37. Getting to London. 1970

Night Ferry

 Once the money arrived that my father sent me, I caught the ferry from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Newcastle, England.

Customs House in Newcastle

It was a nice ride and uneventful until I attempted to go through customs in Newcastle!  They would not allow me to enter the country!  It seemed  I did not have enough money to satisfy the customs agent.  It did not matter that my ferry ticket included train passage on to London and I was also carrying a plane voucher for a flight scheduled to leave from London to New York in two days.  I also had enough money for a couple of meals.  He was not impressed!  He said I might not catch my flight and, without a work permit, I would be a drain on society!  He had me scared, and after dancing around and talking to him for about 5 minutes trying to convince him I was going to catch my flight and leave his country and at that same time I was currently employed as a writer writing about my travels.  I showed him my journal of mediocre hand written poems to try and convince him of this fantasy.  I don't know how or why, but it worked and I was soon out of customs.

I hopped on the first train I saw that had London displayed on the side of the rail cars.  Naturally, after a few stops the conductor looks at my ticket and informs me that I am headed in the wrong direction.  The train originated in London and was headed north into Scotland.  He escorted me off at the next stop.  This stop was a little hamlet and the morning rush of commuters had already passed through.  The station master was sitting at a small table on the loading dock with a cup of tea (presumption) with milk smoking a cigarette.  After an hour or so he put me on the correct commuter and told me which stop to get off.


After arriving in London I went directly to the ticket agents office to exchange my plane voucher to a ticket for my next day's charter flight back home.  The woman was kind enough to show me the clause in the fine print that says  I needed to give them 20 to 30 days notice of my intention to take the return flight.  I did not do this.  Someone else was scheduled in my place and already had the ticket.  The agent said that she would try to put me on the next available charter flight scheduled for the following week, and to check with her in five days.  There was no such thing as passengers rights in those days.  I now had to survive a week in London with very limited funds.  It was going to be fun.

Left without me!

36. Amsterdam, Part 2, 1970

Dam Square

The experience at Dam Square was something else.  We hippies were there from all over the world and we were international news.  We were on the cover of "Match", the cover of "Life", and many other magazines.  Many tourists and other people wanted to take photos of us.  It turned into a game of sorts.  Most everyone of us had a little piece of mirror we used to reflect the sunlight into the camera's lens until the photographer coughed up some money for the group of people being photographed.   Once the group gave us the signal, there was no problem for the photographer.



Some people thought we were living an idyllic life there.  We were not.  We  had to put up with what we called "the giggle crowd".  They were the pretenders,  They pretended to be hippies and to be constantly high.  They horsed around and harassed other tourists and the problems they caused gave us a bad name.  Most of the youth hostels were full.  The police were in the process of "cleaning up" the square.  Everyone had to leave the square at night, depending on which policeman were on duty and also the daily activities;  overdoses, bad drugs, and sometimes fights.  One night in the rain I was sleeping under a covered archway just to the left of the square.  There were about 20 of us there trying to keep warm and dry.  I woke up with two men standing over me with knives pointed at each other.   As I somehow crawled down inside my sleeping bag and managed to roll out of the way with my backpack and Linda's autoharp, someone else ran for the police.  It was determined that the two people were victims of bad drugs and were hospitalized for a day and let go.  The next night I slept in a "crash" attic.  A few cents got you floor space in an attic filled wall to wall with squirming bodies on the floor.

Chips

During my walks, I managed to have a new food experience.  I was hungry, with little money, but saw a street vender selling chips (french fries).  I had enough pocket change for one order served in newsprint paper shaped like a cone.  After he served me and I payed, the vendor asked me a question I did not understand.  When he realized I did not understand him he closed his fist with his thumb sticking straight up.  He then flipped his hand over my bag of chips with his thumb pointed down over the chips and shook his hand up and down a few times while looking at me with a questioning face.  I grew up in Mechanicville, New York and considered myself quite astute communicating with hand gestures.  I was smart and knew what he was asking me.  It was "Do you want ketchup on your chips.  So I did what every other American would do; I nodded my head up and down enthusiastically while mouthing the word "yes".  He immediately smiled, reached under his working tray and come out with a squeeze bottle and sprayed a white dressing all over my chips.  After I got over my initial shock and tried it, I found that this yoghurt and dill sauce was actually quite good with chips.

Old folks

On another morning walking in the sunlight, I stopped for breakfast and sat down on some steps in front of a building along the canal.  There was an elderly couple slowly walking by arm in arm.  They stopped, waved to me, and gestured to the sunlight reflecting over the water.  They then smiled at each other, regained their arms and then slowly continued to walk along the canal.  They reminded me of two songs.  One titled "Old Folks" by Jacques Brel and the other "The Dutchman"  by Michael Peter Smith.

Old Folks

Here is a version of "The Dutchman" sung by John Mcdermit.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF2fsEEA8mM&feature=kp 

 And a version of "Old Folks (Les Vieux)" sung by Elly Stone
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXGlo1euwBY  

35. Amsterdam, Part 1, De Kosmos 1970

The first thing to do In Amsterdam was to walk to Dam Square.  In the 60's and the 70's it was practically taken over by the hippie movement.  People were there 24 hours a day sleeping, talking, smoking, eating, greeting, drumming, dancing, chanting, mediating, and  playing music.  There was always something happening.  It was the hub of the city where you found anything you needed or where to get it.

My initial visit at Dam Square was just a quiet midday visit sitting in the sun soaking in the environment (smells, sights and sounds).  It was crowded but not filled with the normal discord associated with a crowd.   It was busy, yet mellow at the same time.  There were many tourists and hippies sitting and mixing with the local business crowd who were out eating lunch and visiting with each other.  The sort of inspiration for Donovan's "Mellow Yellow".

Dam Square

After locating the American Express Office to check for the wired funds from my parents.  I found I had received nothing from home yet, so started my walk around the city.  Amsterdam was quite nice, whether the sun was shining or even during a summer rain.  It was a nice afternoon walking in the sun.  It was like walking in a storybook with people pedaling to and fro, and children playing in the parks under their parents watchful eye.

Kosmos

After a while, I found my way down past the  famous Red Light District to a little known (at that time) club called Kosmos.  It wasn't a typical club.  It started as a club in 1968 named Fantasio.  Groups were booked  in conjunction with the Paradiso club.  They booked groups such as Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane and Mothers of Invention.  Many times the groups would go from doing a set in one club followed with the next set being performed in the other club.  The Paradiso continued on over the years.  In 1969 The Fantasio changed to "De Kosmos, a meditation/new age centre".


I will try to describe it.  You walk up a few steps into the building.  Once inside there is a small counter on your left where you payed a nominal fee to enter and leaving your backpacks behind the counter .  You just leave your backpacks, you don't check them in, they just go into a big pile.  On the right is a person behind a table selling a choice selection of various flavors of rolled joints, both marijuana and hashish along with a selection of individual packets of small amounts of loose "herb".   De Kosmos was licensed to sell "soft" drugs.  Included are also little trinkets and paraphernalia. Further in, you find a few books for sale and loan on various subjects, i.e. Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Astrology, Cannabis and the Legalization of Drugs and Meditation.  You could also find a small variety of books written by people like Allen Ginsburg, a couple different Swamis, Piet Hein, Gibrahn, Baba Ram Dass, Richard Brautigan and others.

Walking in a bit further, you found yourself in a large spacious sunken room with various sitting cushions placed in small nooks along with a few chairs and benches. In one of these nooks was person rumored to be one of the Mothers of Invention reading a storybook to one of his children.  In other nooks you would find some Hare Krishna people trying to chat up some people and then take them alone down into one of the meditation  rooms in the cellar.  They were soon banned from the center.    Off to the side of the room was a set of stairs that led up to two more floors.  The next floor was set up with psychedelic patterns and videos being projected on the walls with music of the 60's and 1970 concurrently being played.  This was the room where you could use the soft drugs you purchased downstairs.  No drug use was allowed on the main floor.  If they had a band, the band performed on the almost soundproof third floor. 

Further in the building, on the main floor, was a large room that has been credited as one of the first Zen Macrobiotic restaurants. Once again, the cost was minimal.  It was what you could afford to put in the jar, a sort of good will pay it foreword restaurant.  It had an amazingly quick staff and a fantastic cook.  Everything was delicious (I was told).   I did not get a chance to try different things.  Judy would not let me.

Courtney

Alicia

My waitress/cook was Judy.  Judy was not verbal.  I don't know whether it was by choice or not.  I do know she was one of the "gifted" people.  I know a couple of the "gifted" people.  One is my daughter Alicia, who talks with animals, as opposed to those that make up conversations and imagine the animals response.  My daughter actually has real conversations with them.  I also know another "gifted" young woman a MicMac named Courtney, who listens to the trees talk.  Well Judy would walk up to you, take a good look at you,  and without asking what you wanted, would turn around back into the kitchen, cook, and then return with what you needed.  No one argued with Judy!  If you wanted something else you were asked to leave by "the management".  What I was served was delicious.  I still don't know what it was, but was well pleased with what I was served.  If I remember correctly I ate there for a couple of days and felt much better.

This was just part of My Amsterdam in 1970.  Hopefully, I will have the other half written next week!

34. Between Interlaken Switzerland and Amsterdam, Netherlands - 1970

 I am not done yet, but here are some short thoughts to ponder while I continue to write of my visit to Amsterdam.  Attached to the end of this post are the notes I found from my visit to this wonderful city.  It will show you why this one is taking longer.

Interlaken

 The next morning, my partner took the mountain train up to Grindalwald.  I had a lazy day and walked to the town center, had a pastry and fresh juice for brunch. 

Cuckoo Clock

 After looking around the town for a while I found myself in a little shop with nothing but watches and clocks.  I bought my mother and father a Swiss made cuckoo clock and made arrangements to have it shipped to our home in Mechanicville, New York.















After completing this transaction I went to the train station and got a ticket on the overnight train to Amsterdam.  I also called back home and asked my father to mail me enough money to pay for my ferry trip between The Netherlands and England.  I cannot remember how much the fare was in 1970.

Waiting for the train

 I caught the train that evening.  After two border crossings and three transfers, I arrived at the Amsterdam train station late the next morning. From there I located the different areas in Amsterdam that were interesting to me and set out to visit the city I had heard so much of during my travels that summer.



Pass the box
Match box
With toes
Laugh
Try paper
Laugh

No I don't have any cigarettes

Strange Turkish shit
Not like in Turkey
But still Turkish

Sleep
Noise
Loud drums
Flute
Breakfast
Bun and Milk
Five, maybe four people
Walk
Rain

Post Office
Funny tourists
Letter
Bring back the change
Rain
Walk

Amerian Express
Change Money
Rain
Rain
Walk
     Walk
          Walk
Walk

Dam Square
Sit
Sit
Sit
Sit
Rain
Walk

Kosmos
The Kosmos
In
Feel
Look
Microbiotic food
Judy cooks, a witch
Good food
Tasty
Too much

Sit
Listen
Watch people
Silly high, maybe faked
Giggle crowd
Don't know what its about
         Others fantastic

One of the Mothers
Four or five year old girl
Really nice

Two Pipes
One Shalom
Three hours
Talk
Sit
Write

Giggle crowd moves
Thank the Gods

Wild Guitar and mouth harp

Let the Sun Shine In
One Man
Guitar and voice

Nice