thu fri sat

Seems like a lot of time to catch up on... but, as you can guess, there actually hasn't been much going on... :P

After all the time out on wed, thu I had to recover ;) Fri I ventured out again. Did a fair bit of walking, checked a couple of churches along the way, the new one by the Dam plaza has art exhibits in it, so I learned a bit about Ukrainian artists. I want to try to catch an organ concert there, it should be amazing. Since the red light district was only a couple of blocks over, on the way to the Rembrandt's house, I decided to give it a shot and walk through it. It was a little after noon, after all. What safest time? And yes, I saw the famous prostitutes in the windows. The oddest thing that happened to me while I was walking there was a Dutch guy who started talking to me and walking alongside me, and kept asking, politely enough that I couldn't just flip him off, if it was weird for me to see this. I wasn't about to admit my uneasiness, so I tried to pull off a "eh, I lived in NY, you see anything there." He tried to press the question a couple of times, made small talk, offered to walk me for a little, but he wanted to show me the street where transvestites were. I am not sure what his deal was. Arriving to the New Market (most plazas around here are "markets") he said something like "well, here you are, have fun." And I said bye, and that was it.

I feel odd here in Europe. I was used to people telling me I was "scary" when they didn't know me, and to people being surprised when I say I'm only 5'3", 'cause I seem to carry myself as a taller person (I do have some odd height complex, I can be standing next to someone my same height, and yet I am convinced I am taller... I am always truly surprised by pictures of me next to other people!) But here most people I have spoken to see me as innocent, tiny, cute, perhaps, but overall harmless. Maybe even a bit in need. And people recognize me for the Italian I am, which also didn't happen much in NY... Beyond a bit of hurt pride, 'cause it's cool to be a hard-ass, my main concern is to be seen as the naive little tourist. Traveling alone, it puts me at risk of being harassed, or worse. Best I can pull is a surprised/different reaction once people actually talk to me, 'cause I am smarter/older than I seem (*grumble*). But that's not going to stop anyone from mugging me. I was recently asked why do I insist on trying to keep up an image of someone I'm not. Well, self-preservation, mostly. Who wants to be vulnerable, especially when you don't have the skills to defend yourself, physically or emotionally? I can only hope to pull through with my luck and that I keep running into more nice or harmless people like me... :)

Rembrandt's House was cool. Unlike the one in Antwerp, this was the real deal. Where he lived for 20 years, made his paintings, had his family... the nearby Rembrandt Plein has a bronze sculpture reconstruction of his famous Night Watch painting. It was cool to see it recreated in 3D. Gave me a much better perspective on the painting. Walking the Golden Bend, where some of the nicest canal houses are supposed to be, was a nice experience. And by then I had enough. I made my way back home in time to feed Nestor. And I cracked down and got some pot. I can't be in Amsterdam and not indulge. :P The place I saw along the way didn't have pre-rolled joints like most of the touristy places. So I had to buy some fresh buds and do my own rolling. Which I had seen done plenty times, but I don't personally have that much experience. So I did a bit of a mess... lol. But I managed. Still didn't get much out of it... but dammit, I feel like a local :)

I did take some pictures, but I keep feeling that busting out my huge camera in public is just not gonna be a good idea. Now even more. But, enjoy the few pics I do have.

Today I hung out with the lady of the keys and her daughter at the park nearby for most of the afternoon. In true European fashion, we had blankets, food, and bottles of wine for the afternoon, while naked children bathed in the kiddy pool nearby. I wanted to go out to some club, but I am tired of going out alone and dealing with the anxiety of possibly having to defend myself. Plenty of time tomorrow to go out. The Dutch play Portugal so I'm hanging out with the ladies again, probably to the same lounge as wed. Go Oranjie! :)