(written on 6 March 2013)

Yes. Tacky, seedy, past glory, that sums up Blackpool quite nicely. Except... Huh... Sure, the North Pier could do with some serious maintenance because if twenty layers of thick paint still have started peeling badly then it's probably time to strip away all paint and start from scratch, but as I walked through the town centre close to the North Pier there were some interesting changes. First of all there were the trams. All along Blackpool's coast there's a tram line running from Pleasure Beach in the south to Fleetwood north of the town. The trams that were in use on this line were ancient. Very much nostalgic but also not terribly efficient, fast or comfortable. However, today I noticed that all these old trams had been replaced with new ones! And they looked so modern, and indeed comfortable!

But that wasn't the only change. The promenade had been completely revamped and it really looked stunning, with a wonderful stairs leading down to the beach and a wide open space where you can stroll at your own leisure from North Pier all the way to Pleasure beach. Many of the old games halls had been closed and replaced with newer buildings. Blackpool Tower was undergoing some serious maintenance (and as I found out later today, the interior had been completely renewed) and behind the Tower, the shopping streets were simply unrecognisable, with a large and very nice shopping centre, Hounds Hill, where once there had been scruffy streets and dark alleys. Blackpool, in the years that I hadn't been there, had undergone a true transformation, and building work was still going on on a large scale (the entire block east of Blackpool North station, where once the wonderful gay bar The Flying Handbag had been had all been flattened and was ready for redevelopment as well) and I must say that I was truly impressed.

The same can't be said about Arno, who arrived in Blackpool at around noon with a slight hangover, and who, as a Mancunian, made no attempt at hiding his ever so slight disgust for Blackpool. But, it must be said that it was great to see Arno again and funnily enough, between the two of us we had lost about 35 kilograms, or 'one Karen Carpenter', since we'd last saw each other and we were both feeling great about it. After Arno had dropped off his luggage we went for lunch first (Starbucks - yes, there is now a Starbucks here as well) and then did the usual walk up and down the coast (or down and up, depending from which direction you're looking), visiting the North Pier, Central Pier and South Pier, and in between also Blackpool Tower and its much expanded Glass Floor (picture above). 

In the early evening, after we'd both returned to our hotels and freshened up, we went for a meal in Pizza Express and then for some drinks in various gay bars in this famous gay 'resort'. Among the bars that we visited was The Flying Handbag (in its new location), Lucy Two (mainly lesbian but there was an artist performing there) and lastly Mardi Gras, where we met up with some of Arno's friends who had coincidentally come to Blackpool as well this weekend. In the Mardi Gras bar we saw a performance by a certain Miss Stella Artois, a vicious drag queen (just as they are supposed to be) who told many dirty jokes and did a great performance. We left the bar after midnight and returned to our own hotels for a well deserved rest. Sea air makes you tired, you know.

(written on 6 March 2013)

My train to Preston left London Euston station at around noon. After checking out of my hotel in the morning I slowly made my way to King's Cross Station (but not without a lovely breakfast at The Courtfield pub in Earl's Court), resisting the temptation to buy some more clothes in either the GAP or the Super Dry Store on Regent St. My bag is already quite full and I will have to take it with me on to Blackpool, then Glasgow and then Belfast. King's Cross was quite a scruffy old station up until recently but some wonderful renovations have created a completely new departures hall adjacent to the main building (rather than being part of the main building) and the space that was created was just beautiful. I also had a quick look in St Pancras International just next to King's Cross before walking to Euston Square and then Euston station. It was still quite warm as I was sitting outside having my lunch but the skies were very grey and very threatening and sure enough the first drops of rain came down just as my train was about to depart (with a slight delay.)

In order to get from London to Blackpool one must take a train from London Euston to Preston (and these trains often go on to Glasgow) and there at Preston ("Welcome to Lancashire") one takes a local service to Blackpool North station. The intercity service to Preston is provided by Virgin and I was quite looking forward to that train ride. After all, you get to cross a big part of England and it would be awesome to see that go by your train window! That is, if you happen to get a seat with a view. Unfortunately the Virgin Pendoline trains do actually have some seats without any view at all (unless you manage peak around the people sitting just in front of you on the other side of the aisle but that is not very easy) which means that I arrived in Preston and for the first time I saw daylight again since leaving Euston station (which I might add is the most depressing station of all London terminals.) Preston is the station where I once, many many years ago, left a bag on a train while I was travelling from Blackpool to Glasgow and of course that memory came back immediately, just as the memory of my interrail trip back in 1998 when I had to change trains here as well, en route from Liverpool to Edinburgh. Ah... memories.

Anyway, on I went onto a Northern Rail train service to Blackpool North and this is probably the shoddiest train operator in the UK. The diesel trains running this service are really quite old and there is nothing much on offer that resembles comfort. In fact, many of the trains in summer are severely overcrowded (as was today's service.) Northern Rail is really an embarrassment when at the same station you see flashy trains from Virgin Trains and Transpennine trains go by. Oh, did I mention that Northern Rail is half owned by the Dutch national railway company? Yeah...

Blackpool is an amazing place. I love it, but admittedly I am in a select group of people when I say that. My Manchester friend Arno loathes it (but that's not stopping him from coming out to see me tomorrow) and many people find it amazingly tacky, cheap, seedy, and full of senseless stag and hen parties. All of the above is true and somehow that makes it tremendously appealing to me. It's Britain's biggest seaside resort and has a staggering number of 90,000 holiday beds over 3,000 hotels, B&B and similar accommodation. Each year 2 million portions of chips alone are eaten in the town main amusement park, Pleasure Beach, as well as 45 miles of hot dogs and half a million candy flosses (I wish I was making this up but it's all here) which means Tourism in Blackpool is big business. And yet, despite these astounding numbers, there is this overwhelming feel of past glory whenever I walk through Blackpool. The town was much, much busier still in past decades when it was the main holiday destination for Glasgwegians. Many things in Blackpool today still remind you of days gone by - or at least that is the impression I get.

I didn't do much today in Blackpool though. I got to the hotel at the end of the afternoon and spent hours just reading (another ebook about the AT) and freshening up, and then - almost reluctantly - I got out and had fish and chips in Harry Ramsden's near the North Pier. I also walked on the beach near that pier a bit (picture above) and played some of the tuppence machines in the games hall on the pier. And then... then I just returned to the hotel, not in the mood to go for a drink at all. And don't get me wrong, I was feeling absolutely fine, happy to be back here, but also completely content to have an evening of absolutely nothing else to do but read about the adventures of a guy walking the Appalachian Trail in a land far, far away.

(written on 5 March 2013)

In the morning I did indeed two further pairs of jeans at the GAP. I think I may have enough jeans in my new size now (eight pairs to be precise) so that feels good. The baggy jeans I've been wearing this spring can soon be given to a charity shop now because it's my intention never to wear that size again.

Just before noon I took a train from Victoria Station down to Brighton, on England's south coast. First and foremost, Brighton is a very nice place and I always enjoy visiting - definitely on a summer day such as this one. Ehm, yes, despite the seemingly frozen Life Guard people in the picture and the grey skies above Brighton beach, the weather wasn't too bad, really. The skies may have been fifty shades of grey (as I described it on Facebook) but the temperatures were bearable. A typical English (and Dutch) summer day. In Brighton, I mostly walked through the town centre, down the promenade and on Brighton Pier, with its many arcades. No one does beach life like the British and Brighton is probably the pinnacle of British seaside adventures (although that would be a very tough call.)

I also had some real ales in a pub in the town centre and sat for a while in the park near the Royal Pavillion before heading back to London at the end of the afternoon. I had my dinner in The Jugged Hare pub on Vauxhall Bridge Rd in Pimlico, one of my favourite pubs for meals because it's quite easy to just have a meal on your own and read a newspaper, which is not always easy in other pubs and even less so in more formal restaurants. Plus the pies that are served in The Jugged Hare are absolutely delicious - not unimportant! I returned to my hotel in Earl's Court afterwards and spent some hours reading before going to bed. More beach life tomorrow, but that won't be on the south coast but rather on the Lancashire coast. Blackpool!

(actually written on 18 July 2012, posted on 5 March 2013)

After having slept with the curtain between my bed and the living area in the studio closed for about a month during the nights that Daniel stayed over, I left the curtain open last night, and what's more, I also left the blinds in the living area open. The reasons for that were simple: firstly of course Daniel was no longer in Amsterdam, taking away the need for him to have some privacy, and secondly, I had to get up early anyway this morning. For today is he start of my UK trip!

Last Friday I had decided, pretty much last-minute, not to wait in an empty studio until my flight to Manchester on Friday, but instead to already go to London today and stay here for two days before taking a train up to Blackpool on Friday. It wasn't cheap, with the total of flight plus hotel plus train amounting to close to 200 euros (and add to that the unnecessarily booked Manchester flight) but I feel it was still a good decision; I would have hated to be in an empty apartment after having had company for just about a month. It was too quiet already last night after Daniel had left and I am in no mood to endure that for two full days more if not necessary.

My flight to Gatwick was short but bumpy this morning, but my iPad with a downloaded edition of the Guardian newspaper kept me entertained, so it was fine actually. I had already gotten up at 5:45 Dutch time, so by the time we were taxiing to the runway, my eyes were already getting quite heavy.

In Gatwick things went much smoother and quicker than expected, given the Olympics horror stories that are in the news all the time, so the first thing I did after leaving the arrivals area was not go straight to the train station but rather go to the nearest Costa Coffee to have a coffee and a muffin. I sat down, continued reading my newspaper and hoped to be getting in a holiday mood but somehow that didn't materialise yet. It's always quite difficult for me to get in a holiday mood the first couple of days, and the hectic of the past couple of weeks will probably make it more difficult still to wind down.

Finally I got on a London bound train and at Victoria station I left my bag with left luggage. It was too early to check into my hotel, and I had no desire to carry the suitcase with me while I was doing some urgent shopping. Since my weight loss it's been necessary to buy new clothes in much smaller sizes, which is of course a great feeling, if not a slightly expensive one. Buying new trousers at the GAP was one of the top priority things today, just after "getting my train tickets for Friday at Euston Station", which is what I did first thing upon arrival in London.

From Euston I walked back to Victoria station, having lunch and coffee in between,  and also finding a GAP on Oxford Street where I bought two pairs of jeans. In the Super Dry store on Regent St I bought an irresistible t shirt, and that was all for today. I will need to get more jeans (probably two pair) tomorrow but I didn't want to spend any more money on clothing today. At the end of the afternoon I made my way to Earl's  Court, where my hotel is, and checked in. I only left the hotel briefly in the early evening to get some dinner in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and some wine in a convenience store and then returned to the hotel for a quiet evening in, mostly spent with playing on my iPad... The picture is of course of Buckingham Palace and was taken while I was on my way back to my luggage at Victoria Station and then on to Earl's Court at the end of the afternoon.

(written on 5 March 2013)

Just one picture really matters today; the picture of Daniel back on the train to the airport. It was at around 4 in the afternoon and we'd already spent a day in town. In the morning we'd taken a tram 24 down to Heinekenplein where we went to De Taart Van Mijn Tante, the cake shop we'd gone to with Sarah and Paula as well in what seems like an eternity ago. Not just one piece of cake with coffee but two pieces of cakes with two cups of coffee. Each. Why not spoil ourselves on a day like this?

We walked back into town with Daniel trying to find appropriate gifts to take home with him. He found a very nice present for his step-dad in the Levi's shop on Kalverstraat, namely a nice checkered shirt. We returned to the apartment which already looked uncannily empty with all of Daniel's stuff back in his suitcase and bag, and collected all the luggage for a last walk to the station. The train was waiting to depart so after a very quick hug, the Kid got on board and the doors closed just after I hastily snapped the above picture. And the train rode off and after a month of being "the Kid", Daniel was on his way to a new life in London, where he'll start University in September.

I returned home, walking slowly, and at home just felt completely deflated. I don't have a relationship and I don't have children, and even though there was and is definitely no relationship between him and me, there certainly was some bizarre sort of 'father-son' feeling between me and Daniel (I don't call him the Kid without reason), meaning that there were times that he could have driven me crazy, but also that there were many more times in the past month when I was very fond of him being around, and proud of the things he was doing in Amsterdam. It's very difficult to explain in words, but tonight, sitting alone at my computer table again, I felt as if a huge vacuum had replaced Daniel - and that was a horrible feeling. I packed my bags (feeling very glad that I had moved my holiday forward by two days so that I wouldn't have to be in this apartment on my own for two more days) and went to bed early. Of course because I have to catch an early flight tomorrow. Well, that was my excuse anyway. Go well, Daniel.

(written on 5 March 2013)

Hurray, hurray, it's a holi-holiday! is what Boney-M sung in times gone by. But you wouldn't say that from the Dutch summer weather we've been having. When I look outside, all I see is the tops of an endless stream of umbrellas, sheltering shivering tourists underneath them.

Daniel was still out for part of the day with a Lithuanian t.A.T.u. friend of his, and this girl was actually over at my place late last night for some drinks with Daniel, while I was sitting at my desk pretending not to be there. She was probably one of the most annoying people I've had in my house in the year (and a bit) that I've lived here. Quite young but very self confident and quite dramatic in expressions and with a loud voice. When I'd had enough I made it quite clear that I wanted to go to bed and that's when Daniel suggested going out for more drinks. This was after 1am, mind you. Today Daniel spent a big part of the day again with the girl after she's lost her passport. She made it through customs at the airport though with some emergency documentation.

In the evening - Daniel's last evening in Amsterdam this time - I treated him to a Thai meal in the same restaurant we'd gone to on his first night here. Different table, different food, but still good, and after nearly four pretty intense weeks. An ice cream on Nieuwmarkt afterwards, and that concluded the evening. We were both tired and returned home.

(written on 5 March 2013)

With Daniel out and about with his t.A.T.u. friends, and with me not being at work tomorrow because of my holiday, this Sunday can only be described as wonderfully lazy and aimless. On top of that, the weather had also improved considerably over yesterday so I started off with a short walk through town after my typical Coffee Company breakfast. I lazied about a bit at home afterwards, preparing my bag for the upcoming UK trip and cleaning a bit. In the afternoon I had a stroll through town but even there didn't stray far from the house. The picture above, taken with my iPad after I'd left the Coffee Company again, shows the Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal, Amsterdam's oldest from the mid 14th century.

One thing that did occupy my mind today was an adequate response to an email that I received from the company that runs the owners' association. I have had several email exchanges with this guy and each time when I ask questions or complain about the sorry state of affairs with the house, I receive an answer that just shifts the blame away. It's pretty clear what has happened, and it's quite obvious what a back-stabbing role the upstairs neighbours have played but I have no way of getting to the truth yet. Then again, my patience is big, my back account locked until I decide to send out money, and I'm not even sure I will dignify the latest email with another answer. Holiday first anyway.

(written on 4 March 2013)

There really is only one spectacular story (at least to me) today and it started last night. As I weighed myself just before going to bed, the scales showed 82.8 kgs, a mere 800 grams removed from my target weight of 82.0. Then, as I got up in the middle of the night, I was so curious about my weight (obsession? you don't say!) that I weighed myself again and it had gone down to 82.4 kgs. This was getting so very close to my target weight. This morning, after my shower, I stood on the scales again, expecting my weight to have gotten even closer to the target but not expecting it quite yet. But... there it was. 82.0 is what it said. I had reached my target. I had actually lost 21 kgs over the past five months. I was stunned and elated at the same time, couldn't quite believe that I did it, but happy enough to immediately tell Daniel (who was awake but still lying on his air bed and who reacted with his trademark indifference)... and then go out for my breakfast muffin and coffee (the above pic was taken outside the Coffee Company.) I posted a graph of the decline of my weight on Facebook and immediately the reactions and congratulations started coming in. It felt super!

As for the rest of the day, there was a surprise visit to Amsterdam from my cousin Peggy. I hadn't seen Peggy for at least fifteen years even though we'd been staying in touch (as one does these days) via Facebook and before that via her and mine blog. Yesterday she sent me a message saying that she was planning on being in Amsterdam today for a visit to FOAM, the photography museum, so we agreed to meet up on Dam Square and from there we walked to FOAM together and had a look at the exhibition. We also decided to have some lunch there afterwards and just a very nice time catching up. Peggy has started a photography course in Eindhoven and I think she's struggling just a bit with how difficult the course is and how much home work there is to be dealt with. I'm envious that she's doing it but I can imagine it's not easy. After FOAM we walked towards Huis Marseille, where Peggy was going to see another exhibition that I'd already seen so that's where we said our goodbyes again, promising that it wouldn't take another fifteen years before we saw each other again. I went home, got some towels and a book to read and went to Deco for a relaxed afternoon of enjoying the achievement of reaching the 82 kilograms target.

(written on 4 March 2013)

Friday the 13th is not such a bad day at all this time around! It's the start of my holiday! I was really quite tired as I got home from work tonight so I was actually relieved that Daniel had plans for the evening - and for the rest of the weekend. Around ten people who are all fans of Russian music group t.A.T.u. are coming to Amsterdam this weekend and Daniel is spending most of the weekend with them, starting tonight. He left the house at around 8 in the evening to meet up with the first of them on Dam Square, leaving me alone in my flat - and that suited me just fine. I had declined repeated requests from him to have "starting drinks" at my place, not really fancying ten strangers in my studio (the combined ages of which would still probably not be my age) so it was nice and peaceful tonight.

During my lunch break I had also made a very impromptu decision regarding my upcoming holiday. Originally I had planned to fly to Liverpool on Friday (and from there taking a train to Blackpool straight away) but with Daniel leaving Amsterdam on Tuesday, and with me having no other plans for Wednesday and Thursday, I decided I might as well extend my stay in the UK just a bit. So, this afternoon, while booking flights to go to Glasgow in October, I decided to also book a flight to London on Wednesday morning. I found a hotel that was still relatively affordable in the Earl's Court area and also a train ticket on Virgin trains from London Euston to Blackpool for Friday. Even though it does mean extra expenses, it also means that I will be able to escape Amsterdam and start my trip abroad two days earlier, and that was yet another reason why Friday 13th is definitely not bad luck today! The picture was taken from my apartment as the sun was setting in the evening. The view is towards Dam Square and the Royal Palace in the distance.

(written on 4 March 2013)

With the Kid's boyfriend back in the UK and with me at work during the day, the Kid was a bit bored and a bit disoriented today. It's clear that Daniel has had more than his fair share of Amsterdam museums, and until a long awaited weekend arrives for him tomorrow evening (when a lot of his t.A.T.u. fans arrive in town for a fan club meeting) he is a bit bored. Or a lot bored. So in the evening I treated him to a movie, namely Spiderman 3D. The picture was taken in the Starbucks on Rembrandtplein after the film - and yes, those aren't sunglasses but 3D glasses. Even though it was of course the typical Hollywood spectacular, Spiderman as really quite entertaining. I had a good time for sure.

In other news today: just one work day separates me from my two weeks of holiday and, crappy as the weather still was today, that is definitely a thought that cheers me up!