I am very impressed by Amsterdam Airport. Not only does it have an impressive selection of shops and cafes (serving quality, delicious food, nicely presented), but it also has a museum, a casino (which I resisted) and a library. My girlfriend commented that that was a bit ridiculous as who would live near enough to return books. I think she was joking but you can never be sure. It's there for people to read books as they wait. There are plenty of nice areas to relax and it all seems to be designed to make people as comfortable as possible as they wait for their flights. Although there is still a commercial aspect to it, it is cool that it isn't all about that and that some thought has gone into giving value for money (or at least pleasant food and drink) rather than just herding people around like cattle and ripping them off. It's a shame that people generally don't care about providing good service any more and that the world has become about making as much money as possible in every situation (it cost over a fiver for a small bag of pick and mix at the cinema the other day). Not everything should be about making money and I believe that if people provide a good product or service that they will make money anyway. It felt strange to be at an airport and to be having a nice time and to have space and options. Come on world, let's up our game. Treat people like people and you will probably not only feel a bit better about yourself, but I reckon you'll make more money anyway. Just a thought.
I watched "This Is England" on my iPad, which I thought was excellent, with terrific performances from everyone. Well worth a look if you haven't seen it. I am going to try the TV series next.
And soon enough I was home and my Dutch adventure was over. A few of you got in touch to inform me that Helmuth "Hello" Silderberg, Anne Frank's prospective boyfriend, did manage to survive the war, hiding out in Belgium and emigrated to the US, where according to the internet he is still living, calling himself Ed Silverberg (which is a shame cos I loved the name Hello). So that's a small crumb of comfort in an altogether terrible story. I am glad he's still going and if he happens to Google himself and see this I'd just like to say, "Hello".
After all the Dutch food I have been eating for the last few days (hamburgers and paninis) it was nice to get back to some proper English food and we ate at Wagamamas. Proper English food. Keep your Dutch muck. We were sat next to a couple who given the nature of Wagamamas were in pretty close proximity, but the man was talking loud enough for most of the restaurant to hear. It was hard not to listen, and I always enjoy listening in to other people anyway. It's the writer in me. And also the nosey parker. The woman was perfectly sweet and pleasant, but the man seemed boorish and a bit of a prick. He might have been drunk which would excuse him a little, but the woman seemed way too good for him. They were on their third date and he even chanced his arm to ask what she thought might happen later on as a result. Had he be doing that in a quiet or cheeky way then it might have been flirtatious and funny, but the fact that he was announcing it for all and sundry seemed gauche at best. Maybe the woman was secretly a prick as well, so they might have been well suited, but the passive aggressive nature of the man, plus his massive self-confidence when he was nothing to write home about, made me want to lean over and warn the woman that she was making an awful mistake and that there were thousands of men out there who would be better than him. I felt pretty sure that this man would be a bully in a relationship if not something far worse.
Perhaps it was all part of a little joke of some kind. But I am pretty good at spotting the crap guys out there, not that it would take a Star Trek empath to see through this guy and it's a shame that social convention means we're not allowed to offer advice about such stuff as strangers with a dispassionate eye. When I was largely single and lonely in my 20s I would often marvel and curse at the rubbish men that women would go out with - but admittedly a lot of that was down to jealousy. But this feeling didn't come from the same place. It made me want to set up an agency where people could bring their prospective partners early on and I could let them know if they were at all suited or whether they were contemplating dating a massive prick or twat. I certainly could have benefited from such a service myself a few times in the past. It could save a lot of hassle in the long run. Although I suspect that I would have lost out in this system more than I would have gained.
Hopefully this woman saw through this man on date 3. Or maybe he was just having a bad day. The way he was projecting reminded me a bit of comedy fans after a gig who are standing nearby and deliberately projecting in the hope I will hear their jokes/criticism. Hopefully he hadn't recognised me and was doing this for my benefit, because he isn't going to enjoy reading this blog if he did. But if you are reading this, that woman was way out of your league mate and you should have been working your arse off to impress her. And telling her that she looked 20 and didn't need to go a diet was not the way to go. Hope you enjoyed your Wagamamas though. And I hope she didn't have the same expectations of a third date as you did.
