Get to Know An Amsterdammer(s) 4

Amsterdam is one of the most densely-populated cities in Europe. With people living at such close quarters to each other, it helps to have good neighbours. It helps even more, one might suggest, if those neighbours are tango dancers.

Meet Vanessa (the neighbour, in yellow) and Christiane (the friend of the neighbour). Over a random afternoon chatting over and then climbing over the short brick wall separating our back patios, with prosecco, cheese, and grapes to fuel the discussion on a sun-dappled late March afternoon, we got to know some more Amsterdammers.

Both are indeed tango dancers, which in a Northern European city is about as common as being a gouda seller in Buenos Aires. Christiane has been here since 1993 while Vanessa was born here but spent the past seven years in Argentina.

Vanessa

Age: 29

Is: dating someone actually named Rembrandt

Likes about Amsterdam:

• the "mix" of everthing and everyone, the different cultures to run into everyday. You can go for a drink alone and not stand out, and feel comfortable.
• the bikes
• the small size - despite being a major international city, everything feels close and you can bike everywhere in 15 minutes.

Dislikes about Amsterdam:

• The drunkenness, especially among young people (Editor's note: just last night - weeks after this interview was held - some young people caused havoc in Vondelpark, the central point of good weather hanging out and laid-back behaviour - they pulled people off bikes, assaulted some, then throw bottles at police; this is a highly uncommon experience however)
• "It can be difficult to make friends with the Dutch" (Ed. note - and Vanessa is Dutch)
• The weather (aside from this amazing spring)

Oddest sight: some oiled-up guy in rollerblades and a g-string (Ed. note - sorry; I was feeling a little frisky that night).

Where else would you live in the world?

Buenos Aires

Life as a tango dancer/instructor can be hard here - it's not a passion of the Dutch, not a tango culture of course. And there is perhaps less, er, flexibility in their hips. Why does she keep doing it? "Because I love to dance".

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Christiane

Age: 36

Is: originally from Brazil

Likes about Amsterdam:

• the laid-back people
• the compactness of the city
• relaxed lifestyle
• the small size - despite being a major international city, everything feels close and you can bike everywhere in 15 minutes.

Dislikes about Amsterdam:

• Impoliteness of the people, the lack of social awareness
• "The Dutch - and of course there are exceptions - are very concerned with spending money; this also seems to translate into being stingy with their feelings."
• The weather

Favourite spots:

• Cafe-Restaurant Vertigo (above the Film Museum, in Vondelpark) (Ed. note - lame photos on their website belie a very cool location)
• Cafe Walem
• Jordaan neighbourhood
• Vondelpark

Where else would you live in the world?

Madrid, Paris, numerous places in Italy

Christiane's challenges with being a tango dancer here mirror those of Vanessa. People don't immerse themselves here, they just dabble for fun and don't want to spend the money or the time to get into it. They want to have fun, and to really learn tango is not fun.

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Having interesting neighbours just outside your back door, however, is quite fun.

Ugliness v. Beauty

As we sit one day after one of the ugliest days in recent Dutch history, a reminder of the beauty of things on an early morning bike ride through Amsterdam, which helped provide another reminder: to enjoy every day to the fullest.

A welcome to Vondelpark

The canal tour boats, awaiting their daily contents

On the exterior wall of the Rijksmuseum

A section of the Rijksmuseum. It's tough to capture this huge building in one shot, so I'll be rolling out various angles of it over the coming weeks.

More Spring Things

Morning koffie

To continue from yesterday's post... a balmy 20-degree day arrived in Amsterdam as advertised.

On an ideal spring day with a rare warm breeze, a bike ride down to the Klein Kalfje (Little Calf) restaurant right on the Amstel River was in order. There, an unhurried afternoon (along with the famously unhurried Dutch waiters) was spent as rowers stroked past on the water, a continuous stream of cyclists whizzed past along the pathway, and cappuccino - and later beer and chicken satay - materialized in front of me.

I wish words and photos could convey the feeling better - I just had one of the nicest afternoons I've ever had.

It's a continuously remarkable city, Amsterdam is, with all it has to offer. There are not many places where you can bike 15 minutes from a bustling city center to a pastoral setting, feeling like you're on vacation among the boats and windmills and, of course, the llamas.

Bigrock Oldllama

Seating at the Klein Kalfje

The bar at the Klein Kalfje

Early sunseekers at Sarphati Park, in de Pijp. Three minute walk from the apartment. Later in the day, it was crammed with picnickers and barbeques.

Spring in Amsterdam

It kicked off a few weeks ago, with a few steps back since then. But with today getting close to 20 degrees, it's on.

Spring in Amsterdam is an explosion of smiles, skirts, sloops and (some) sun. Every cafe terrace is packed, with chairs and tables crammed onto every possible inch of canalside territory.

Things bloom here early, beginning in March, and many gardens and public parks already have flowers out in full. The trees are still a bit shy, but they are getting bolder each week.

And even though winter was a lot kinder this year than last, there's still a collective Ahhhh as everyone shakes off 5 months of greyness.

Japan

As new fears of a large radiation leak emerge this morning, the news from Japan has just been brutal.

A fellow Lonely Planet blogger with special ties to Japan has created a post where you can donate to relief efforts, and read more about what this country is all about:

http://www.toddswanderings.com/2011/03/how-to-help-japan-earthquake-tsunami-survivors.html

More Lithuania

As the brief visit to Lithuania came to an end, the quaint little country made me promise to come back in the summer, which would include 25-degree days and visits to the beaches along the Baltic Sea. Will do.

Until then, I will attempt to run off the massive volume of potatoes and cake consumed - including a national dish involving potatoes which are peeled, boiled, ground, strained and then stuffed with either meat or cottage cheese, served with a bacon gravy. Like uber-perogies.

This is called cepelinai, pronounded zeppelinay - yes, after 5 of them in one sitting, my stomach felt more like Lead Zeppelinai. I could barely make it up the Stairway to Bathroom.

In general, life in Lithuania is not very different from the rest of the West. In some areas, it is more rural, but not much different than rural towns across Canada or the U.S. It has also been hit by the economic crisis, so some areas are sleepier than they once were.

Since its independence in 1991, the standard westernization has taken place. Cili Pica is just like Boston Pizza or TGI Fridays, H&M-style fashion is the same here as anywhere, and you'll hear Beyonce on the radio much quicker than you'll hear a Lithuanian artist.

The people are reserved (there seems to be a bylaw prohibiting smiling in photos), but in fact very friendly and genuine, and if you visit a Lithuanian home, you will not leave hungry. The women are all slim and stylish (seriously - I don't know where they put the cepelinai), the men a little less so.

Some photos to round out the trip...

Mid-afternoon snack on a Sunday

The never-ending charms of seeing/hearing English as a second language

You can buy smoked fish in many farmhouses.

Which gives me a bit of remember: everything in Lithuania is smoked and salted - beef, pork, fish, chicken, chocolate (ok, maybe not chocolate). I am thinking of starting a line of tourist t-shirts:

I Went to Lithuania, and I Got Cured

A smoker

On a stroll in Silute

Silute

Silute

Silute

Silute

The seaside town of Palanga

The Baltic Sea

S&M, Lithuania-style

Nate Dogg

Rapper Nate Dogg passed away this week, prompting this tweet by Snoop. Really, I think he speaks for all of us:

"We lost a true legend n hiphop n rnb.... U will always be wit me 4ever n a day u put the g in g funk u put the 1 in 213 n u put yo stamp on evrybdy you ever didit wit...I will c u again n heaven cuz u know d slogan all doggs go to heaven yo homie n baby brotha snoopdogg!!

Lithuanian Matrimony

You've probably woken up many days thinking "I wonder what a Lithuanian wedding is like?"

Well folks, I have your answer. It should be noted that there were several aspects of the wedding I attended last weekend in Siauliai (pronounced "shao-lay") that met with the strict standards of the International Matrimonial Norms, Elements and Regulations Dictates (IMaNERD):

• There must be at least one Mom or Grandma dancing the shoulder-shrug shimmy; often in conjunction with finger-snapping.
• There must be at least one guy who gets loaded and puts a tie or other object on his head (see above - no, that ain't me).
• There must be a minimum of two Abba songs played.
• There must be one uncle who has to dance with every woman present, and somewhat creepily at that.

With these all met easily, the wedding did have some interesting customs that I was unaccustomed to:

• The bus that took us all from the ceremony to the reception stopped at a bridge, whereupon the bride and groom got out and he had to carry the her across it for good luck. Others could follow them doing them same with their respective partners, also for good fortune.

• A "table commander" was assigned to various sections of the dinner table. Among his/her roles were to ensure that everyone drinks and had a full beverage ready when a toast was made. Many toasts were made.

• Before the wedding, at the house of the bride's family, the groom was blindfolded and had to try to fit a shoe belonging to his wife on the right foot, with a choice of 5 other pairs of feet. So he would feel the others' feet first and would get in trouble if he didn't recognize his wife's own.

• In a big departure from North American weddings, the bride and groom see each other and pre-celebrate at the bride's home with family and friends before even heading to the church.

• There were a number of games throughout the evening which involved drinking. And the party did not stop till 5am. We were among the first to leave at 2am; even a 79-year old grandma stayed till 4:30.

Overall, it was a very nice time, with great hospitality provided to this obvious foreigner. And now you finally know what a Lithuanian wedding is like.

The evening's entertainment. A non-stop odyssey of Lithuanian old-school.

The wait at a ranchhouse while photos and sleigh rides were held outside. Treats included brandy, vodka, champagne, and pastries.

This is not the church where the ceremony was held, but the place where photos were taken in-between ceremony and reception.

The church where the ceremony was held. In English, "The Church of St. We No Pay the Heating Bills"

Bride and Groom. We could honestly see his breath when he said "I do" ("Taip", or Yes)

Hammer time

The rented bus had strict rules, including a rather random "no ice cream cones" policy

You're thinking "Is that woman wearing a makeshift diaper and running away from a man menacingly pouring vodka?" Yes. That's exactly what it is.