Amsterdam, Netherlands

Actually no, this is not 'charlie' (which is the code word used by drugs dealers in tourist areas of Amsterdam to sell cocaine) but very innocent powder for hot white chocolate. I swear. Bought it in Glasgow last weekend and tonight I had a mug of the delicious stuff. It's just a nice night cap on cold winter evenings like this... when I'm sitting at my desk, behind my computer... finally getting my blog up-to-date again...

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Judging by the number of times I mention the Spijker bar on this blog or on Facebook, some people get the impression that I am either sponsored by Spijker or that I actually live there. Neither is the case (unfortunately in the first case, fortunately in the second). I think that, on average, I visit Spijker two or three times a week. Well, you know, it's not like there is a ton of stuff happening in my living room, so to be frank, I can actually do with some distraction every now and then.

Tuesdays are typically not days that I go to Spijker - but today I gladly made an exception. I hadn't seen Bart for a while and, because I was having fun in Glasgow, I had also missed our regular Sunday evening meet-up at the pinball machine. So when Bart hinted today (on Facebook) that we could play pinball tonight, I was not in the least reluctant to jump on my bike and go into town. We played pinball and chatted for a couple of hours, had some drinks and then each headed home again - a very pleasant way to spend a Tuesday evening.

The picture was taken on the way home. No, I wasn't drunk (it takes considerably more than what I had tonight), but taking a picture on a moving bike at night is not very easy. Atmospheric, yes. Easy, no.

Glasgow, Scotland

Today is Remembrance Sunday, where the UK commemorates those fallen in World Wars I and II and in conflicts in recent years. The central symbol is the poppy. Poppies are used to wear on clothing, and the wreaths at war memorials throughout the country are also typically made of them. At eleven in the morning, when the country observes two minutes of silence, I was sitting at Andy and Colin's breakfast table - just thinking about the senseless waste of life that is still going on today in places like Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Mankind will of course never learn - so these remembrance days will remain necessary as ever before.

In the afternoon we went to see a great film: Morris: A Life With Bells On. It's a film about the quintessential English dance called Morris, presented as a documentary but actually fake. I'd say 'mockumentary' but that would imply that the makers of this film were trying to mock Morris dancing, and I don't think that's the case. In fact, I'd bet that they are actually very fond of this typical southern English dance. Here's a YouTube clip with some scenes from the film and some shots of the actors at a West End premiere.

In the evening, as a birthday gift, I was treated to a delicious curry in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, together with Lynne, who also recently had her birthday. I love curries, and Glasgow claims to have the best curries outside India, so also in a culinary way this is a superb city. Some drinks in the Blackfriars pub concluded this excellent day.