Remembrance and Liberation

My reading spot by a canal bridge
"Seven Bridges" the only identical, aligned 7 bridges in A-dam
Our captain steered with skill on a big wheel
I dare say all views from the canal are breath-taking

Everyday in the cafe has been incredible. Nearly everyone who's come in is in the coffee industry, or are major coffee fans. There have been so many Americans, largely from the northwest. Some of the people drove 1-2 hours just to get to us! What's really incredible is that almost every group is ordering multiple flights of drinks. They come and each drink an espresso, then a cappucino, then a small (kleinchen) latte. There have been a number of bloggers, and home coffee geeks. Every barista is conspicuous with their observation and happy to engage in conversation, asking about our 45ml 20g style. Today "Venue" magazine (which covers cafes and bars around amsterdam) and dutch Glamour came in. They both took tons of photos... I really hope to be in Glamour, or at least have them send me some of the shots they took of me.

After closing the cafe early, we had an evening with the folks who work in the design agency who host our cafe.

All together we observed the 2 minutes of silence for Rememberance Day, in honor of the fallen veterans of WWII and other wars. It was an awesome thing to be in a large group of people and stand, heads bowed, in complete silence for a moment. The city was silent, with only a few bikes passing by. It was said, and evident, that cars pulled over during this time.

We then walked 2 short blocks to our canal tour! We had a beautiful 1890 wooden boat, completed refurbished inside. For 2 luxurious hours we motored through the canals. It's said that the best views are from the canals and though we didnt see too many private backyard gardens or lurid scenes, it was spectacular. I couldn't help but be glued to the glass windows - the architecture here is so stunning. Each quarter seems to hold buildings from slightly different eras with unique aesthetics and embellishments. No photos can do justice, especially as the setting sun reflected off buildings. We ended reluctantly and group-stumbled down thr street to a local watering hole, Eddy's, to continue bonding in one of the few bars where smoking indoors is still allowed. There were still orange flags strung around the bar from Queen's Day.

Today I got to the cafe, expecting the cleaning lady to have disarmed the security system. I had forgotten it was Liberation Day, when most of the city shuts down. Within 30 seconds of unlocking the door, the alarm went off. I ran toward the rear of the cafe, where the SidLee offices were, calling for the woman in charge, and promptly set off a second, louder alarm. I went outside and waited for my second barista, Zach and our manager David. After Zach arrived, the police did. I am so glad that the security system's officer and 1 police lady spoke fluent english. Nevertheless, my name and info are now in the NL Politie's files.

Today, our third day open, was even busier than the days before. Because people didn't have to work today, plenty of people came for coffee. A few of them are already becoming regulars, bringing their friends as well. I can't explain how much fun it is to meet someone and share the excitement of explaining the unique properties of a chemex or dutch historical preferences for coffee, import taxes... So many nerds! These are my people! And the espresso continues to taste excellent. I pulled coffee from 4/29, with most best shots at 24-25 seconds at a higher volume in our demi's (45-50ml). People love sweet balanced shots. Supposedly, the dutch are not fans of acidity, or as they or any uneducated palate might say, sourness. The people are turning quickly. It's so fun to have people begging us to stay, asking for more cuppings, requesting single origin espressos. It's awesome that my primary purpose in the city aligns with my passion, and it is so rewarding to be serving coffee to people who appreciate it so much.

I can admit, it never gets old pouring latte art for people who freak out. It seems most Dutch have never seen decent latte art, let alone perfect rosettas or tulips or multiple hearts.

Geek love in broken english, focused on the same love - coffee.

I'm excited for another day on bar. It will only get busier and busier. I wish we could have the luxury of long conversation with everybody as we do now, but the reality is that this will be a brutal bar soon. And I'm stoked.

After work, I biked home to eat and bathe, then went back to the market for veggies and leggings, new skivvies and sneakers. Basics. I biked home and then to my reading spot below a bridge along a canal. I came home to write here, and ended up playing with Pearl, a one year old precious little girl who is quickly learning how to operate a laptop and can easily manipulate my iphone. Crazy smart, this little one. We watched youtube videos of Yo Gabba Gabba, who hosts artists like Chromeo and the Shins.

I should stop rambling now and get to bed.

Every day is another joy, and I keep reminding myself to snap into the now.

I did get a little exposure to gluten last night (shaking hands with pizza eaters) and consequently have had a little headache and depression today. But biking through the beautiful streets of this city, it's hard to stay trapped in my own head.

Don Juan said something about not ever getting angry with people or their actions, because that would mean that they were important, which they are not. My mood swings are far from permanent, and this life is too awesome to do anything but be in it all the way!

It is hard to sleep every night, I'm so excited to keep exploring!

But tomorrow is my friday, and then I have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.

Goodnight