The Jordaan

This day started off terribly. I could not get to sleep until 8AM and then of course I slept until 2:30PM. I was devastated. I only had a couple of hours of daylight left and I blew it!I got in shower and was overwhelmed with sadness. “I wanna go home!” I said to myself, almost in tears. But I persevered and got dressed and started out on my way. I decided to walk in a different direction this day. I crossed over one of the many bridges leading to the Jordaan neighborhood. It is a 400 year old neighborhood far off the beaten path and mentioned quite a bit in the cooler travel books as picturesque and full of great shops and restaurants.Evidently I had ventured through the outskirts of the Jordaan during one of my night walks (I never felt unsafe walking at night here…odd that) So, this evening I decided to venture farther and pulled out my camera and started shooting the many canals and faces that struck me here..

I stopped by a little shop that had an outdoor postcard rack and one postcard really changed my way of thinking about my late start. It encouraged me to just go with the flow and enjoy the choices I make. So what if I slept in today and didn’t go to the museums as planned! I did museums the last time I was here. This trip is all about exploring the neighborhoods and the people and writing. And so I kept on trucking. I took a turn and came upon a series of canals crossing each other. And that’s when I took one of my favorite canal shots at dusk just when the streetlights were coming on. Check it out!

It was from this spot that I happened upon the Backbeat Record Store and its owners: Dick & Eddy. They were the typical Euro lovers of American music and Dick used to tour with an American singer who experienced some major success in Europe.

I asked Dick for a restaurant recommendation and he invited me to hang out at the store until after they locked up so he could personally escort me to a street a buzz with shops and cafes… didn’t notice any coffee shops or tourists. And that is how I found “Burger’s Patio Restaurant” where I had one of the most delicious meals (and great company) of my life!

The place was empty when I arrived but within an hour the place was jumping. Speaking of jumping, a cat jumped into my lap. She was just wandering around the restaurant and POOF!- into my lap she went. I want to note that this is the second time a cat hopped in my lap at a restaurant in Amsterdam. This kitty belonged to the restaurant’s owner and no one seemed bothered by it in the least. I love cats and so I was actually delighted to see Miss Kitty. Actually Miss Kitty was just using me to get to my neighbors who were dining on fish. She proceeded to stare at them for their entire meal.

It was a wonderful evening. I got some lovely canal shots at night.

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Next: my recording session with DJ dutchican soulc Niels.