Connecting Friends in Rotterdam...

That evening we took Steve to Rotterdam for a whirlwind tour of some of our favorite places to grab a drink. We started at World of Drinks at Markthal, then took a water taxi to Fenix Food Factory. It was insanely busy, so we went upmarket at the New York Hotel bar instead. Then we caught another water taxi back across the river to go to The Doctor, a speakeasy cocktail bar where we were met by John. No photos are allowed, but for €1.50 you can buy a small Polaroid photo. It wasn’t actually Steve’s birthday, rather he borrowed the hat from a birthday girl next to him.

After a few cocktails and much merriment, we headed to Bazar, a funky Middle Eastern restaurant, for a late dinner. It was great fun seeing two of Jimmy’s close buddies getting to know each other.

Windy Wassenaar Beach...

The skies were clear enough to see Scheveningen, but it was crazy windy.

The windblown sand looked pretty cool.

There was no way that we wanted to walk back into the flying sand, so we crossed into the dunes and walked back on a dirt path instead.

Beach with Steve...

We were thrilled when we found out that Steve would be coming to stay with us for three nights after a conference in Amsterdam in late October. We happened to have access to a car, so we took him to Wassenaar Beach. Kati was happy to lead us through the woods to the final stretch along the bike path to the beach.  

We had a nice walk along the windy beach.

Despite the cold water, Steve couldn’t resist walking in the North Sea for the first time.

One Man’s Junk is Another’s Treasure...

On our way to Hannekes Boom, a cool bar, Jimmy rescued this painting, apparently in the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, from the trash heap. He had no desire to keep it, rather he tried to give it away three times. First, to a tattoo artist who was closing his shop for the evening.

Then to a bartender at Hannekes Boom, who pointed out that all the bar’s walls were made of glass.

The bartender was very sweet and gave Jimmy, whom he assumed was the artist, two free beers for his efforts.

On his third attempt, Jimmy was finally successful when a Dutch university student not only took the painting...

...but sent Jimmy a picture the next day of it in her dorm room.

A Colorful Amsterdam Night...

It was a beautiful night, so after the hash Jimmy and I decided to walk to Amsterdam Centraal to catch a train home. Along the way, we saw some colorful sights, such as this rubber duck store...

...and this beautiful bridge.

I’m not great at nighttime photography, but Jimmy helped me catch these cool shots.

In case you’re curious, they’re crooked on purpose.  

On Trail in Red Dresses...

Our bunch of lovely ladies at the start of the trail posing for Melissa and her selfie stick.

The weather was great for a long run through Vondel Park with plenty of tourists and locals to witness our zaniness. Here is Senorita Opee skittering across one of the big lawns...

 ...and then climbing across the adventure playground.

We couldn’t resist posing with a red dress displayed in a store window.

 The whole group gathered for a beer break at Musemplein.

Perhaps hard to tell, but we’re posing with the IAmsterdam sign.

Red Dress Hash...

After a late lunch we headed over to Lisa’s house for the start of Amsterdam’s Red Dress Hash. Sweet little Norah was wearing an old hash shirt that Pieter lovely converted into a dress. 

Jimmy, wearing his old senorita dress, was especially intrigued by Richard’s wild hair.

Lisa and I goofing around with Lee and Steve.

What a nice surprise when Lisa presented little Norah with her own AH3 romper.