DAY 28
SATURDAY MAY 28 2005
Haarlem, the pigeon and the swan.
The day started out with my daily walk to the train station about 10 am. I was heading into Amsterdam to view a silent film. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I admit it. I like the old fashioned, black and white, no sound, silent film. I have always liked it since I watched my very first one as a child (even songs from when recording had just come about are awesome.) While they were out of vogue, even when I was a child, they would occasionally be played on TV. It's hard to indulge in something that is non-existent in Anchorage, however, I am in Amsterdam and this city has everything for sell from Delft porcelain salt and pepper penis shakers to itself. So it was with only mild surprise that I stumbled onto Tuschinski Theater.
I had bought my ticket several days prior and ended up trashing it, by accident. You see, I had a piece of chocolate in my purse and in the hot sun of the day it melted all over the ticket and I tossed the whole mess away, not realizing that was the ticket for the Charlie Chaplin film until the morning I was training to the theater. I was six minutes late, no biggie, I thought. I will get to skip some stupid previews. I went to the manager and asked if he could just let me in as I trashed my ticket by accident. He was awesome and let me right in. He even escorted me to the right theater and told me which seat to sit in. I thought that was a little odd, until I actually sat down and looked around. This was no movie theater, but a performance house. Think of the Atwood but done in a roaring 20's kind of way. An entire orchestra sat on the stage floor with the movie above them. Wow! This is the full out, real thing! Jeeze, no wonder the ticket had cost so much. While I am no fan of Charlie Chaplin, himself, the movie was funny and the orchestra did a magnificent job! As a matter of fact they received a standing ovation by a very full theater. Wow!
After that I bummed around Amsterdam heading in the general direction of the train station. I hopped on a tram and was winging my way there when the tram had to slow down due to a congestion of people in the way. What was attracting all the attention? I looked out and saw a moving band, parade, type of thing. I thought "Ah, whatever." Until I heard the bongo drums. Oh yes, this girl stops for bongo drums! Especially when they can carry a beat like that! I got off at the next available tram stop, which was pretty far along, and the chase was on! I jogged back through the crowds looking for them. Eventually I caught up with the band in Leidseplein square (the same place where I saw the Boom Chicago comedy improv). What a beat, what a riot act. I felt like the guy from Shakespeare in Love "and there was a little dog too."
Ah yes, bongo drum girl, this would be me in another life.
This is what amazes me about Amsterdam. One block away you have a riot act going on and here is a man napping peacefully under a tree. You can't see it in this picture but behind me is an old man playing a slow song on the sax. This day just seems to be filled with music.
After all that, I headed back to the train station and decided that I was tired of canals and history and so took a 15 minute train ride to the beach. I just totally love this train system!
Look at all the windsurfers in the back ground. Gosh, it looked like so much fun, but in that wind? They must have arms of steel!
After the beach I took a 5 hour round trip to Arnhem and picked up my tent and stuff. I will leave it here, hopefully, in Haarlem as it is so much more central to Amsterdam. I don't want to post it home quiet yet. So I returned to my hotel by 10 pm after a very full day of being out and about. I sat at the hotel and listened to a live piano player as I ate my steak dinner. No, it was not a frugal day, but it was a music filled one.