Continental #8 - Prelude and NL, part I - Amsterdam

Sprinkly colourful stuff on soft ice cream is all you need sometimes

It's the beginning of the Christmas season here, I'm gradually recovering from a surprisingly bad cold, and it's been a little over a month since the travels here happened. Since most people don't read this anyway - I don't think - I'll be a bit more forthright than I usually am here. I think this trip was the beginning of an end for me; I found that I derived less joy from the things that had once been my main source of delight, and overall the experience somehow paled in comparison to the ones I'd had before. Admittedly this may have been because of other things as well. It was an eventful year, and I probably let certain circumstances during this year colour my experiences more than they should have. It was also a year of transience for me; however as I look back on what I lost, and all that I gained, and the roads that were taken and the cul de sacs that certain paths led to, I can say that all in all, I don't regret a single thing.

I've just finished sorting out the NL part of my photos and much to my surprise I can't fit them all into one single entry after all, like I did for Budapest. Same person, different times and different cities. Only I and someone who is no longer in my life will know what I am referring to here but Sarajevo, Budapest, Prague, and now Amsterdam. And no more. And no less.
One glaring, character flaw of mine that I've come to realise over the past year or two is that I tend towards the greener grass, even if it isn't. I longed for Europe in Asia; now that I'm in Europe I long for Asia. I missed UKI in Europe; but here I look at the Continent and yearn for that. How will I ever be content, like this, if I'm always chasing the horizon? I really will have to do something about this.

On my way to Ams; at this point, I was still hopeful

This is the Amsterdam underground. For some people, it's just another world; for others, it's their entire existence. What does it feel like to put all your eggs in one basket? I don't think I will come here ever again for as long as I live. Or maybe I will. Who can tell.

Turkish kebab, dear lord, as if I haven't had enough of these already. I will always associate them with this year.

And this is the part where I finally emerged a little from the underground and managed to get some sightseeing done. Not as much as I would have liked to, but good enough, I suppose.

Toulouse, part II - More Evangelina, Place du Capitole, Le Florida and Amorino

The weather I got during my day here was extremely Irish - it drizzled intermittently, and the sun would come out in full force only after you decided to call it a day and go home, or go to dinner. It didn't rain too heavily, though, and most of the time the weather I got outside was pleasant. Toulouse is an extremely picturesque city and looks nice under almost any circumstance, so there's that.

I was rereading some of my old Toulouse entries, and was struck by a comment I'd made about feeling 'safe' in Toulouse. That wasn't really the case this time round, or maybe I've just gotten paranoid in my old age. I also commented that it was nice to be in a city where there weren't incessant hordes of people. That also was not the case during this trip - in fact, I was flabbergasted by the sheer amount of tourists there, jostling and and ramming up the streets and squares. From the pictures I took last time, the streets certainly look a lot emptier, too. I wonder what's happened.

I was hungry, and wanted something nice to drink, so I looked at the string of restaurants on the Capitole and picked the one that seemed the nicest. I was aware that it was probably a tourist trap and I would be overcharged as usual - but at this point I didn't really care, I just wanted a nice place to sit down and drink, and enjoy the view.

At this point R messaged me, and we ended up being on the phone for more than an hour, during which time my cocktail arrived, along with my grilled fish and rice. The cocktail was good but there was too much ice in it, although this was hardly surprising. The grilled fish was average, but I know the French can do better.

After that I went to Amorina, an ice cream parlour which I had visited last time. I'd had a lovely chat with the girl working there, and although I was certain she wasn't working there anymore (I would have felt sorry for her if she was still there), I still remembered the gelataria fondly. I was a bit surprised when I walked over and saw a formidable queue of tourists, mostly. Apparently Amorina has high ratings on the likes of tripadvisor and google, which explains why the world and his wife are getting ice cream there. I went back to walk around the square a bit, then came back, at which point the line had dissipated somewhat, and queued up and got my ice cream. Expensive, but worth it, although if you ask me I still prefer Turkish and Polish ices.

My next meal was back at Evangelina. The red tuna starter was pleasant, although not as good as the main dish. The grilled octopus however was similarly heavenly. I am considering moving permanently to Toulouse, just so that I can eat here every Friday. Their starters and side dishes are unremarkable, but their main dishes really are fabulous.

A little taste of heaven