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