The story of how I ended up spending this afternoon in Amsterdam is a long one, and to spare you the details I will say only, ask Air France (more specifically their trade union). But I guess there are worse places to be laid over for a few hours, particularly when it was a pleasant, sunny day. Ample excuse to feature it on the blog for the first time since January 2012, thus, 6.3 years ago more or less. Time I came back here for a proper visit.
In my life I have been to the Netherlands about 12 times: mostly in Amsterdam but I have also visited some provincial towns. And even though there will be many people who will look at certain surface features, particularly in Amsterdam, and think that this is sometimes a sleazy place, they have got it all wrong. In all those times I have been here, regardless of what state I have been in, I have never once felt threatened, and no one has ripped me off for even the slightest Euro. This is, in fact, the most civilised country in the whole world.
What a terribly glamorous life I must lead, right? Actually, no. I did shuttle over to Amsterdam this morning (one of the world’s great cities – visit, if you never have), but that was for a boring old academic conference. On my way back to the hotel this evening I passed what was clearly a movie premiere and just inserted myself among the paparazzi for a few moments to see what I could get.
Why are people so obsessed with celebrities by the way? I mean here not as actors (see ‘Tom Baker’, two days ago – which I accept is a case for the prosecution), but as ‘personalities’? I don’t understand it. If people are good at acting, fine, admire them for that, but then again there are people who are good at nursing, at controlling air traffic, etc. They don’t get cameras shoved up their arse on a regular basis.
Being 42 