This Is Absolutely, Positively My Last Posting

...until I find those bleeping photos I took in Amsterdam, is what I told myself after the last posting. So, I scoured my hard drive (no luck), searched my camera memory (no luck), rummaged in my own memory (worse luck) and finally found them on the home computer hard drive (I had to, I'd run out of synonyms for searching - oh LOOK, there's another one!) And even though you're all WELL past caring about what went on back then, you're going to sit there and view the slides and ENJOY them in appreciation of all my hard work looking for them.

Well, it's been so embarassingly long since the trip in Septmber that I can't even remember what they are about but I'll give it a go with the narration anyhow. Here's the map of Amsterdam (I didn't take this photo but I did use a map very similar to this one - couldn't read a thing on it). I walked from the big red blob that's shown just below the word "Centrum" in the water but I'm pretty sure that word was further over to the left on the day I was there. Anyhow, that's the train station (note the little black & white chequered lines running from right to left). I don't know how they get the paint to stay on them like that but I gotta say it's pretty impressive. AND I hear you can see it from space - that is parking space #7 across the street - when the weather is nice and the smog isn't too thick and...

So I walked out to the downward direction onto Someforensoundenstrasse and headed down the main street (yellow), Anothaforensoundenstrasse that loops all the way around the 3 converging canals and crosses the big canal that runs to the down-right (south-west?). I then looped back up along the canals to the train station. It was alot further than it sounds, believe me.

Here's a shot of the main canal showing the bicycles and boats. Here's a shot of the big red blob - you thought I was kidding about that didn't you? Here's what is I'm sure a very famous plaza but I just liked it because it reminded me of the ones in Italy. If I've said it nonce I've said it a nevertimes, the architecture in this city is quite impressive. Chalk one (and apparently only one) up for the greenies! Imagine seeing THIS one on your way home from the pub after a few pints; you'd be wondering if the building was drunker than you!

I think when Craig, Mike and I were naively walking the city in '82 that this was the Red Light District. It's pretty much muy commercialando now. Which came first, the building or the road? For some reason this one truly in-spired me (geez, I can hear your collective groans from here).

Shots of the smaller canal; with trees; low bridge; canal-side drive. You say you wanted a house on the water?

Now THIS was one fun intersection; gives Flemington Roundabout in Melbourne a run for its pfennigs at rush hour I reckon. Trams, cars, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, horses and wagons all coming together. And of course I had to take a pic of the Victoria Hotel; it reminds me a bit of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne and it's the Victoria to boot!

I truly appreciate your patience and I promise to be better with the blogging (if just to stop all the nagging from you lot).