Yesterday checked email and news at Cafe Dantzig near the Stopera. While leaving I was busy untangling the iPod headphone cord - amazing how quickly such wires wrap themselves up.
And then, Bang!!
I walk straight into the glass door. Never saw it. Smacked my forehead and right knee against it. It never flinched. My forehead has a red spot but I can report that the door is fine.
I thought to take the metro back to my sister’s. From Nieuwmarkt to Amstel station and then walk from there; must go quicker than tram 4 or walking all the way. I go into the metro station, have my strippenkaart stamped by the machine and nod in an altogether friendly manner to the public transport guy standing there. Down the escalator to the train tracks. Many people hanging around. On the side where the metro to Amstel station is supposed to stop the display overhead reads “Andere kant instappen” (board the train at the other side). But that side goes to Centraal station and I don’t want to go there. A train to Centraal indeed stops by, opens its doors, some passengers go out and in, but most passengers seem to wait for a different train, and it departs. The display on the side to Amstel still says the same. I wait for a while but not much seem to be happening. Apparently no trains to Amstel this afternoon. I decide to go back up the escalator. Another passenger has the same idea and goes up just ahead of me. He finds that transport guy and asks but I see the man shake his shoulders: he doesn’t know about trains to Amstel.
Alright, the tram then it is. I walk along the Stopera, via the Blauwe Brug (Blue Bridge) across the Amstel river and then along the gracht to the Utrechtsestraat through which tram line 4 goes. No tram insight as I turn into the Utrechtsestraat. A bit later I hear the ominous sounds of a tram approaching from behind. About forty meters ahead is the bridge over the Prinsengracht where the next stop is. The tram passes me, I start running. But, nobody’s waiting for the tram on the bridge and nobody in the tram wants to get out here so while sprinting I see the tram continuing on past the stop.
I slowdown to a stroll, fish my cell phone out of my bag. After such fierce resistance by the Amsterdam public transport to bring me back to Yvonne’s place I decide to call her, see if she wants to come this way instead. After all Cafe Kale’s terras is just around the corner!
