Went to the barber-shop this evening, it’s allway quite an experience to go there. It’s located in the street where I used to live for more then 10 years, in the Korte Leidsedwarsstraat, in the centre of Amsterdam, near the Leidseplein. In the tourist-season, from april till october, this place is packed with tourists. Living in an area like this gives you another view what kind of tourists are coming to Amsterdam, it’s not the most positive idea I got. In the morning it’s quiet, in the afternoon, evening and night its full of drinking people… sometimes singing, sometimes shouting, sometimes puking, sometimes freaking out and sometimes fighting. As a student, it was one of the best places to live. Very central located, rent was cheap low. Cinemas, cafe’s, concerthalls, restaurants , all on walking distance…
So it was funny to sit this evening at the barbershop, looking out through the window into the street. It has been a while since I’ve been there… different shops have appeared, the shop beneath our house is empty now, the restaurant nextdoor is now a greek restaurant. But still, the tourists walking through the street, coming from the Heineken’s brewery , or Rijksmuseum and walking towards the Leidsestraat and Leidseplein. Nothing has changed in that case. I have… Now happy to live in an ‘normal’ new house where I’m not aware whether my neighbours are at home, what program they are watching on television etc. which was the case in my little canalhouse-appartment. Happy to live in a normal street where I can park my car. Happy to enter and leave my house without 100 persons staring at you (I had two big terrasses in front of my house).
My barber is a really weird barber-shop, I’ll tell you later more about it. One thing, he was wearing today a nose ring… and he gossips too. He had a nice story about my sister in law, who also comes there… LOL

While waiting, I found the following article in the paper:

Man flies with Kiteboard over houses
VLISSINGEN (ANP) – A man (23) from Borsele wanted sunday evening to find out at the beach in Vlissingen whow far he could jump with his Kiteboard, a surfboard with a huge kite. He managed a height of 30 til 40 meters and a distance of approx. hundred meters.
According to the police, the kite lifted the kitesurfer off the beach towards the higher placed Boulevard. He flew along an appartmentcomplex, across houses and landed in the street behind them. The guy was lucky to escape unhurt…

Man vliegt met kiteboard over woningen
VLISSINGEN (ANP) – Een man (23) uit Borsele wilde zondagavond op het strand in Vlissingen uitproberen hoe ver hij met zijn kiteboard, een surfplank met een grote vlieger, kon springen. Hij haalde een hoogte van dertig tot veertig meter en een afstand van ongeveer honderd meter.
Volgens de politie tilde de vlieger de kitesurfer van het strand naar de hoger gelegen Boulevard. Hij vloog langs een flat, over naastgelegen woningen en landde tenslotte op de daarachter gelegen straat. De vlieger kwam in een andere straat terecht. De man kwam met de schrik vrij.

Ha ha ha ha, wondering if Elvan can beat this?