June 15, 2012
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(written on 24 February 2013)
Tomorrow is Father’s Day in the Netherlands and normally that would mean that I would head down to Limburg today for a weekend with my family there. But not this year! This year, the family is going to come to Amsterdam to visit me. That meant that, in the morning I was busy cleaning the house and buying loads of groceries. I have this tendency to overbuy. And I mean, to overbuy badly. It’s not unusual for me to still be eating food that I bought for special occasions (such as my family visiting) for weeks after the event takes place. And now as well my fridge is working overtime to keep its contents chilled appropriately. And there is not just food in my fridge, because the chocolates in the picture are on a big plate on the coffee table, also awaiting my family’s arrival tomorrow.
In the afternoon I met up with Anthony, Phil and Kevin in Spa Zuiver, the wonderful spa and sauna resort in the southwest of the city, near the Amsterdamse Bos forest area. It’s always a great place to go to because of the many different types of saunas they have. My favourite is the very hot Finnish sauna (90+ C) but there are also music sauna (with gentle easy listening music playing softly), a sauna with a real fire place and one with ambient lights. Plus steam rooms, whirlpools, ambient baths, swimming pool, sun beds, a hammam, a restaurant, relax areas and a bar – enough to keep you happily busy and relaxed at the same time for many hours. It was very nice to be at Zuiver and also finally have some time to catch up with what’s going on in Anthony’s life. He’s splitting up – or divorcing rather – with Nick after having been together with him for 17 years. A dramatic step in both their lives so it was good to have a chat about that. Whilst sipping rose in the comfy seats outside of course.
