Blending In

Amsterdam

So I finally managed to rendezvous with Andy. Ambling through town last night on our way to the pub, he pointed out a Dutch celebrity having a drink. A man who is apparently a major TV and radio presenter, although to be honest with his flowing fair hair and inconceivably brown tan, to me he was indistinguishable from the rest of the populace. Everyone seems to look like that here - anyone who doesn't is a tourist, and dear God there are plenty of them. After a well earned 12 hour sleep, I went along to the Vondelpark earlier. As I opened the Martin Amis paperback Andy threw in my direction last night, I noticed everybody else there who was reading had some kind of guidebook. Lonely Planet this, Rough Guide to that, sad tourist bastards. I have one too of course, but I took great care to leave it back at Andy's flat, which means I've spent the last half an hour wandering round slightly lost, but at least I look cool.