Amsterdam

For Easter Weekend, I went back to Amsterdam, this time with Nicole. I was there last summer for more than a week, and loved it. I am happy to report that I still do. Even with the weird, bad weather (snow/rain/sleet), it stood tall as a charming, cosmopolitan place. It has the feel of a small town, but with subtle reminders that it's actually quite plugged in. Having a three-story brownstone on a canal now vies with my dream of a Tuscan villa. Both in appeal and improbability, unfortunately.

On a related note, here's another reason why I don't think I'll pursue a career in travel writing. (Those who know me know how I feel about Peter Mayle et al.) This from a pretty well-respected US newspaper: "We ate like the locals, slowly savoring the simple fare."

Guess where they were? The south of France. Not exactly uncharted territory, and the "local fare" was steak and shrimp. Sorry, but I could write the same about a burger joint in Anaheim. It would just sound a lot less romantic.

Which leads me to the pic of the month, from a shop in Amsterdam that sells American and British food. The first person, other than Nicole :), to guess the price of a box of authentic American cereal gets that amount.

The rest of the pics can be found here: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562911720cMCUtY

Cheers!