maybe 100 people. And I thought, this happens everyday for years and years. All these people touched by one young girl. It almost brought tears to my eyes. I didn't go in the house but I noticed a little window at the very top and across the way there was the steeple of a church and I remember the part in the book where she would look out that window at that steeple and it gave her hope.

I love the fact that they are so conscientious about human rights, tolerate of everything, whether it's prostitution, homosexuality, etc. You would think it was some kind of Babylon but instead they are the sweetest, kindest, always happy and smiling and helpful...and the most naturally beautiful people in the world.

I want to go back!!!

[Wat_Tyler]

46. I'd call them reasonable. Amsterdammers are the most reasonable people.

[trof]

49. The largest, healthiest, most handsome women I've ever seen.

Something in the water?
Or is it the Heineken?
Maybe the Grolscht.

[Texasgal]

53. My Amsterdam story 1986

Senior trip.
1986

After touring several art galleries that day, my suite mate and I decided to split from the group, score something to smoke and drink. We made our way out of our group of fellow students, teachers and parents to explore the nightlife on our own.

We stopped in a coffee shop, not knowing what to do, so we sat and watched other tourists and locals imbibe...so to speak.

We ran into a couple of boys about our age ( 17 ) and asked where we could score some beer, they took us to a corner store near the red district where we sat and drank to our hearts content!

As we wobbled on down, we ran into a very nice older gentleman who asked us if we needed help, we told him that we were from Texas and gave us very squirrelly instructions to a bar that would accept " JR EWING" Types...

We went several blocks to the right, several to the left and so on, until we encountered a red door, we opened the door and in we went, my first impression was that everyone was wearing leather, my next was that they were all men!

Yup... you guessed it, two teenage girls from Texas in a gay leather bar in Amsterdam. We didn't stay much longer, we were getting the stare down from some of the tougher looking guys behind the bar. The leather and chains were mildly intimidating.

What a night..... 1986 senior trip...... ahhhhhh.

[Wat_Tyler]

60. Neat.

Thanks.

[Lisa]

54. I spent the summer of '86 working in the Netherlands ...

Here's what I can recall from memory. After landing at Schiphol, my hosts picked me up and were driving me through Amsterdam to Leiden, when we saw a fire engine responding to a call. An interesting combination of very high-tech equipment and antique-looking fire helmets.

Once we reached the main highway, a Porsche in police markings zoomed past us, on patrol. (Don't see that kind of thing in North America, even today!)

A friend had parents living in Hilversum -- the entire extended family took me on a day trip to the city. They warned me that there were a lot of pickpockets and grab artists preying on visitors -- when we were having lunch at an outdoor cafe, the women in the group put their purses on the table but kept their arms through the straps, just in case. (These weren't wealthy people with flashy clothes or jewels, just ordinary working-class folks.) They pointed out how many police were stationed around the red light district, noting that the authorities could shut the whole place down very quickly if they wanted to.

Local in-jokes -- the Dutch note the number of foreign visitors who accidentally drive into the canals. Not just in Amsterdam, but in the smaller towns and villages too.

Other details -- the graffiti by the train station, usually by foreign visitors -- "I was here, where were you? I'm so broke I can't even pay attention!"

Also near the train station -- the guy playing saxophone, with one of those wind-up monkeys with cymbals serving as a metronome!

Topless female sunbathers in small Amsterdam parks.

1986 was the year when a lot of American tourists stayed away from Amsterdam, due to fears of terrorism and also Chernobyl. (Several warnings were issued that spring in Holland about contaminated foods -- cherries and some dairy products, my hosts told me.)

I saw a couple of cars that had license plates different from the others -- with an unfamiliar "circle of stars" motif. (The European Union, I now realize -- though I think people referred to it as the EEC back then.) The currency in 1986 was still the guilder, with Queen Beatrix on it.


Wat -- I have photos taken in and around Amsterdam that summer. If you feel they'd be useful to you, PM me and I can lend them to you. (They're mostly slides and not in digital form, though.)

[Wat_Tyler]

61. Great - thanks a lot.

I'll probably be OK for photos, but I'll bear your kind offer in mind,

[madison2000]

56. I spent a couple of days in Amsterdam in 1978 on a europe tour

I was at the end of my money. I was with a girlfriend and we called youth hostels from the airport till we found one that answered in English. They were a mission (good news) but in the red light district (bad news). There were dorms for males, females, and couples. I slept in the girls dorm on top of my camera and plane ticket for fear they would be stolen.

We wanted to see Starry Nights at the Van Gogh museum. I walked forever with a suitcase and a broken sandal, but I did get to stand in front of Starry Nights.

The hostel was in the red light district. Lots of druggies hanging around. Girls were sitting in the windows in their underwear reading books. It was kind of surreal. I didn't feel safe, I felt like I was in some other world. But, it was an experience.

[Wat_Tyler]

62. Thanks.

[Taxloss]

58. My God, I'm also writing a novel about my experiences in Amsterdam!

Although I'm not setting it in Amsterdam!

I used to visit regularly, as my sister lived there.

So I'm not telling you anything.

Actually, the incredible noise on New Year's Eve from the fireworks and bangers is Dam-specific and not in the summer-set novel, so you can have that one.

[Wat_Tyler]

63. Weird. My novel is about a touring band between 1982 and 89.

They play Amsterdam and central Holland fairly often.

Hope yours is coming along well. Mine is an absolute beast.

[Taxloss]

65. Mine is a little more prosaic.

A man is flatsitting for an old, but distant, friend of his, a fanatically neat minimalist composer. He keeps finding notes from his friend secreted round the flat as he, unsuccessfully, tries to keep it in pristine condition; almost as if the disintegration of his efforts was anticipated.

It is partially based on time I spent in Amsterdam flatsitting for friends of my sister, partially on an experience I had of someone with OCD, and partially on some time I spent in Eastern Europe. Amsterdam was too friendly and familiar, and too English-speaking, to serve as a setting, so it is set in the East. I wanted more of a culture shock.

It's presently going very slowly because of two other writing projects that have deals, and thus priority; one non-fiction, one humour.

Yours sounds great. Be sure to let DU know about its progress and when we can buy it! I love the Netherlands so would love to read it. What made you set it there?

[Wat_Tyler]

68. Mine is probably two novels.

They cover the career of a New Zealand band, The Byzantines and their internal problems that dog them (junkie guitar player, self-obsessed singer, dead crew members). They leave NZ to try and make it in the European and British markets, something they later regret as the development of Kiwi pop culture nationalism (Flying Nun records and so on) takes place while they're away, so at home they're seen as traitors. They struggle with conflicts such as - are they a New Zealand band, or not? Does that mean that they should reflect their culture, or adopt the London-dominated one?
They tour incessantly (up to 150 gigs in a year) which tears them apart at the same time they become succesful, leaving the dead crew member, and a disappearing band member. They play the Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Utrecht - Den Haag circuit quite often, and a major part of their development takes place there.
There's the obligatory record company and management troubles in there too. The first part has the working title 'The Rise and Fall of the Byzantine Empire', and ends with a fight on stage at the Hammersmith Palais.

[Taxloss]

77. Ooh, make it one novel.

"Epic", they'll say. Sequels and trilogies are getting passe, I'm told.

[Wat_Tyler]

81. I dunno - it'd run to about 1000 pages like that.

Still, lets see if I can manage one, then I'll look at what to do with the other, eh? ;-)

[Taxloss]

85. Can I be brutally honest?

I don't think your material will stretch across 1000 pages. In a first book, brevity is much prized.

[corksean]

64. My most embarrassing moment happened in Amsterdam...

I'm Irish and get across to Amsterdam at least once a year to chill for a few days. The first time I went with two mates and on our second day we decided to check out one of the sex shows in the Red Light district (being from Ireland this was all new to me!). We got good seats near the front and started to enjoy the show. The place was full, mostly couples and tour parties, maybe 200 in all. The second act was a stripper who proceeded to get naked and then, producing a huge vibrator she headed into the crowd in my direction. I was well stoned at this point and I really didn't need this.
So, she sat herself on the back of the chair in front of me, switched on the vibrator and handed it to me, while adopting a rather explicit pose. I decided the best thing to do was to play around for a few seconds and then hand it back to her but, in my excitement and inexperience I managed to switch it off. Panic set in! The whole crowd was watching and realised straight away what I had done, but for the life of me I COULD NOT get the thing started again. The sniggering started around the audience, the stripper herself started laughing and my two mates were absolutely pissing themselves. After what seemed like an eternity I finally gave up and sheepishly handed it back to her, mumbling an apology. She moved on to another punter and I just sat there red faced for the rest of the show.
When it ended I waited until everyone else had left before I got up. Shit, I'm turning red just thinking about that incident.
So, if your book is of a more adult nature, pleases feel free to use this story.
BTW, the Sex show was in a theatre called the Casa Rosa, probably the best in town if anyone's interested. Like most of the others it attracts a mixed audience and isn't at all sleazy.

[Wat_Tyler]

69. Sure, it'll be pretty adult - that sounds very promising.

Lots of room for stuff there.

[B Calm]

66. The Red Light District in Amsterdam, September 1972 I fell in

love with a girl behind a picture window...

[da_chimperor]

67. I've been to amsterdam a few times (I live nearby), but no good stories

I'll be going again sometime soon, so i'll keep you in mind.

[drumwolf]

70. I visited Amsterdam in spring 1990

I'm not going to tell the full story of my visit right here, but just some brief incidents:

-- My first night in Amsterdam, I went with some friends to the Melkweg. I'd been smoking hash pretty regularly throughout the day and then I had spacecake at the club, and I was so fucked up that I retreated into a corner and passed out. When I woke up, it was closing time and my friends had left without me, so I had to stumble from the Melkweg back to my hostel by myself -- I have no idea how I managed to find my way back, but I did somehow without even needing to take a taxi. When I got to the hostel, my bunk had been given to someone else so I slept on a mattress on the floor of the lobby.

-- There were tons of really creepy, sleazy characters in the Red Light District always whispering in my ear, "Hashish? Cocaine? Heroin?" Most of the time I ignored them and they went away. But one time I was with a group of other guys and this one dealer sidled up to one of us and would not leave him alone for several blocks.

Another time I went into a porn shop where this one dealer was hanging outside. He tried to sell me drugs as I walked inside. I went in, did my shopping, and when I stepped outside he was waiting for me. I ignored him and walked on, and he followed me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Hey, I'm talking to you!" I bolted like a rabbit.

-- When I wasn't doing the touristy stuff around the city, I spent a lot of time in the lobby of the hostel getting stoned with the other guests, mostly backpackers from America, Britain and Australia. We would just roll joints and share them all around. I didn't like the way the Europeans would combine tobacco and hashish, but I learned to deal with it eventually.

When I first arrived at the hostel, this one American backpacker was leaving. He gave me his leftover stash that he wouldn't be able to take with him.

[Wat_Tyler]

71. Yeah, that's the problem with resin - you've gotta mix it with tobacco.

The dealers are like glue.

[MrScorpio]

72. Okay, I'm walking in the Red Light District

And I overheard some woman telling her man the following sentence:
"Oh, but you love it when I stick my fingers in your ass."

I turned around and they were gone. I walked into the porn shop anyways.

[Wat_Tyler]

74. Weird. I just heard that in my local 7-11.

And when I turned around - it was the Pope and Oprah! :o

[goodboy]

73. I went to the Damkring coffeeshop to buy some AK-47 weed

That's all I remember.

[Wat_Tyler]

75. Are you still there?

[goodboy]

86. still where?

[drumwolf]

76. Oh, more stuff that I remember about Amsterdam.....

...there's a fast-food chain in the Netherlands called FEBO, and its slogan is "de lekkerste...!" They were ubiquitous in Amsterdam when I was there.

http://www.febo.nl

When I walked through the Red Light District, I was stunned at just how explicit the porn was hanging in the storefront windows. Titles like "Dog Love" say it all. All in English, of course.

[Wat_Tyler]

80. 'A Horse Affair' and 'Fist-f**king Dwarf' were two that jumped out at me.

[Tafiti]

78. Some memories of mine...

...was there for about 5 days in the summer of 2002 with a friend.

I remember the first night we were there (after the obligatory joint, of course) we walked the streets for a bit. Not more than five to ten minutes go by, and as people walk past me, I hear these loud whispers that seem to come out of nowhere (*cocaine*...*heroin*...*ecstasy*). I'd look around, and I could find no visual evidence of who it was that whispered these things, even though it sounded so close to my ear. I always assumed it was the person nearest me who had just walked past, but I never saw their mouths move, and they never made eye contact. It was really strange, exaggerating the paranoia that results from marijuana anyway. These whispers were maybe five seconds apart, from three different people.

Not much later, we notice some guy following us. Pretty soon, he gets closer, and finally approaches us from behind, as we continue walking. He says, "Hey, take a hit of this," holding up his make-shift pipe with god-knows-what inside of it. We said, "no thanks," and continued walking. He kept begging us to take a hit, polite refusals turning to stern ones. Finally, we started walking really fast, and he finally stopped following us.

Next, of course, was the Red Light district. We had to take a stroll, just to check it out. I couldn't believe how many people were walking up and down the sides of the street - I guess I never realized how much of a tourist attraction it is. I remember a huge group of well-dressed Japanese tourists, numbering probably near 50, with their cameras and chatting among themselves. There were probably a thousand people visible on the streets, seemingly from everywhere around Europe, or the U.S. I was also struck by some of the women in the windows - essentially real-life mannequins, making themselves the most desirable to the window shoppers passing by. Some of them were the most attractive women I have ever seen.

The next day, we decided to spend our nights in nearby Haarlem, a ten-minute train ride, and hang out in Amsterdam during the day.

We also went to the Anne Frank house one day. That was incredible. It seemed so surreal - imagining yourself in those days, in her position, and the environment. You can almost feel it, walking through each room, even secret entrance behind the dresser (or was it a bookshelf?) where their secret hiding place was. That was quite an experience.

Oh, and I remember thinking it was pretty funny that they had vending machines with pre-rolled hash or marijuana joints in some bars and coffee shops. Of course, we had to try one, and it wasn't bad. One day, while sitting watching World Cup soccer games, after several consecutive smoke sessions, we came to the conclusion that Dutch sounded like English being spoken backwards. Every once in awhile, you'd think you heard an English word, or that the words they were saying were somehow vaguely familiar. I don't know, maybe we were just really high...

[Wat_Tyler]

82. Dutch shares a lot with German, and even some words with Scots.

Very odd, that.

[Tafiti]

84. I think we're both right.

"The history of the language can be traced back to the arrival of three Germanic tribes to the British Isles during the 5th Century AD. Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed the North Sea from what is the present day Denmark and northern Germany. The inhabitants of Britain previously spoke a Celtic language. This was quickly displaced. Most of the Celtic speakers were pushed into Wales, Cornwall and Scotland. One group migrated to the Brittany Coast of France where their descendants still speak the Celtic Language of Breton today. The Angles were named from Engle, their land of origin. Their language was called Englisc from which the word, English derives."

http://www.krysstal.com/english.html

[lateo]

79. I have one...rather embarassing story...

On my first visit to Amsterdam...my friend and I checked into a hotel next to a coffee shop...settled in and paid a visit to negotiate the vending of some fine smoke.

We were amazed that you could sit down at a bar (that had rolling papers in shotglasses for the customers) and have the person hand you what looked like photo albums with small baggies of weed or hash.

Aaron and I spent some time thumbing through them and finally decided on the Thai Stick. We rolled up a huge joint (mistake) because we were used to smoking not so good weed. There was an attractive woman sitting next to us smoking hash she had blended with tobacco in a rolled up cigarette. We began passing our rolled up masterpieces between us.

After we got about half way through our joint I saw something odd. The distant part of the bar started to turn into a gray-ish blob and I couldn't make out what was there. At first I didn't pay any attention to this and instead just kept my vision localized to our little group. But then the gray-ish blog began creeping closer.

I began to panic...I started to loose control of my bodily functions...I could feel my sphincter struggling to stay closed...fear of an evacuation in my pants made me fly out the door screaming...I NEED FRESH AIR!

It was the middle of winter and the coldness snapped at my cheeks and helped bring me down from the episode.

I had never been so high in my life.

[Wat_Tyler]

83. Cool - that has a lot of potential. Thanks.