Barbeque, babies, tools
My friends Andy and Laura have been busy sorting out the wee garden of their house in Noord, and yesterday celebrated by having some folks round for a barbecue. Having a garden, even a little one like theirs, is quite a luxury in Amsterdam. I am suitably jealous.
Despite forecast of rain, the weather held with us and it was quite a nice wee party. The only strange thing was that myself and Astrid were the only people there without babies. Whether this was by coincidence or because this is the time of life at which people start to do this kind of thing, I don’t know. All the same, it was quite surreal, especially considering that it doesn’t seem too long since I was regularly staying awake all weekend and engaging in all sorts of drunken antics with the same people. How times change.
The good thing about all this was that since things started early because of child concerns, I was back home and in bed not so long after midnight (getting absolutely soaked by a sudden thunderstorm on the way), and was in turn able to get up early this morning without a hangover. Maybe this new life ain’t so bad after all.
I used the said early start to make a visit with Julien to the monthly vlooienmarkt (fleamarket) at the NDSM-werf, also coincidentally in Noord. It was the first outdoor market of the summer, and absolutely packed. As usual, I spent far too much money and had far too many things to take home: in this instance a large saw table, a small electric drill, and a bench vice. I just can’t seem to have enough tools!
The best part by far of doing things in Noord is that you get to take the ferry across the IJ. To my surprise, the tiny wee ferry from the NDSM-werf to the Tasmanstraat was running today; usually, it only runs through the week. I love this wee boat, which nobody ever seems to use although it is perfect from getting between Noord and the west of Amsterdam. Although the crossing is only about five minutes, you get a fantastic view of the city from a unique perspective, and it’s free as well. Definitely one of Amsterdam’s “best-kept secrets”.
