"Kiiiitttttaaayyyy"

So in reality (for you and I) its really been over a week since the Minus the Bear show. Thanksgiving is long past...the Cougs whooped the Dawgs (ok with 34 seconds left...but it was in Husky Stadium). And in actuality, I'm sitting in an Amsterdam (via Madrid) airport waiting to fly to Nairobi (in about an hour). But I guarantee I'll be dead tired tomorrow night...scared of what's outside at night (common, my first day in Africa...you would be) and I will have time to get caught up on the last week's trip to Eindhoven and Barcelona.

For now, I'll leave you with this. I woke up the day after the Minus the Bear show to see this cat literally hanging out the window trying to launch itself at the ducks below in the canal. I thought I was going to be the witness to a kitty-cide and I could only picture Tyler running around in the morning calling "Kitty...Here Kitty...Mr. Pickles..." as the cat was getting ready to make its last leap of glory.

Thankfully, the gal in my room assured me that the owner opened the window frantically to save the cat later in the day. But, I kept this image as my screen saver for my last few days of Amsterdam.

Oh yeah, i forgot to share a picture of the shoes -- Shut up -- they're cool. And comfortable. Like little dancing shoes (made for a size 14 foot)...

Amsterdam wore me out -- but it was a good lesson learned.

Hope all is well and that you all are having fun doing what you do. I miss home a bit...but I think its more just the final shock of being in Africa. Everyone (included my conscience) has assured me that this will be a trip of a lifetime.

More to follow...

-Neil

Nightlife -- Greg, Moe and Minus the Bear

So I get into Amsterdam on my very first day...find the place that I'll be staying for the next week and I'm dying to get out. A couple of good friends selected the first place where I should go -- and I went to find a cool little club called the "Jolly Joker". Very nice place...probably been there for 200 years or more...and an instantly welcoming place. As I'm sitting at the bar, trying to adjust to the scenery, (quietly minding my own business...right?) a wonderful guy named Greg from the Canary Islands befriends me and begins telling me of some of his favorite places in Amsterdam.

Greg is a singer...a swooner in the classic sense of the word (even his card says it -- "The sexy voice of Barry White; Silkie as Nat King Cole; Crazy as Seal") and next thing I know, I have plans to come to watch Greg sing at an awesome Pasta/Wine bar called Pasta e Basta http://www.pastaebasta.nl/. So I went shopping (also as Travis had suggested), bought some new kicks (below) and a jacket (I was wearing it on a previous post). Craziness...instantly I'm having people come up to me on the street asking me for directions (HA!).

Regardless, Greg and the staff at Pasta e Basta welcommed me in like family. The waiter speacial cooked me my favorite dish "Penne all'Arrabbiata" (how the hell we worked that out in Dutch -- I have no idea -- he actually said "Angry Pasta" -- "yep, that one"...hot spicy pasta). Next thing I know everyone in the restaurant is locked hand on hip and dancing in a big line throughout this fancy restaurant (talk about a first night in Amsterdam)...

However, somewhere between saying goodbye to Greg and his good friend Robert (a painter -- yes, that's what he actually gets paid to do), and getting safely back to my hotel room...the gizmo clipped onto me to hold my passport and wallet went away. I know what you're gonna say -- "Dumbass!!" But honestly, for me, it was the best thing that could have happened for the next three days.

I was out of money (and patience) for about two days -- honestly, if that's the worst thing that ever happens to me (from here going forward)...I lead a rather charmed life. Not suggesting it to anyone (let me be your example) but it was good. People offered me coffee, I read an entire book, and I even lost a couple belt notches :)

I still had 20 euro that I'd stashed away and a pre-paid ticket to see a band called Moe during my 2-day stint of roughing it. Moe played at "the Milky Way" (MilkWeg -- in Dutch). http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/moe/albums/album/13099325/review/13232038/the_conch
and absolutely tore it up.

I've never seen "Sixties ballroom San Francisco" (as their sound is suggested to come off) but this is how I imagine it- Blue-sy and Groovin -- and I am very glad that i went.

On the 21st, was the Seattle-based "Minus the Bear" http://www.myspace.com/minusthebear show at an awesome venue called the Paradiso. http://www.paradiso.nl/index2.php. They played in the upstairs of the club in a little room that held about 150 of us. I had more than one person tell me that this amazing place has been the first place in Amsterdam that many a "big hit" US-band has played...and these guys went off! Probably my favorite show of 2007.

The last picture is of a picture of a Perfect tree...(wow, I'm not too big on this whole picture taking thing...but you have to agree...no?)

Onto Eindhoven, in the South of Holland to catch the plane to Ireland...

Neil

Amsterdam, my only friend...the end...?

Wow -- nearly two weeks have flown by since I left. So its time to do a bit of catch up work. So much to tell...well here goes. Amsterdam was purposefully my first stop as it was purely for vacation sake. I remember a video that they showed on the plane the first time we stopped over there heading to Spain. I instantly put Holland near the top of my to do list.

It was everything I expected and more. The food was fantastic...the women were eye level...and the water was Everywhere. However, its a great place to speak Dutch. Its almost an arrogance (as it is in the states) to speak the native language. So I quickly tried to pick up on as much as possible.

Here are a couple of my favorites (please don't hold me to the correct Dutch spelling)

- "Halo" -- greeting -- usually said loud and merrily (by everyone - I speak softly in this city...go figure)
- "Fluiter" -- Small bier -- Grandpa Eger would have loved this place -- you can drink these all day, its about 6-8 oz max in a specially shaped glass (they actually have over 15 sizes of beers -- all with a different name - its fricken nuts)
- and my favorite Dutch expression "Duiey, Duiey" -- bye bye (also said loudly and usually with about 17 other words and forms of saying goodbye, see you around, til later, and oh, I'll beat you up if I ever see you here again -- so much arrogance)

Yep, that's what I learned. "Hello...small bier...bye bye" Again, the beginning of my vacation.

I've attached a couple of random pictures of mostly the canals, a really cool tree along one of the canal streets, Holland at night, and lastly, my three Ayyy-rish brothers (from another mother). I did my absolute best to get up to Dublin and out to Naven to have a "wet one" (in their words) but it wasn't possible (I'll have to do that trip in the Spring). They loved how much pride I took in my 12.5% Irish heritage and that I drank Guiness like it was chocolate milk.

Hope all is well there!

-Neil

4 days on minimum wage

someone told me before i left for amsterdam -- neil, the best advice i can give to you is to lose your wallet -- everything -- for 4 days. ha! ha! i thought he was an idiot (and travis is...) but it was the best thing ever. prosst to you man.

so here i sit at an internet cafe in my hostel and i am very lucky. to have you as friends to have life....to be in fairly good shape (hey...fairly...) to have the most wonderful family in the world --- in spanish happy is arishima or something similar.

if you are reading this right now i would hope that you are smiling (or laughing your tail off).

so...i lose my wallet...i survive in amsterdam off beauty alone (no?) for 4 days and what to do now...? i do not take this trip as a last journey. this is very important to point out. i have a gorgeous neice (great neice) and a family that loves me very much as i love them. this is my beginning of a lifetime of peace. and good fortune or so i hope.

i will tell you one more story from today. i hope you share yours with me as well along the way-- just what you are doing as i miss you all very much. i went to a big breakfast and had what i thought to be truffels (mushrooms), however when the lady comes and i pay my bill -- i say to her -- ï love your truffels"-- and she says "no, this is snails""...fricken amsterdam.

peace be with you.
neil