Robb Comes To Amsterdam Pt.5 – The Amsterdam Pride Parade (and more!)

In New York City, the big Pride parade occurs on the Sunday of Pride Weekend, traditionally the last Sunday in June.  In Amsterdam, however, the parade occurs on Saturday. Rather than march down the street, the floats sail down the Prinsengracht canal.  In New York, traffic is a nightmare and trying to get from one side of town to the…

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Robb Comes To Amsterdam Pt.2

Amsterdam weather is notoriously iffy.  Clouds can appear and rain can come pouring down at a moment’s notice.  I was obsessively checking the weather before Robb’s arrival, and it all looked favorable, except for Tuesday, his second day.  Most of the agenda I planned centered on outdoor activities, because Robb doesn’t like generally like museums. In this pouring rain, though,…

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Arnold Plotnick and College Buddies

Amsterdam Musings – August 2019

It’s Tuesday in Amsterdam. In two more days, four of my college buddies fly across the Atlantic to join me for five days of eating, drinking, exploring, laughing, and reminiscing about the good old days, i.e., our days together at SUNY Binghamton, back when life seemed like one continuous party. Forty-one years have passed and we’re still good friends, and…

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How I Spent My Winter 2019 Pt. 12 – Winter Days in Amsterdam: The Trip Comes to an End

Ah, home sweet second home.  I arrived in Amsterdam, to spend the last few days of this long winter trip. The weather forecast for the second Amsterdam leg of the trip did not look promising.  As is typical in Amsterdam, it was rain, rain, and more rain.  I would have liked sunny weather, but I didn’t really care.  In my…

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Art in Amsterdam

How I Spent My Winter 2019 Pt.2 – Amsterdam (later that week…)

Udi, my Amsterdam buddy for over 20 years, was exceptionally busy, trying to wrap up all of his work assignments and projects before leaving for vacation – a 30-day excursion to Vietnam, Bali, and Malaysia.   But he put aside enough time for us to see a hilarious play at the Stadshuistheater (Husbands and Wives, based on the Woody Allen movie…

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Art in Amsterdam

How I Spent My Winter 2019 Pt.1 – Amsterdam

Life in retirement just gets crazier and crazier. Last October, I participated in a veterinary project in India, called Mission Rabies.  I worked with a team of veterinarians and technicians in Goa, to vaccinate thousands of dogs against rabies.  Mission Rabies initially started as a project by the Worldwide Veterinary Service, and the two organizations remain closely affiliated.  While on…

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Amsterdam and Paris 2015 – Day 10 – Last day in Paris. Exploring Montmartre and the Museum Fragonard at the Veterinary School.

Day 10 –  Last day in Paris.  Exploring Montmartre and the Museum Fragonard at the Veterinary School. (Continued from Day 9) For the last day, I figured we should take the obligatory trek to Montmartre.   It’s a trendy neighborhood, and it has so much history.  So many struggling artists, poets dreamers and drinkers came here for the cheap rent…

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Amsterdam and Paris 2015 – Day 9 – Promenade Plantee, Cat Cafe, and Pompidou Center

Day 9 – Promenade Plantee, Cat Cafe, and Pompidou Center (Continued from Day 8) Our next-to-last day started at a hip breakfast place called Lockwood.  They open early for breakfast, and stay open late for dinner and drinks and music.   I started the day with pancakes, which immediately put me into a sugar coma. Next we were off to…

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Amsterdam and Paris 2015 – Day 8, Part 1 – The Cimitière des Chiens (or, I DO Wanna Be Buried in a Pet Sematary)

Day 8, Part 1 – The Cimitière des Chiens (or, I DO Wanna Be Buried in a Pet Sematary) (Continued from Day 7.  Day 1 starts here.) Our eighth day in Paris started with a long train ride to the Northwest of Paris, to a suburb called Asnière-sur-Seine, for what turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Paris…

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