Personal things you don't need to know

Originally Posted by Thrasher
Do people in Europe go on holiday on the same weeks?

Yes, we're weird like that. Come to think of it… I always assumed that's the same everywhere.

Originally Posted by Omega
Where are you going, which city/part of the country and where exactly are you coming from? - if you don't mind me asking.

We're from Bavaria, and we wanted to go to Amsterdam originally. However private lodging is a bit pricey there so no we're checking out flats in Almere, Utrecht and Den Haag. We still want to go to Amsterdam once or twice while we're there… well, she wants to. I'm just fine chilling wherever we are

Originally Posted by Thrasher
You know, I treat moths and crickets and scorpion bugs that way. But spiders and flies don't get the same treatment. Strange now that I think of it.

The spider is my racial enemy.

pibbur who thinks flies are ok as long as they don't behave like flies.

Originally Posted by Sacred_Path
We're from Bavaria, and we wanted to go to Amsterdam originally. However private lodging is a bit pricey there so no we're checking out flats in Almere, Utrecht and Den Haag. We still want to go to Amsterdam once or twice while we're there… well, she wants to. I'm just fine chilling wherever we are

It's difficult this time of year.
Luckily you did not plan to come last week. Amsterdam was brimming, 2.5 million visitors - from all over Europe but many of them Dutch (including me ) for Sail Amsterdam. An event that takes place every five years. This year: over 600 official ships in the parade, including 44 tall ships, a parade of 12 km.

I hope you'll find a well-prized suitable place to stay.S_P. I wish you a very nice holiday in my country!
And please tell us in this thread what you experienced while staying here.

Thank you, and I will! Actually we've already been to Amsterdam last Christmas. Originally we planned to go to Greece in the summer but that didn't work out so my gf really wanted to go to Amsterdam again. The people were very friendly and seemed to be perpetually relaxed - even though not all of them seemed to frequent the coffeeshops like us

Apart from the cannabis I have very fond memories of the fine foodstuffs there. We either ate out or frequented one of those little stores along an avenue I can't quite remember the name of right now - anyway it was lined by a lot of great takeaways. And even just the regular stuff from Albert Heijn's was delicious - we still talk about their smoothies and fresh cakes

I'm surprised there's not a lot of reports of summer tourists being found fallen in the canals after too much "coffee".

Originally Posted by Sacred_Path
Thank you, and I will! Actually we've already been to Amsterdam last Christmas. Originally we planned to go to Greece in the summer but that didn't work out so my gf really wanted to go to Amsterdam again. The people were very friendly and seemed to be perpetually relaxed - even though not all of them seemed to frequent the coffeeshops like us

Apart from the cannabis I have very fond memories of the fine foodstuffs there. We either ate out or frequented one of those little stores along an avenue I can't quite remember the name of right now - anyway it was lined by a lot of great takeaways. And even just the regular stuff from Albert Heijn's was delicious - we still talk about their smoothies and fresh cakes

Food's important.
Coffee and cannabis aren't - to me.
Never use them.
I thrive on smoothies - homemade.
So I'm one of the most relaxed and optimistic people, I think.

How lovely you have such good memories. I hope you will top those next time you're here. Glad to hear you like the Dutch, I always think the Germans are very nice. Very friendly, courteous and hospitable.

Who needs coffee and/or cannabis when you can get
Frikandel, Appelgebak met Slagroom and Paling?

"All joy without coffee is superficial."

I've been in Amsterdam twice, love the city. One of the more memorable experiences from our (the wife and I) first visit was seeing a catholic church inside a regular apartment complex. After the reformation, catholic churches were outlawed. However churches like the one we visited was ok, as long as they didn't talk about it. I'm no catholic, but I think this was funny, and a great example of the easy-going and liberal attitude typical (as far as I know) for the Dutch.

pibbur who thinks the quote above may have been about booze, and who has never tried cannabis. Anything being smoked for that matter. And who thinks (or hopes) pibburs are nicer than Germand and everyone else.

Originally Posted by pibbur who
"All joy without coffee is superficial."

I've been in Amsterdam twice, love the city. One of the more memorable experiences from our (the wife and I) first visit was seeing a catholic church inside a regular apartment complex. After the reformation, catholic churches were outlawed. However churches like the one we visited was ok, as long as they didn't talk about it. I'm no catholic, but I think this was funny, and a great example of the easy-going and liberal attitude typical (as far as I know) for the Dutch.

I've seen that church too. Very interesting. Recommendable. Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op solder

Originally Posted by pibbur who
pibbur who thinks the quote above may have been about booze, and who has never tried cannabis. Anything being smoked for that matter. And who thinks (or hopes) pibburs are nicer than Germand and everyone else.

Sweet!

oh yes, I've read about that church (or type of churches) before the trip. We also wanted to see Anne Frank's house and several other stuff… in the end we only made it to two museums (still have my Museumkaart though!).

Originally Posted by Sacred_Path
oh yes, I've read about that church (or type of churches) before the trip. We also wanted to see Anne Frank's house and several other stuff… in the end we only made it to two museums (still have my Museumkaart though!).

I have never been to Anne Frank's house. Too many visitors. An endless queue.

I thought the house of Rembrandt was really great:
The Rembrandt House Museum. You can see his workplace, his bedroom, kitchen, etc. Some pictures.

If you like Van Gogh as much as I do, you'll like the Van Gogh Museum. Oder Das Van Gogh Museum.

During my short stay to Amsterdam I visited the Koninklijk Concertgebouw as well, the tour behind and beneath the stage is certainly worthwhile: Guided Tours The Royal Concertgebouw. Impressive! The building is home to the well-known Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and it's famous for its accoustics. Second best accoustics in the world (Vienna is nr 1), experts say. It is possible to attend a concert, but do not expect to get tickets for the RCO. Some pictures.

Try and see a movie in de "Grote Zaal" of Cinema Tuschinsky Amsterdam. The cinema is stunning. Here are some pictures and here is some more info on Cinema theater Tuschinsky on Wikipedia

BTW, movies in The Netherlands are shown in their original language and are subtitled - movies aimed at children excluded.

The wife was admitted to the dep. of neurology at our local hospital yesterday. Just before lunch, she got short but repeating epsiodes of numbness on her left side. Very mild symptoms, no paralysis, now problems speaking. Could be a variant of migraine, but since she hadn't had symptoms like these beforee, and she, like me, was 60ish, they decided to take a closer look at her.

CT and MR of the head showed nothing wrong, thereby excluding a stroke or a tumor or other nasties. She's coming home today. Yay!

pibbur who hated the first time his GP said,"You know, at your age we can no longer assume that it's nothing serious". And who, being a doctor-has-been, has a lot more things to worry about than normal (non doctors) people.

Originally Posted by pibbur who
The wife was admitted to the dep. of neurology at our local hospital yesterday. Just before lunch, she got short but repeating epsiodes of numbness on her left side. Very mild symptoms, no paralysis, now problems speaking. Could be a variant of migraine, but since she hadn't had symptoms like these beforee, and she, like me, was 60ish, they decided to take a closer look at her.

CT and MR of the had showed nothing wrong, thereby excluding a stroke or a tumor or other nasties. She's coming home today. Yay!

pibbur who hated the first time his GP said,"You know, at your age we can no longer assume that it's nothing serious". And who, being a doctor-has-been, has a lot more things to worry about than normal (non doctors) people.

Sorry to hear that, Pibbur. It must be horribly worrying. It could, of course, be something innocuous and impossible to pin down. I once saw a woman in a terrible state through a very bad case of indigestion.

Hope she bounces back immediately.

Originally Posted by Ripper
…Hope she bounces back immediately.

She's fine now. I bet she'll soon start her friendly pestering me again.

Fortunately I've discovered her (very) weak spot: Tickling her behind her knees. And what's even better: I don't have any such spots!!!!

pibbur who acknowledges (didn't know that word requires a 'c', should have, since he quite often is involved in handling ACK messages) the fact that since both the CT and the MR were negative, there are a lot of nasty head-things he now knows she doesn't have. Unlike himself, anything could be in the works up there without him knowing it. (But he won't of course ask for a CT to be sure, as that is a high radiation dose examination).

Glad to hear she is better … health scares are … well, scary.

Glad it turned out non-serious, pibbur!

I've resigned myself to the fact of decline. Not embracing it though.

Well, I use to say: turning 60 is better than the alternative.

pibbur who agrees with himself in this.

Good to hear she is back on her feest again. I hope for the two of you that it was a one time event.

Myrthos who fortunately isn't sixtieish yet

Originally Posted by Myrthos
Good to hear she is back on her feest again. I hope for the two of you that it was a one time event….

They said it probably was a form of aura connected to migraine (which she has had for years). An aura in medical terms is neurological symptoms which may preceed attacks from migraine, epilepsy and others. For migraine it's typical visual disturbances, but - as I learned now - other things may also occur.

So if she gets it again, I'll know what it is, I won't be worried, and I don't need to listen to her complaints. (I know she's not following what I write on the watch)

pibbur who fortunately isn't at a corwinish age (hethinks).