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| Good morning, Amsterdam! |
Tired feet are the sign of a good and productive day. On Saturdays, the Noodermarkt assembles in the northern part of De Jordaan, the Jewish district in western Amsterdam. Local organic vendors sell flowers, honey, sausage, cheese, olives, fish, baked goods and a flea market sells everything from homemade jewelry to antiques to old clothes, vinyls, CDs, posters, and everything else you can imagine.
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| I may not see Russia from my house, but I can see De Otter! |
I love walking through these markets. Not only are there lots of free samples to taste, there are plenty of interesting curios and curious people to peer at.
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| White asparagus is famous in Amsterdam! |
So I spent my Saturday just exploring Noordermarkt as well as the myriad twisting and turning alleys.
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| I turned a corner and ran into a wedding party! |
I also took some time to hang out in Dam Square and people watch. There were several street performers, including people dressed up in whimsical costumes and posing on pedestals.
Fair warning, these guys do this as a part time job, so if you try to take a picture without dropping a few cents into their hat, they'll come at you, bro. One guy shook a handful of bells at me and gave me the most intense, green-glittery stare down! I don't even want to think about what Batman or Neptune would have done if they caught me stealing pictures!
Another performer was The Amazing Mr. Fish: an Australian comedian and juggler. With plenty of jibing and lots of wit and sarcasm, he captivated a large audience eager to see him juggle knives and ride a ten foot unicycle.
There's such a huge difference between "appropriate" and "inappropriate" touching between cultures: Mr. Fish held a girl's head in his hands and made her bow and pulled her lips into a smile, he pretended to wipe sweat all over an Asian audience member's head, and he squeezed another man's butt. I'm not saying there's anything
wrong about all that, but after coming from a country of strict "no-touching" mores, it's a real shock!
But I mean, this is also the city where thong-clad women are modeling in red window frames.
It was definitely an interesting day; an orgy for the senses and a benefit for the tourist who just wants to feel wrapped up in a foreign city.
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| Some of the houses are so old, they've warped! |
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| A beautiful day to chill in the park |
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| It's not an illusion: Amsterdam is just awesome! |
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