The Surprising Amsterdam Weekend

Friday 30th September was a long day. It started at home when my 6.30 am taxi didn't show up. It ended after my first trip through the Channel Tunnel on Eurostar, when I slunk into O'Reilly's Irish pub on Amsterdam's Paleisstraat (the last to arrive just as the rest of the party were finishing their meal).

The morning sunlight no longer shines down through smoke and steam to light up gorgeous redheads as it did for Penny at Charing Cross way back in 1946. 21st century St Pancras has developed 'people processing' into an art form. Whisked through a succession of bar code readers, x-ray machines and optical scanners, the hapless passenger is cocooned below stairs until train time in a so called departure lounge. 21st century refreshment is available, but only from a facility proudly displaying the information 'Barrista made coffee'. This turned out to be not an out-of-work legal functionary, but an attendant whose extravagent job description was only matched by the extravagent price charged for her wares.

Friday's grumpiness was forgotten the following morning when we met up again in bright sunshine. The party split up into three groups. Two elected for a cycle tour accompanied by a guide; the third chose a visit to the Diamant Museum. Cycling in Amsterdam is an education, particularly for those of us who had not been on a bike for many years.Fortunately our guide, who spoke excellent English and had a good sense of humour, was also very adept as a mother hen keeping her brood together.

After an al-fresco lunch (and you are spoilt for choice in Amsterdam) we embarked upon another tour, this time on foot. The Dutch pride themselves upon the free-and-easy regime of their principal city, so this naturally included 'many other places of entertainment' as Saville rather coyly put it in Diamonds in the Sky. Speaking through Carla, he added 'not all of them are very nice or respectable'. As Amsterdam is so free-and-easy though I found myself wondering, disgracefully, if the operatives actually made as much money as their Barrista sisters do at St Pancras!

In the evening the complete party met up at Oriental City, a Chinese/Indonesian restaurant whose speciality is the famous Indonesian rijsttafel or rice table. A memorable evening, but many of the party found that 27 dishes were just too many to choose from.

Sunday started with a tram ride to the Concertgebouw, where we first enjoyed a fascinating tour behind the scenes, before taking our seats for a well-attended morning concert. Works by Schubert and Brahms, superbly played by the Radio Kamer Filharmonie though, didn't completely eliminate occasional thoughts as to which seat behind the orchestra Juliet might have sat in as she watched Charles' father conducting.

After another sidwalk-lunch and a little free time, we met up again for our canal cruise, which provided great opportunities for admiring Amsterdam's architecture without the ever present risk of being mown down by cyclists.

Although most gathered at O'Reilly's in the evening once again, we decided to dine independently and acting on the good advice of an earlier helpful tour guide, moved westwards from Dam Square to an area near the Westerkirk where the locals prefer to eat. One group chose Spanish hospitality, we chose Italian.

Monday required an early meet-up at Amsterdam Central Station for a lengthy train journey to Giethoorn, sometimes called the Venice of the north. After three days of noise, traffic and crowds, the immediate impact of the village was one of tranquility. Silence was even maintained on our boat trip, as the environmentally-friendly craft was electrically powered. Geithoorn could be described as up-market second home territory. The Saville connection is that two baddies in Diamonds in the Sky lived there and I found myself wondering (not for the first time) how some of Saville's villans could afford such apparent luxury.

Our last evening was spent in a cafe on Rembrandt Square, almost opposite The Crown Hotel that also featured in the book as the place where Charles and his dad stayed. Then, after a last tram ride back to our own hotel, it was an early start for England and home the following day.

No words can adequately express the appreciation due to Mike McGarry and our Dutch members Peter and Marja van Zoonen. They took on the task of master-minding this major event (the Society's first overseas venture) they saw it through to its successful conclusion, and everyone had a great time. Thank you Marja and Peter, thank you Mike.

Frank Shepperd