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Published: April 16th 2007
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My tinsey, tiny Plane
I felt like I was back in Kenya, on this little flyer! So, although I was all pumped up to see Mum and get going in the IAAS congress, I seemed to almost be completely unaware that I was going to be seeing another country.. Catching me even more unaware, it only took me 4 hours from locking my front door, to wheeling my suitcase into our hotel - Botel!!
Mum flew into Amsterdam from Melbourne, via Singapore and Heathrow., before spending a few hours orgainising transport to our hotel, sim cards, maps etc. and meeting me at my arrival by a tiny little plane from London City Airport - a treat for me to fly so close from home, with check in que to the other side of security taking only 12 mins!!
Our shuttle bus took us all around Amsterdam before dropping us off last. The canals here are amazing, with house boats floating down the sides and bikes everywhere.. We saw the most amazing scenes with pregnant people, old people, women walking straight out of designer stores and just swinging their new purchases over their handlebars, musicians with instruments and kids in boxes, all on their old school push bikes!
Our hotel, called Botel (aka Boat
Hotel!) is an old 4 story boat on the canal and we are on the top floor. Our room is tiny (by Mum’s standards, extremely spacious by mine) and the bathroom is in even smaller. It is very quaint and the opposite side of town to the conference centre, but right in the centre of the action.
On the first evening we “glamed” up and met Caroline, the Event Manager representing the Australian Collage of Surgeons, on the way to dinner and had a drink near another sweet little canal before dinner with the General Assembly (the top guys at the congress) at The Groote Club in The Dam and a menu only in Dutch! The only thing I could understand was the chocolate moose, and as Mum started to droop her head after 48 hours since she last slept, there was no way I was leaving until I got to it!!
The following morning, Caroline and I spent the day setting up the Australian trade at the Congress, before heading out on foot and exploring the city before heading back in time for registration and the welcome cocktails. The Aussie stand was very popular, partly due to
the clip on Koala’s donated by Brisbane Tourism, and partly the Steve Irwin inspired safari shirts and road kill caps!
After cocktails, one of the Australian nurses who has 56 cousins in Holland, took us out to dinner in the middle of the red light district where we saw many girls in windows, “marketing” themselves.
It was a mix of feelings - fascination by just how large the area was, the openess of it all in street after street of tiney little street facing rooms with glass doors and girls posing behind them in very little, but also so sad by the number of us just gawking past like they were animals in a zoo, some of them slightly obscure, but on the whole, very, very attractive and young girls. We were very carefull with our camera's, and were very selective with our photo's, to make sure we weren't chased down by any of the surrounding pimps, but no matter where we looked, there were lights and curtains hung everywhere.
We popped our heads into a Smart Shop where we found the infamous Magic Mushrooms and without any discretion, we were very easily able to establish a
Which bike was ours again?
Aparently they really can tell them apart, but we can't! Coffee Shop and a Café! Can I suggest, you wouldn’t be ordering Coffee from the first!!
Monday was day one of the congress, again very successful, drumming up lots of support for the 2009 Congress in Brisbane! Much to my delight, with the beautiful sun on Easter weekend, I still held the title of the darkest tan, despite in fact living in London, and was able to slip right back into “home” mode with a full accent! After a day of eating only pastries, sandwichs and general stooge with milk - dutch style with snacks served of Belgium tea cakes, we were invited to drinks with the Jon Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam. I left earlier in the afternoon to take home Mum’s gear once trade was packed up for the day, while Mum stayed for a later session and networking.
1 hour later, I was stuck at a tram stop and Mum was done, dusted and sitting in a bar! 2 and a half hours later I made it to our hotel, dropped off Mum's stuff, re-dressed and was back into meet the Mayor, picking Mum up from the bar on my way through.. And.. We missed him,
but not our drinks!! So Jaquie, a little French man who lives in Germany, took us to a Dutch Tapas (I found it very strange too!) for fried cheese! It felt like a week since I had my last fresh veggie and I was craving something fresh from the ground! So Mum and I explored some little alley ways with another Austrlian nurse and her daughter visiting from Bath, on the search for a stir fry, before hitting our pillows very hard after a long day!!
As for tonight, after another long morning, we have the big Congress Gala and for the rest of the week we have booked a trip to Belgium, a tour of the Tulip Farm and an afternoon with one of the Presidents of Congress and his wife on tour of the city and canals. So much to do, with so little time! But it’s great to be with Mum again!!
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These photos look interesting.. im a little worried though as ppl who take photos int he red light district are at huge risk! thank god you made it out alive.