To put it bluntly, I've been locked out of my room all weekend, so I apologize for the late post. What I'm about to share should bring you up to speed on what's gone down the past few days.
I spent most of Saturday with Dr. Myers and my buddy Colin in Delft, a city well-known for its "Royal Blue" brand of pottery and is only a one hour train ride from Amsterdam. Had a great burger for lunch and spent some time wandering around the maze of market stalls along the streets.
We found the best ice cream of the trip so far at a place called Beaart IJssalon. I had a scoop of mint and a scoop of white chocolate. The mint had chocolate shell on it, so when it was scooped, it ended up more like mint chocolate chip. The white chocolate had white chocolate pieces in it. So good.After we returned to Amsterdam for the evening, I realized I had locked my keys in the room. Pretty quick way to knock the day's mood down a peg. With apparently nothing else to do and no other plans in the mix, I decided to see a movie at Tuschinski near Rembrandtplein. What makes Tuschinski unique is its art deco-influenced architecture. There aren't many picture houses like it anymore. My professor likened it to a Dutch version of the Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Once you enter the lobby, it feels like you've stepped into a time capsule to the 1920s. The main screening hall is an auditorium similar to what you might've seen in The Artist or Singin' In the Rain. Plenty of floor seating, two balconies, a stage, curtain, and breathtaking craftsmanship in the architecture are as best I can describe it. (The theater has a modern wing with a few more screens that are more like what moviegoers today are used to.)
I saw Pacific Rim in 3-D. I'm behind on reviews, so I'm doing a 5-movie highlight reel for the films I've watched on this trip so far. Look for it on my other blog, http://thereelbennyc.blogspot.com/.
On Sunday, we went to the beach at Zandvoort. It's on the North Sea, so the water's a little chilly!
Paige, Dr. Wilson and I went to find a place to eat after we got back to town. Shawarma, mmmmmm! Later on, we visited the Red Light District to get a glimpse of how things are over there after dark. Trust me, it's a completely different animal once the sun goes down.
Today we had class in our usual spot at the Sociology building at the University near Spui (pronounced: Spuh'). When Louis and I walked out of the alley from our classroom and onto the street, we were stopped by a man on the street who pointed to Louis's shirt and said, "WKU? Western Kentucky University? From Bowling Green, Kentucky?" Louis and I looked at each other, shrugged and said "Yes, sir. We're here studying for a few weeks. What was your name again?" And the man replies, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Romeo Crennel."
Talk about WTF!??! After a minor fanboy moment, we chatted up the former Hilltopper lineman and NFL coach. We met his wife, Rosemary, and learned that Amsterdam was a stop on their vacation around Europe. The Crennels were nice enough to oblige the group with a photograph before we parted ways. Meeting a prominent American football coach like Crennel is kind of surreal because he's the absolute last person you'd expect to run into on the street in Amsterdam.
The rest of the day hasn't matched that highlight. I've moved back into my old room in lieu of, not just my lockout, but of my sickness which I believe was brought on by some mold in the room I was previously living in. Two nights out of that room, and I feel great despite a lingering cough and achey throat.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Belgium! I'm working on some laundry and trying to keep it cool on this hot Amsterdam day. Should be packing shortly, but I probably won't bring my laptop which means I won't be able to post for another couple days.
Glad to hear you're back in order and feeling better. Enjoy Belgium. Don't forget your keys.
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