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Trip Start Sep 07, 2006
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Trip End Dec 19, 2006


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Thursday, September 14, 2006

(420 Café, Amsterdam, September 29, 2006)-Two days off in Rotterdam is just what I need to help make my transition to the life of peace and quiet I tend to pursue when I'm in Amsterdam. It's great to be back in this familiar place and comfortably ensconced at Mark Ritsema's venerable apartment in the Noord. I picked up a couple grams of White Widow at the 420 and everything is smooth for the night.

The next morning I hurry up and finish a book on Hard Bop that I want to leave with Mark, go out for a nice walk along the Swaartz Janstraat, have lunch at the Bambu Café and a joint across the street at the Bambu Coffeehouse ("High Tea") on the Bergweg, catch the No. 4 tram over to the Nieuwe Binneweg and stroll down the boulevard past the Laughing Pope and the Wester Pavileon looking for a wireless point top no avail. Then I have to get back to Mark's to meet J.-P., who's giving me a ride to Mark's gig for Unsound with the Q Club at the Waterfront club tonight. Mark shines as the hired guitarist and back-up singer and a good time is had by all.

I manage to check my mail and find a beautiful letter from Andrew Jones inviting me to spend my first month in Amsterdam with him & Rita at their lovely pad on the Koenigstraat, just off the Nieuwmarkt. So I get up on Friday morning, take a long refreshing bath in Mark's big tub, and catch the No. 8 to Rotterdam central to catch the train back to Amsterdam and a life of relative ease.
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