Oh, I love to go a'wandering

There will only be a little cancer in this post. I got back from Amsterdam last week and this is the tale. Some details have been omitted for brevity's sake. But all the good parts are still there.


Dougie and I arrived in Amsterdam on Saturday morning around 8am and promptly headed to a couple of cold Heinekens. Michele met us at the airport, and we all hung around waiting for other friends to get in from various locales. After we all gathered for a while and said our hellos, Dougie and I were off to another flight, this one to England. We went to Doug's parent's house, and dined with them. Saturday night was spent in the Tap, Dougie's local pub in Abingdon. As we sat around sipping pints, many people came and went and it seemed that every one of them knew Dougie. Every few minutes I could hear, "Dougie! Mate! How have you been?" or "Doug! Welcome back." I shall now and forever refer to him as Lord Dougie, Benevolent and Wise Ruler of Abingdon. Night one, over and out.


After a very late night out I caught a few z's and awoke early for our flight back to Amsterdam.

We relaxed for a little bit and then it was time to start the Queen's Day Marathon. We walked over to Leidseplein to meet up with the Group. The Group, by the way, is an eclectic gathering of anywhere between 20 and 30 people at any given time, representing about half a dozen countries. We've all been friends for years, some longer than others. It's been two years since I've seen most of them (thank you stupid tumor). I would love to tell you all about each and every one of them, but I want to keep this blog manageable. Trust me, they all ROCK! The hugs were given out like candy on Easter, the kisses thrown about liberally, the laughter rang throughout the streets, and the beer poured from every tap. I had to recount my cancer story more than a few times, but I didn't mind a bit. I was incredibly happy to see all these people again and to celebrate the life I have fought for over the couple of years. Later we all went for a lovely dinner at a Japanese hibachi restaurant. Following dinner was rounds at our regular haunt on Leidseplein, the Black and White. Somewhere around 2 in the morning, Dougie, Reede and I headed over to my favorite pub in all of Amsterdam, the Turnpike. There I met up with Swannet, one of the sexiest Dutch women I know (yes Ian, I'm aware she's your wife, but let's be honest here) and Henne, the owner and good friend. Dougie and I stumbled home around 3:30. Night two, in the bag.


Monday was Queen's Day. The Group met up at the Turnpike. Now, let me tell you a little something about the friendship that I share with this gang of people. I met most of them back in 2003, my first ever Queen's Day. Since then we have all remained close in spite of our geographical differences. The last time I saw them all was the following year, just before I got sick. In the time I've been absent, they have all kept in contact and followed my situation. The decision to gather at the Turnpike was for my consideration. Queen's Day is usually spent walking around the entire city visiting various pubs but knowing feeling that the usual journey might be a bit too much for me, and knowing that the Turnpike was my favorite spot, they all decided to hang out there for the day. On top of that, Dougie and Helen (my Australian Queen) arranged for everyone to sport these cool colon cancer tattoos!

















As the day wound down we traveled to our traditional Queen's Day dinner spot, The Cafe de Klos. The ribs at the Klos are absolutely epic and worthy of a blog all their own, but for now I will leave it at that.

With our bellies full and the night upon us it was back to Leidseplein. Once again it was a few pints at the Black and White and then over to Bourbon Street. By the time we were partying at Bourbon Street, the gaggle was Reede, Dougie, Hassan and myself along with three very lovely Scottish girls who were friends of friends. We closed the club and Dougie, Reede and I found our way back to the Turnpike. It was somewhere around 4:30 when Dougie and I collapsed back at the flat. Night three, accomplished.

On Tuesday, Dougie and I decided we were not going to stay out too late. The weather was gorgeous and our day began with an Irish breakfast. Later that evening we returned to Leidseplein to catch a very important football match for Dougie's Liverpool squad. After a nail biter Liverpool emerged victorious and the night continued. There was dinner at an Indian restaurant and then back over to Bourbon Street. Dougie and I found our way back to the flat somewhere around 3. So much for not staying out late. Day four, said and done.

There are many other stories to tell. Many other things I could tell you about the wonderful people I was with, but as I've mentioned before, I want to keep this as brief as I can.

Here are two sites with some pictures from Queen's Day.

Gordon's Pictures
Reede's Pictures

Wednesday was the flight home. I miss that place already.