Amsterdam is dam great! Get it? Ha ha! That's the truth though. I'm having an awesome time. Today, Kristy and I rented a pedal boat and cruised the canals of Amsterdam. The view was fab. So was the exercise! Anna's having fun, too. Don't worry about her. She seems to have hit it off pretty well with Tiffany Kilbourne. They went sightseeing today with a bunch of the BSC. She's probably already written you a postcard about it!
Love you,
Abby
I know my mom worries about Anna and me. She worries about me because of my asthma and allergies. She worries about Anna because Anna's consumed by her music. But, Anna and I worry about Mom, too. For a lot of reasons. One is that she works way too much. I wondered as I wrote the postcard if Mom would even get it. I worried she might not bother going home at all without Anna and me there. Maybe she'd just sleep in her office.
I don't like to worry. I prefer to joke and have a good time. That's exactly what Kristy and I had on our first day in Amsterdam. On the airplane, we read about these pedal boats you can rent at different moorings (docks where the boats are tethered) on the canals. There are four moorings in Amsterdam. The pedal boats can be returned to any of them. Kristy and I planned to rent one from the mooring at the Keizersgracht canal, but hadn't decided on our end destination.
There are also enclosed Canal Buses that transport tourists around Amsterdam. The Canal Buses stop at fourteen moorings and the tickets are valid for twenty-four hours. Most tourists prefer the Canal Bus since they don't have to exert any energy. The pedal boats looked like a lot of work, but Kristy and I are pretty athletic. We thrive on physical activity.
After splitting up with the other BSC members, Kristy and I went for a quick snack. We went into a coffeeshop called Homegrown Fantasy, but this crazy-eyed Rastafarian chased us out. (I was proud of myself for recognizing him as a Rastafarian. Anna digs Bob Marley). The guy said no one under eighteen is allowed in the coffeeshop. Kristy and I decided we didn't want to eat there anyway. The place smelled like really weird cigarette smoke. Smoking's gross and bad for my asthma.
We walked down the street to a little cafe. Kristy and I ordered apple juice and cheese danish. Kristy said the cheese danish looked like dried vomit filled with toe jam. It tasted good though. Outside the cafe, Kristy and I hopped a tram to the city centre, where the Keizersgracht mooring is. The mooring was pretty crowded, but everyone seemed to be waiting for the next Canal Bus. Kristy and I pushed our way to the pedal boat rentals.
"My friend and I would like to rent one, please," I told the man standing on the platform.
He smirked at me. "I don't think you girls are strong enough to maneuver the canals."
"We're athletes," Kristy assured him. "We can manage just fine." Kristy's not used to taking "no" for an answer.
"Move along, girls," the man said with a dismissive wave.
Kristy and I exchanged an angry Look. We both saw red.
"Now, look here -"
"Why don't the girls ride with us?" came a voice from behind.
Kristy and I turned around in surprise. We faced two college-aged boys. Neither was much taller than me. One had curly black hair and the other had straw-colored hair pulled into a small ponytail. I figured they must be Americans since the curly hair guy had on a Florida State t-shirt.
"It'll be easier with four of us pedaling," said the curly hair guy. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Justin Garland and this here's my buddy, Tyson Hillie."
Kristy and I introduced ourselves and agreed to share their pedal boat. We split the rental fee four ways. Justin and Tyson let Kristy and me sit in the front. The (rude) rental guy gave us a light push, then we pedaled frantically. Quickly, we found it was a lot of work. The rental guy was right - there's no way Kristy and I could have done it on our own. Unless, of course, we wanted to get stuck floating aimlessly in the middle of the Keizersgracht or something. Although, it'd probably be exciting to get rescued by the canal cops (or the dam police - ha!)
Justin and Tyson turned out to be really cool. They were sophomores at Florida State and on vacation with a bunch of their fraternity brothers. The others guys were spending all their time in the red-light district, but Justin and Tyson wanted to experience a little culture. I told you, a couple of cool guys.
Kristy thought so, too. But, we didn't like like them. First of all, they were way too old for us (and there are laws against that sort of thing). Second of all, Kristy and I aren't all boy-crazy like some people. We're firm believers in being friends with boys, a concept that should be introduced to Stacey. (No way was I telling her about Justin and Tyson).
"So, your chaperone just lets you wander around Amsterdam?" Justin asked when we stopped near a bridge for a few pictures.
"Sure," I replied. "Amsterdam's a very safe city."
"Even the safest cities have their weirdos," said Tyson.
"Yeah, I have a fourteen year old sister. I wouldn't want her alone on the streets of a strange city," Justin added.
"Jumping into boats with even stranger boys?" I joked.
Justin and Tyson laughed.
"We're very responsible," Kristy promised. She told them about the Baby-Sitters Club.
"Wow, that's impressive," said Justin. "Penny loves to babysit. I'll pass the idea on to her." But he still didn't look convinced of our safety.
"We already have a California branch and used to have a New York branch," Kristy told them, a bit smug. "A Florida branch would be good for business."
I fake sneezed a couple times (allergies are handy) to cover up a snicker. Kristy takes the BSC far too seriously. Does she anticipate many of our clients going to Florida anytime soon? I snickered, but recovered with another fake sneeze.
"Abby has terrible allergies," Kristy explained.
We pedaled through the canals for a little over two hours. The time really went fast since the four of us were having such an awesome time. Justin and Tyson loved my impressions, especially the one I did of Arnold Schwarzeneggar. (A passing pedal boat of German tourists did not agree. I don't know what Weibstueck means, but the tone in which it was yelled was not pleasant). Unfortunately, my various skits and anecdotes could not be successfully acted out within the confines of the pedal boat.
We decided to dock at the mooring along the Leidseplein. It was almost two 'o' clock and Kristy and I were starving. Plus, Justin and Tyson had to meet their friends.
"It's a good thing we saved you," Tyson said, as we climbed out of the pedal boat.
"Saved us? You did not!" Kristy argued.
Tyson grinned. "No way could you and Abby have pedaled that thing. Not without us,"
Kristy narrowed her eyes. "Is that a challenge?" she demanded.
"Yeah! I guess it is,"
"Yeah! We challenge you and Abby to a pedal boat race," Justin interjected."Except, we bet you could fill your boat with friends and we'd still beat you," Tyson added.
Kristy and I exchanged a thoughtful Look. A pedal boat seats five. I knew we couldn't win two on two (though Kristy probably thought differently). Five on two was a completely different story.
"It's a deal!" we cried in unison.
"We'll meet on Friday at three 'o' clock," Tyson said.
"Losers buy winners a traditional Dutch lunch at The Pancake Bakery," Kristy added.
"Good. I love The Pancake Bakery. Almost as much as I love a free meal," Justin replied.
I shook hands with Tyson and Kristy shook hands with Justin. It was very official. Then, we parted ways. Kristy and I strategized while exploring the Leidseplein. We agreed that neither Mary Anne or Anna would be advantageous in any kind of race.
"Definitely not Stacey or Claudia either," Kristy said. "They'd just worry about their hair and flirt with Justin and Tyson."
I didn't add that everyone on shore would also stare, point, and snap pictures while we passed since Claudia would surely wear something bizarre. Probably one of those Venetian gondolier outfits with a hot pink sash and a papier mache hat. However, I've never discussed my opinion of Claudia's ridiculous outfits with Kristy. She and Claudia have been friends all their lives. I usually speak my mind, but in this instance, I didn't want to offend.
"Shannon and Greer might be interested," I told Kristy.
"Yeah, I know Shannon'll do it. Dawn's pretty athletic, too,"
"But Dawn and Greer can't be in the boat together,"
"At this point, I don't think I want to be in the boat with Dawn," Kristy replied.
We decided to ask Shannon and Greer to join us. We couldn't choose between asking Mallory or Jessi though. Jessi has those strong dancer legs, but Mallory's a sturdier girl. We'd work it out later.
Kristy and I stopped at a square full of street performers. I took a couple snapshots of a woman juggling knives. Then, I took a picture of Kristy shaking hands with a clown. Kristy snapped one of me and a mime pretending to be trapped in a box. By the time Kristy and I left the square, we were doubled over with laughter.
"Hey, isn't that Dawn?" I pointed to a group protesters at the end of the street.
Kristy groaned. "This is how she chooses to spend her vacation?" Kristy shook her head, then her expression turned to one of concern. "What if Dawn gets arrested? If our clients found out an honorary member of the Baby-Sitters Club had been arrested, well, we might lose business. No one in the club has ever been in jail - a fact that as president I'm very proud of. Sure, Stacey's been interrogated for counterfeiting and accused of thievery, but she was never formally charged. This could be catastrophic!"
I had to do another fake sneeze. I told you, Kristy takes the BSC seriously. Kristy and I ducked into a Burger King without Dawn spotting us. We ordered a couple flame-broiled cow carcasses that tasted much better than the tofu and sprout taco Dawn probably had for lunch.
"Want to go to that wax museum? Madame Tussaud's?" I asked Kristy after we'd thrown away our trash.
"Sure! Sounds fun. Let's go back to Verbruggenhuis to see if anyone else wants to come,"
"We already know Dawn won't be coming,"
Kristy nodded solemnly. "Wax might not be biodegradable,"
We laughed hysterically as we ran after a passing tram.
Amsterdam! Amsterdam! It's a dam fine town!