The excitement at the start of a trip gets dampened a little when your luggage gets sent to Hamburg instead of Zurich! That almost happened to me. As I was leaving the ticket counter at the San Francisco airport, the ticket agent asked where my other bag was. It was then she realized the baggage handler had put the wrong tags on my bags, and they were headed for Hamburg! She sent him off to retrieve them, and I felt better when they had the correct tags on them, still not quite believing that they might actually get to Zurich. The KLM flight was full, and the 10 1/2 hour flight to Amsterdam actually passed pretty quickly, compared to trans-Pacific flights that I was on last fall. That was the easy part. I was connecting to a flight to Zurich, and the 2 hour wait in the terminal seemed very long. So, I made good use of it by browsing the duty-free shops and buying a small bottle of Drambuie for $12. At least I didn't have to clear customs until Zurich, and it is a pretty small airport, so customs was simply a wave-through.

Vic was there in Zurich, looking for his cruise passengers, and after collecting us, he joined us on a chartered bus to Basel. The driver decided we'd like the scenic route, so he drove along the river, which was a very pretty drive. But, since we had been up more than 24 hours, most people didn't seem too appreciative. Arriving at the boat at about 6:30pm, we didn't have much time to board before it headed out into the "wild open river" at 7pm. The Rhine River at that point is not too wide, and very calm, so it was a very gentle departure.

My cabin was on the top deck, near the center of the "ship". It had two twin beds, a nice sized bathroom, ample closets and even a television and phone. After my bags had been delivered, the door opened, and there was my cabin mate, a tall bearded fellow with black-rimmed glasses. He was cordial enough, and we hardly had time to exchange names before dinner was called. So, we headed for the dining room, and sat at a table near the window. The dining room was pleasant, seating all 120 of us comfortably. No table assignments had been made, so it was potluck as far as table companions. Two younger guys sat with us, and then a waiter came by and said, "This will be your table for the cruise." This surprised most people, since it appeared to be open seating, and some people were grumbling about not being able to meet other people. And, what did you do if you didn't like your table mates? While we were having dinner, an announcement was made by our female cruise director from the ship that "due to popular demand" all our meals would be open seating, to which everyone applauded.

There had been an encounter with the ship's cruise director earlier in the day. A couple of guys had been swimming in the tiny pool on top of the boat, and were coming through the reception area without shirts on, when the cruise director accosted them and announced that they could not come through the lobby "bare." There was a little disagreement, with the guys telling her that they didn't think they were going to offend any gay men by having their shirts off, and they didn't think this looked like a 5-star cruise line! After that, everyone referred to her as Brunhilda, the Nazi cruise director. Actually, relations improved during the cruise even though her English didn't.

As with all our meals, the menu was fixed -- there was no choice about the courses. And, I guess that makes sense on a small ship. Besides, every course was delicious, usually a salad, small fish course, a meat dish, and some fancy dessert. I hadn't realized that I'd grown away from eating so much meat, because there was a substantial piece of meat at every meal.

Settling in to our accommodations, my cabin mate Bob and I chatted for a while and then hit the hay whilst the ship made its quiet way toward Strasbourg. During the night, we went through nine locks that gradually lowered us down the river.

Thought I missed Sunday, huh? From the time I got up on Saturday until I went to bed Sunday night on the ship, I had been up 27 hours with a 9 hour time change. So, Sunday didn't count.

Monday morning found us in Strasbourg, France. It was our only French port, so after breakfast, most of us walked into the shopping area and to the square of the small town where the typical cathedral was. It was fairly unremarkable, but there were some nice shops and interesting looking old buildings. I'm sure if we had more time, we could seek out the historical, interesting spots. While trying to buy some postcards, I discovered the French francs I had with me were too old to use, so I ended up not buying anything. It looked like it might rain, so we headed back to the ship to avoid getting caught in a shower. The ship left just before lunch, and we headed back out into the wild and wooly Rhine. We almost left three guys behind: they were supposed to be on board by 12:30, and the ship was preparing to leave, having thrown off the ropes, when the guys came running up. The captain had to move the ship back to the dock and let them jump aboard. They protested that, "They just had to shop!"

We were now cruising through Germany, and the part of the Rhine we were on was pretty much like a large canal. It was lined along the sides with large boulders, and planted trees stood along the edges of the canal. So, we couldn't see much beyond, but it looked like it was pretty flat country. Consequently, the boat ride was very smooth.

The boat arrived at Speyer at 7:30pm during dinner. Most guys walked into town after dinner to see what's what in Speyer, a pretty quiet town with the requisite old, but nice buildings. It was a calm night and good for sleeping since the boat was docked at Speyer overnight.

The boat left Speyer at 7am while most people were just getting up and ready for the 8am breakfast spread. It was nice to be underway while enjoying a tasty breakfast buffet. They served the same thing for breakfast everyday, but there were lots of items to choose from, so you could vary your menu. Each time you might end up sitting with different people, so friendships flourished.

The Rhine was getting to look more like a river than a canal, and by late morning, we were cruising through the more beautiful part of the Rhine. Hillsides began to rise from the banks, and on the steep slopes you could see vineyards where you would imagine it being difficult to tend and harvest what must be a valuable crop. On port side the occasional castle could be seen perched high up on a defendable cliff. Many looked as if they were originally fortresses, but now were exotic looking residences.

About 1pm, right at lunchtime, we arrived at Rudesheim, the tourist village of the Rhine. I had been there 25 years earlier, and the commercialism had really set in. However, it's one of those places that has enough charm to outweigh the encroachment. After lunch on-board, everyone set out on their own to explore, and since the village sits right along the river, it was an easy stroll. I walked around with Bob and we sat for a while, enjoying a glass of local wine. It was ok, but it reminded me why German wines are not my favorite. The narrow cobblestone streets lined with the Biergartens and Wingartens were picturesque.

We were on our way again at 4pm, and cruised through more mountains, and eventually the Lorelei, where legend has it that her siren call was the doom of many sailors. It's simply a curve in the river, and the Lorelei is the rocky cliff on starboard that must have surprised sailors drunk on Rudesheim wine! The steep hillsides started becoming less so, and we docked on the Mosel River in Koblenz about 7:30pm. It's where the Mosel joins the Rhine, and being on the Mosel, our slip was closer to the main part of Koblenz.

At dinner, I joined Vic and Tony who were the cruise coordinators. Actually, Vic is the travel guy, and Tony is a clothing designer in NYC, but always joins Vic on his trips. They're very pleasant guys and were fun dinner companions. After dinner, it was time for a stroll into Koblenz, which is a small city, with the typical cathedral. But, we weren't looking for cathedrals -- we were looking for gay bars! And, since it looked like rain, we thought we'd probably better find one quick. It's a good thing the rainbow flag is so universal! Spotting a small flag in the window of a bar, Bob, John and I poked our noses in and decided it'd be a good shelter. It was the Journal, a very small bar with about six barstools, and a few stand up cocktail tables. A large German lady was behind the bar, and there were only three customers. So, we ordered a draft, and soon a few other of our ship-mates were joining us. Within a half hour, we had the bar filled, to the amazement of the bartender. Someone finally told her what was going on, and she looked very pleased! Her bar had never been so popular on a Tuesday!

Koblenz suffered our goodbye's at 8am, and we were again in the Rhine that looks more like a large canal, bigger now that Mosel waters were merged. The weather was spotty, sometimes raining, sometimes a ray of sun. A lot of guys gathered in the forward lounge and were playing board games and reading while we made our way toward Cologne. Just before lunch, we were speculating on whether our cabin window would look out at a blank seawall or toward the river when we docked. Fortunately, the ship turned around and my cabin was facing the river. That was great, because we were to be here for two nights, and the guys on the other side of the boat would have to stare at a rock wall inches from their window. And, others who were more at ground level would have to draw their drapes to keep out the stares of people who were walking the popular riverside walkway. The boat docked within two blocks of a concentration of gay hangouts, and only a few more blocks to the shopping area and cathedral.

I took a walking tour of my own, equipped with a handy map that made getting around Köln easier. Cologne, or Köln, got its name from the scented water that it produced, interestingly enough. The cathedral is huge, the largest in Europe, I believe. It's situated right by the train station and at one end of the shopping area. It's so crowded around it that it looks out of place, but I guess city planning wasn't in the cards 600 years ago. As with most cathedrals, it's undergoing restoration, and some parts are a tan-gold color, while the rest is very dark and sooty looking. It really is quite a sight, and impossible to photograph adequately.

Money problems! I had brought along about $200 worth of various currencies that I had from previous trips, and also some purchased from Les. It turned out that almost all of it was "too old"! Americans don't think about having to turn in paper money for newer bills, but other countries do it all the time, it appears. I had to go to the Bundes Bank to exchange my Deutsche Marks for newer, spendable bills. The main shopping area in Köln is a pedestrian way, and there are many very nice shops. The large Kaufhof is like our Macy's and that's where I found my $7 umbrella, which I needed about 15 minutes after I bought it! They also have a great food hall in the basement, and I enjoyed browsing their wine cellar, although I was very jealous of the fact their wines are so cheap. I bought a chianti to have at dinner one evening. I scouted out where some of their gay bars were, and it's interesting how obvious they are about advertising their sex shops.

After another fine dinner, a few of us went to the Zille bar, which is a small leather bar. We opted for it rather than the several "tranvestities" bars which are apparently pretty popular. It was smoky as expected, and beer was flowing like crazy. One German guy sent a drink over to Bob, so he had to go say hi, and when I pointed out to David that one guy's t-shirt mentioned something about "Where the bears are," he was off like a flash. So, there I was all by myself, admiring a good-looking guy across the bar. Hans eventually came over and introduced himself, and I found out he is an Austrian and lives in Cologne in the summer. Turns out he is a ski instructor in Salzburg, works hard in the winter, and travels a lot the rest of the year. He might just come to SF, and I have an invitation to visit him in Salzburg in the winter! A nice night in Cologne!

We had all day to relearn our way around Cologne, and since the weather was better, it was a good day to take the old Kodak and snap a few. As I was wandering off the beaten path, I never expected to run into "boat people" as I was starting to call our cruise chums. But, I rounded a corner and ran into Chicago David and his pals who were looking for antique row. Maybe they were following me? Hoping I'd lead them to a peppy leather bar?

Lunch on the boat and a nap seemed in order, so why not? Then, back out wandering another district of Cologne, I didn't allow enough time to tour the chocolate factory that was only about one block from the boat. But, I was looking forward to chocolates in Belgium, so I wasn't too worried about missing the factory.

Dinners on the boat were really great. There was usually a salad to start, composed of a variety of crunchy things and delicious creamy dressings, then a dinky fish course, probably a 1 1/2 inch square of fish over a flavored rice, and then the main course, almost always meat of some sort, such as beef, lamb, or pork, with vegetables and scalloped potatoes or casserole bit of some sort. Desserts were an amazing work of art, considering they were making 120 of them. Wines were extra, but you could bring your own bottle if you wanted, with no corkage fee. Strangely, if you ordered iced tea, they charged for it like a drink, but coffee was no charge. There was no smoking in the dining room, thank goodness.

An after-dinner walk seemed in order, especially since the sun didn't set until about 9:30pm. I strolled the area near the boat, but didn't feel like a smoky bar, so made it an early evening, reading a little before retiring.

Originally, we were to leave Köln at noon, but since we'd been there for two nights, they decided to leave at 8am and give us more time in Dusseldorf. It took about three hours to reach the smaller city of Dusseldorf, and we docked about two blocks from the main park near the river. Since we got there about 11am, and normally lunch would be at 1pm, they thought most people wouldn't be around at lunchtime, so they cancelled lunch. With great foresight and in a mild gluttoness mood, I had a large breakfast that carried me through the day without starving.

Dusseldorf is a nice city! It has beautiful parks, and an attractive canal that runs down the middle of the exclusive shopping district. The Kaufhof was nicer than the one in Köln, and of course, I had to visit their wine cellar. Wow! It had the most beautiful display case with a glass top where you could peer down at bottles of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild from 1945 to the present. What a magnificent display! The 1988 label had a small reproduction of a Keith Haring painting, and others had famous paintings also.

Our departure from Dusseldorf was 6:30pm, and once again, a couple of guys almost missed the boat. That shopping addiction can be a problem, I guess! Tonight was full of things to do: the captain's reception and special dinner, and then the Havana costume party. The captain and crew were in a reception line in the main lounge, and we were served a very odd cocktail, which I think was supposed to be a pina colada, but poorly done. The crew of 30 were introduced, all the way from the captain to the maids, and the straight, cute bartender got the biggest applause, of course! Then we had a special dinner, with an extra course of spoom, which was a champagne glass filled with a layer of ice cream, topped with a layer of frozen raspberry, then topped with champagne. The finale had to be flaming per tradition, and they had set mini-roman candles in the light fixtures and the waiters did this semi-Nazi strut carrying sparklers. It was pretty impressive, except for the fact that the fireworks above our table spewed molten lava onto the table cloth and my shirt which caught on fire. My table mates quickly put out the fires, but needless to say, I wasn't as amused as the rest of the boat people by the theatrics. The purser later said he would pay for my shirt, but didn't seem worried by the danger of their presentation. Maybe this wasn't the first time it had happened!

Then it was time to remove burned clothing and put on Havana drag! I had carefully planned my costume, which was a very conservative flowered shirt and black trousers with white shoes. Well, I could have worn a grass skirt and not been noticed! There were several Chiquitas and a couple who came as cigars, which I thought was quite cute. The prize was awarded to a flamboyant drag, of course. The surprise of the evening was a guy dressed in a white bathrobe, which at the presentation came off to reveal a Marilyn Monroe white dress and blond wig. It was Chicago David, which was the biggest surprise to me, a cute young guy with an always smile and friendly manner. Vic's Tony came as a pregnant bride from Cuba, very funny, especially when he was dancing! It was a fun time.

Amsterdam arrives at 6:00am, so it was full steam ahead down the watery Rhine towards Gay heaven.

The boat arrived in Amsterdam at 6:00am, so I didn't see how we came into the city, but it apparently wasn't via the North Sea or I would have noticed! It docked next to its sister ship, and in order to get to shore, we had to walk across their top deck and down the stairs. But, that didn't last long, since they were unloading their passengers and loading the next batch for a cruise up the Rhine. Soon we had our own private mooring, and could come and go easily.

After breakfast, Vic gathered all of us who had purchased a package of tickets and we headed off walking for Friendship Village, where everyone had to go to register. On the way, we passed a corner of the red light district, and there were already girls posing in their windows, waiting for morning trade. We kind of felt sorry for them, since this was probably going to be a bad week for them!

At registration, they laminated our photo and transportation pass into a badge that we could wear around our neck. It meant we could use any tram, bus, or metro while we were there. And, it was a neat way to recognize other Gay Game'rs while running around Amsterdam. Friendship Village was the information center, and around the outside of the building there were booths where souvenirs and gay-related merchandise was being sold, as well as a large area with shaded tables where you could read all the literature and schedules, and meet people. There was also a small performance area for groups like Cheer SF! The building was covered with banners saying "Friendship" and the Gay Games logo, a tulip and triangle. I sought out the Web team area, which turned out to be in the press area. Tjerk Zweers, the Web coordinator for the Gay Games Web site, was a cute Nederlander and was pleased I had come by. However, they were able to find enough local volunteers, so I wasn't needed to help work on the Web site. That was fine as it allowed me more time for touristy and Gay Games things.

Mike S. was to arrive at 3pm, so I headed for the Inntel Hotel where he was supposed to be. However, they had reassigned him to the Radisson, so I left a message for him and would try to catch him later. I reacquainted myself with the street names and layout of Amsterdam which had grown foggy in my memory, and walked around a while before heading back to the ship. At 5:30pm, I decided Mike might have had enough time to get to his hotel, so I called him from my cabin. He was astounded that I was able to reach him -- he hadn't received my message, didn't know where I was docked, and he didn't know he had a new hotel until he arrived in Amsterdam, plus he didn't think I would have known. Ol' detective Jer! We agreed to try to meet at Opening Ceremonies which was only hours away.

When you're unfamiliar with trains in a foreign country, it can become pretty frustrating. We were told to take the train to the stadium, but later information (which I missed) told us to take the metro. So, I tried buying a train ticket, and when I finally figured out where to go, I ended up following some Swiss guys who I just knew were going to Opening Ceremonies. Luckily they were. But, the metro dumps you right at the stadium, and by taking the train, I had to walk about a mile. Pay attention next time! The stadium was the new ArenA about 15 minutes outside Amsterdam. It's a huge affair with a roof that slides open, and holds 50,000 people.

I had a good seat and most of the boat people were in the same section. Shortly before the program began, I spotted Mike standing at the entrance to my section, looking for me I guessed. So, I ran up to greet him, and he was excited to see me. He was sitting in a different section, so we split up and agreed to meet the next day at his hotel.

The program was exciting! It was wonderful to see 14,000 participants streaming into the stadium floor, and they moved up and into the remaining seats so that eventually the stadium was nearly filled, with at least 45,000 people there! One of the popular groups was the kilted guys from Scotland, who occasionally would moon the audience to prove they weren't wearing anything underneath! Cheer SF performed their daredevil acts on the runway while the athletes were coming in and they looked great. During the program, there were several famous performers, who I didn't know of course. One was Dana International from Israel, who received a tremendous welcome from everyone. The sound system in the stadium was awesome -- the place was so huge, but the sound just vibrated every seat. One of the popular acts was the Weather Girls who sang "It's Raining Men" while 150 sailors came out on the huge runway and proceeded to strip down to their blue Speedo's all the while dancing up a storm, sometimes in a choreographed step. It was fabulous! The mayor of Amsterdam welcomed us and called Amsterdam the "Gayway to Europe", and also called the (skating) ISU "bastards". What a guy! The program ended about 11:30pm and it was extremely crowded getting back on the metro, but we finally made it all the while becoming friendly with our very close neighbors! Everyone was in a very good mood, and the atmosphere was charged with an incredible friendly camaraderie.

After my boat breakfast, I hopped on over to Mike's hotel, the luxurious Radisson where he was just finishing his breakfast buffet. We checked out the Internet terminal in the hotel lobby and decided to try it later, since it ate your credit card and would charge you who-knows-how-much. We needed to get Mike's Gay Games info, so we headed for Friendship Village where it wasn't clear how he was supposed to get his week-long transit pass. So, we decided to go to Central Station to get his pass, and while there I wanted to show him my ship, since it was docked nearby. He thought the boat was great.

One of the things we wanted to do was see some of the gay choruses, so we zipped over to Vondel Park where we saw the Melbourne Choir, and a couple of others. They were performing on a bandshell stage and there were two sets of bleachers for the audience. After the choruses, a drag queen called Dolly Belfleur came on, and was very entertaining, even though she spoke in Dutch, French, German and English. She complained about the Gay Games board not making her the diva of Opening Ceremonies -- after all, she is "Dolly International!"

Mike invited me to crash the L’Arc en Ciel’s welcome dinner, so we proceeded to the Sea Palace, which is a copy of the floating Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. Sure enough, the host said several people cancelled, and I was welcome to join them. There were several tables of 10 in the group, and the rijstafel was fairly ordinary, but our table was a friendly group of guys. After dinner, Mike called a friend who was in Amsterdam, and we were invited to come over to "Bert's place." Bert owns a skinny, four story building right in the middle of town. We made our way up the steep ladder-like stairway to his apartment that is on the top three floors, basically one room per floor. He and three friends were just finishing dinner, and we had a nice time getting to know the guys, two locals and one guy from Portugal, and three Americans. Since we knew there were thousands of people out on the streets, we decided to go see, and headed for Regulierdwahrtsraat, which is a narrow cobblestone street that has several popular gay bars on it. We were hardly able to move through the crowd, and at one point, some drag queens were spraying everyone from above with champagne and confetti. Oh well, it was the kind of thing that would wash out! Everyone was drinking on the street and apparently having a very good time. I enjoyed it for a while, and then made my way back to my water bed.

It's comforting to know you can get up when you want, take a nice warm shower, and make your way down the hall to a bountiful breakfast buffet. Bob was always up earlier than I and gone, so we weren't stumbling over each other in our cabin. The pastry chef was feeling his oats this morning, I guess, since there were some extra goodies among the usual count of six different breads. I loved his tiny croissants.

Tjerk had asked me to stop by the Web team office at Friendship Village to see if they needed me on the Web site, but he wasn't even there. Maybe he had gone to the night-long party that started after Opening Ceremonies ended at midnight! Anyway, it looked like they had enough help, so I moseyed on. While at Friendship Village, I finally discovered that they had a couple of Internet terminals on the upper floor. So, I sent a greeting to the list of e-mail addresses I had brought along. They only allowed five minutes for e-mail since other people were waiting to use the terminals.

The list of restaurants I had brought with me indicated there was a small cafe called Baton on Herengracht, just around the corner from Rembrandtsplein, and I had a nice chicken salad there. It's right next to a canal (of course, what isn't?) and the sun decided to make it a picturesque moment. Back at the boat, I changed into my costume, actually just MAX-type clothes, for the evening. Mid-afternoon, I consulted my maps and found the canal house built in 1650 where MAX was having their arrival party. It was a very narrow house, but similar to our Victorians, where the hallway and stairs are on one side with rooms off the hallway. I met some of the guys I'd talked to on the phone back home, such as the very nice Richard D., and the casual Barry C. Mike and I had to split early since we had two other events that evening.

We were first going to the Gala Opening of Ballroom Dancing. It was at a sports hall where we had to take one metro line and change to another. We had specific instructions, but new routes always make you a little uneasy, especially when everything's in Dutch. Fortunately, two guys asked us if we were going to the Gala, and we were all relieved to find someone to travel with. One guy was David, an Aussie who works for the UN in Geneva, and his boyfriend was Ohtma, a young Tunisian fellow with dinky glasses. It seemed we were out in the countryside, and had to read the destination signs carefully to transfer to the right train. Of course, it was not nearly as difficult as we were trying to make it. The Gala turned out to be essentially a dance, where at first, some competitors would demonstrate certain dance styles, and then invite everyone to dance. David, Ohtma, Mike and I sat on the upper level enjoying the spectacle, and we had a great time chatting.

Then Mike and I had to rush off again, this time bound for the Mr. Cockring contest, which was back in town at the Cockring bar. Of course, they didn't start the contest for a couple of hours, and we had to listen to increasingly loud music until the contestants finally showed up. It appeared to me that they were professional strippers, since it was obviously not the first time they had danced in front of a crowd of guys. Everything came off, of course, and you'd have to say they were pretty spectacular specimens of male pulchritude. The evening was interesting, if not as much fun as anticipated, especially since they charged admission, plus $5 for a beer. Taking advantage of those silly Americans, were they?

Mike and I had left our valuables in my cabin before going out last night, so Tuesday morning I took his jacket and wallet back to him at his hotel. We went on over to Friendship Village and read the daily Gay Games newspaper to see what was up for the day. Since there was so much going on, it was nice to have a daily paper with the previous day's events and sports results, as well as today's events showing which ones had tickets available. It looked like today there weren't any events we wanted to attend, so we decided on a nice dinner. My restaurant list made the Quartier Latin sound just perfect, so we walked over to Rembrandtsplein to check it out. It looked cozy, with wood walls and a nice look to it, so we decided to come back for dinner. According to my list, the food was supposed to be excellent.

This was culture day! The Rijksmuseum was beckoning us to fulfill our culture-quota, so we decided to see if it was still as we remembered it. It was, and for the Gay Games they had put in an exhibit of prints and photos related to the Olympic Gods. There were dozens of prints and sketches of Zeus and the whole crowd, and it looked to me like Bacchus was having the most fun of them all! In the main exhibits, the Night Watch was still there, of course.

Mike and I had lunch at the Jaren, a modern, large restaurant that spilled out onto a deck next to the Singel canal. We found a table to share right along the water, and marveled at how casual they are about setting tables and chairs very close to the edge. Restaurant service in Holland can be, and usually is, very slow. It gives you a chance to relax, I guess. And, with the tip built-in, they're not worried about being under tipped, apparently. After lunch, we stopped by a tour office to confirm Mike's tour to the windmills that was part of his package. Then, it was time a nap before dinner.

At first, I was very impressed with the electric streetcars, which they call trams. They do run every few minutes and can get you almost anywhere in the city within a few minutes. But, it seems they have problems similar to mass transit anywhere. I boarded one only to find out they were working on a squeaky door and wouldn't leave Central Station until they were satisfied with it. Meanwhile, of course, several other trams took off. Also, you can board any of the four doors if you have a pass; however, sometimes the middle doors don't open, so you have to run to the back to get on. And, they don't have air conditioning and not much ventilation when it gets hot, so they can be rather sticky and smelly if the passenger in front of you happens to be from Klotovakia where they don't bathe regularly! It's amazing how the trams plow their way through the crowds on the narrow streets without mowing anyone down.

I met Mike at the restaurant Quartier Latin, and he had brought along a fellow he had been in touch with over the Internet. And, in turn, he had brought along his lover, a young Indonesian boy who was introduced as Carol Channing! In addition, "Carol" had with him his new friend, an Indonesian guy who was actually an American in school there. So, the five of us had dinner, but we mostly had fun. The young guys cut up a lot, and when a group of 15 German and Aussie guys came in, the place took on quite a party atmosphere. The restaurant's paper maiche rooster made the rounds of the tables, and was the grist for many co(ck)mments and hilarity.

On previous days, we had no particular schedule, so it was get up when you want to, just so long as you were in the dining room by 10am for breakfast. But, today some of us were on a tour to Brussels, so we had to hop out of bed, have breakfast, and be ready by 8am for the bus. Somehow we managed, and Mike S. arrived on time to join the 25 of us from the boat who were on this tour. We had a gal driving, and a straight guy as tour guide. But, he was savvy, and we had fun. Having a guide is an easy way to learn a lot about a country, and during the two hour ride to Brussels I saw more sheep than I've seen anywhere. The cheese has to come from somewhere, I guess. In Brussels, they dropped us off at the main square and we had a couple of hours to explore and have lunch. We had to see the Mannequin Pis, of course, who had a red outfit on that day. At a Tin Tin shop, I found a Grommit figure I thought was cute. They had lots of Wallace and Grommit collectibles as well as Tin Tin items. I only had the 100 franc note that Leigh wanted me to exchange, so I used an ATM to get the minimum of Belgian currency, which was about $27.

There was a small street off the Gallery St. Hubert that was jam packed with restaurants, all with sidewalk seating, and several with gorgeous seafood displays on a mountain of ice. We had been warned of high meal prices in Brussels, so we selected a nice looking place with a prix fixe menu and had a very nice three course lunch for $25. I paid cash for mine, and had exactly enough left to buy Grommit, with five francs left over. That didn't leave anything to buy chocolates with, so I had to charge them, which is no problem, sir!

We only had time to explore a few of the side streets off the main square, and I needed to find a bank to trade Leigh's old 100 franc note for a new one. The cute teller behind the window at a Swiss bank looked askance at the old bill, and smiled and said, "Well, I guess it'll be all right." I guess the lesson is not to bring back foreign money with an idea of spending it in the future. Strange that plastic is more usable than a country's paper money.

On our return trip from Brussels, our guide pointed out a lot of interesting buildings and sites that would be nice to visit on a longer trip. There are some beautiful buildings in Brussels. Antwerp was our next stop, and we were led on a walking tour of the new shopping area and then into the old town. It's a very charming city, and we enjoyed the walking break. By the time we were back on the road, we hit rush hour traffic, and were 1 1/2 hours late getting back to the boat.

Fortunately, our big lunch tied us over so that we could rush off to the Gay Chorus concert at the Concertgebouw. We saw several choruses perform, one from Africa, the Atlanta chorus, some local ones, and a fun one from Germany called Ms. Bronte and the Megaperls. It was a long day, so right after the concert, Bob and I caught the tram right outside the door of the concert hall and it whisked us speedily toward dreamland on our rocking cradle.

It seems everyday starts out after a good breakfast with a trudge to Friendship Village. It was fun to see what new booth might have appeared, and read the daily Gay Games paper, and send an e-mail or two if the line wasn't too long. Today, there was a guy selling beach towels with the Gay Games logo and colors, so I just had to have one. He had only made 200 of them, so you won't see many of them around. A souvenir of a yellow Gay Games t-shirt seemed like a good purchase, too.

While I was in a shopping mood, I stopped by the supermarket at Rembrandtsplein and found some Dixan for Leigh, a particular laundry detergent that's popular in Europe. And, I found some interesting looking toothpaste, since I was running low. After lunch at a little cafe where I could sit right by the canal, I took my treasures back to the boat. From my stateroom (sounds better than cabin), I was leaving a message for Mike at his hotel when I saw him walking toward the boat. So I waved the yellow t-shirt in my window which he finally saw and thought was amusing.

We decided to see some of the choruses who were supposed to be performing at various squares around the city, but the New York chorus did not show up at one square, and neither did the Seattle one. That was disappointing, but I guess they tried scheduling too much. So, we just did some sightseeing and picture taking of the lovely canals. It's very picturesque if you don't look too closely: the canal water is quite polluted, and many of the houseboats along the banks are in disrepair. But, it makes a nice picture!

Mike and I had figure skating tickets for the evening, so we ate early at a very nice bistro called L'Express which we had seen on our walks around. Also, a friend of Mike's recommended it. It was outstanding. My salmon carpaccio starter, and filet mignon with a garlic sauce was excellent. The restaurant was decorated as if you were on a train, with overhead luggage racks, and other memorabilia from days gone by. The waitress was very nice and said it was great to have Gay Games there. She couldn't understand why everyone doesn't like gay people. Nice attitude!

We had to hurry to catch a tram for the Figure Skating show, and it seemed like everyone wanted to take the same tram. We were extremely crowded, and the tram passed up lots of other people who wanted to get there too. Since we were among the earlier arrivees, we were able to get good seats, and glad someone had warned us to dress warmly, since they had extra air conditioning keeping the ice cool. The figure skaters had not been able to hold a competition since the ISU union prevented judging same sex couple skating. So, they just called it a "practice" and showed us their stuff anyway. There were some average skaters to start and then they worked their way up to the really good ones. A favorite pair from Canada were all painted up in sliver, and did some great acrobatics. It was really great seeing Team SF perform their routines, and other teams and individuals having fun while entertaining us. It was a great evening.

Oh... this week is going too fast. Too much I haven't done. I had wanted to go to the Friday evening chorus grand finale concert, but when Bob got the tickets for me, I found I'd marked the Wednesday concert instead. Oh well, Wednesday was a fine concert (and I paid Bob in useless guilders anyway!) But I really did want to see the NYC and Seattle choruses, since they're my favorites. Today's schedule was kind of in flux since I said I'd have a meal with Loren and Paul, but I didn't know their schedule.

I met up with Mike and we headed for Vondel Park to hear the LGBA band play their afternoon concert. It was a fun concert, and the crowd of about 200 seemed to enjoy it. I saw several band members from other cities I hadn't seen in a while, and bought my souvenir band t-shirt. I saw Loren and Paul, and we agreed to meet on a street corner to go to dinner that evening.

Mike was off to a party, and I wanted to see the NYC and Seattle choruses at the Concertgebouw for their late afternoon concert, so I scurried off to the concert hall. The choruses were terrific! They sang together, and then did a few separate numbers. The best was the Hallelujah Chorus where several of the chorus members were dressed as monks, and since they had taken a vow of silence, they could only hold up placards with syllables on them when it came their turn to "sing." It was hilarious, and received a tremendous ovation.

When I found Loren and Paul on the appropriate street corner, we proceeded to De Silveren Spiegel at #4 Kattengat, which has a rijstafel as their feature. While we were waiting for a table outside, since it was so pleasant out, along comes Michael Ruiz, Don and Joe. It was such a coincidence to run into Mike, although I knew he was playing tennis at the Games. They had just come from the dinner where Mike S. was! Joining our dinner was Nancy C. and her partner, and the five of us had a great time, and enjoyed the best rijstafel I've ever had. Every dish was delicious. While we were sitting there, Aussie David tapped me on the shoulder and he and Ohtma had just finished dinner and were leaving. David was so congenial, and my table mates were impressed that I knew everyone in Amsterdam!

Since it was getting close to the end of the week, it seemed the tempo of the street parties was picking up, and I decided it was tonight or never if I was going to see what an Amsterdam bar darkroom was like. So, I changed into my black t-shirt, and headed for Warmoesstraat, the leather district not too far from the boat. I checked out the Eagle, which I didn't like too much, so cramped and smoky and noisy. So, I strutted (or whatever leather men do) over to the Argos. I only had 4.85 guilders on me, so I couldn't even buy a beer at the Eagle, another reason I left. At the Argos, the beer was 4.50 ($2.25), so I could at least have a drink. They have two levels in the bar area, both of which were crammed full of people, and they were only letting a few guys in at a time. After swilling my beer and glancing casually over at the porno video that no one seemed interested in, I decided to check out the darkroom. It's downstairs, and as you descend the very steep stairs, there is a spotlight that shines right on you so everyone below can see the "new meat." Just as if I was an old hand at this, I browsed through the few small dark hallways, trying to see what was going on. Problem was, it was so dark you couldn't see much. Around one corner, standing under a spotlight, was a guy completely nude, not bad looking, but apparently nobody interested. Another spotlight illuminated a guy with a hood over his head and someone attaching various clips and things to various parts of his bare body. Back in the darkest part, there were lights under the floor that would gradually come on and then fade, giving the place an eerie mood, and give you a glimpse of what was or was not going on. Nothing appealed to me, so I didn't spend long, and was back upstairs in no time. And, so much for Amsterdam darkrooms! Later, I found out I should have gone to the Stablemaster, where they make you check your clothes at the door! That might have been fun!

Tomorrow's a big day -- please go back to your yacht and go to bed!

Closing Ceremonies Today is the last day! What a shame it has to end, or at least be suspended for 4 years. Everyone seems to making their last trek to Friendship Village, just because they know they won't be able to do it again, and it's something they don't want to see disappear. Just as you might expect, things are going on sale, and you could buy your GG t-shirt for about $5 less. A final visit to the Internet terminals didn't turn up any new email that couldn't wait, so I said goodbye to the friendly Friendship Village, and headed for the flower market.

I really hadn't intended on buying anything more, but as I walked by the flower market stands along the Singel canal, the thousands of tulip bulbs beckoned me. Perhaps a beautiful lavender would be a nice reminder next spring, and the spring after that. I found a packet of 10 export quality bulbs for $4, and that seemed like a reasonable price. Once you're entrapped, you notice they also have a lot of souvenirs, and well... I didn't buy a coffee mug yet, so why not a Delft one? It's probably not real Delft, but at least it was made in Holland, and it says Delft on the bottom.

It was too early to return to the ship, and I was planning to eat an early dinner, so an apple tart and cappuccino sounded just right. It was really delightful, enjoying my coffee with the nice view of the flower stands. Time to pack, so back to the ship. My cabin mate had packed in my absence, so I was able to spread things all around and find ingenious ways to cram another piece of something into my already full bags. Why is it things expand after you take them out of your luggage? They never seem to fit back in. It's a good reason to by expandable, softside luggage! Fortunately, the tennis shoes I bought came in a box and a nice nylon carrying bag, so it became my extra carry-on item, holding such precious things as the Belgian chocolates, Leigh's Coke, my delicate Delft coffee mug, and the tulip bulbs.

Suddenly, it was time to go to the MAX departure party. I dutifully donned my MAX t-shirt, and headed for the Liedseplein. As I arrived, Mike was helping a guy find directions to the sauna; how did he know where it was? MAX was able to get the maitre d' to organize a few tables outside and we soon commandeered several corner tables in the shade. It really was beautiful outside, so it was pleasant, partying there in front of the great American Hotel, everyone taking pictures and having fun. Drinks and finger food were on MAX, and it would have been easy to go overboard. But, I held it to two small glasses of wine, and then had to run to dinner.

Mike decided to stay at the party, so I hopped a tram back to the ship, changed and went with Bob to the Barbizon Centre hotel to have an early dinner in their attractive lobby cafe. The hotel is close to Central Station, so it would be easy to catch the metro after dinner. There were some other guys there who were also eating early so they could get to the ArenA in time for the Closing Ceremonies. I had salmon, again, and it was quite good, but more expensive than eating in the nice little restaurants you find here and there. But, those nice little restaurants don't open until 5.30 or 6.00pm, so we had no choice if we were going to eat before the ceremonies.

It was a breeze getting to the ArenA by metro this time. I guess when you've done it once, you're a pro the next time. We saw Maxime the Gay Games "mascot", clopping along in her wooden shoes as we entered the stadium. So, she is a real person! When 8pm approached, we saw that the stadium was less than half full! They started about 10 minutes early, with the 14,000 participants coming in on both sides like they did at Opening. However, there didn't appear to be any order to the way they came in to the stadium, and they showed up in random groups of teams. One popular group, of course, were the guys in kilts, who showed us that they were not able to find their underwear all week!

The program was somewhat anti-climactic, but included some good entertainment. There was the hand-off of the Gay Games flag to the Aussies, and a promo film on Australia, sponsored by, of course, Qantas. The Tom Waddel award was given to a New York gal. Someone from SF had been nominated, too. Whenever the blond emcee came on stage, she made her entrance in yet another dinky car that you would swear couldn't hold any passengers. The doors on them opened in funny ways, like the whole top of the car swinging away. Our favorite silver-painted ice skaters came on, this time on roller blades, and performed much of their ice routine. The Weather Girls reprised their "It's Raining Men" number, and some of the sailors mooned the audience when they were getting down to their blue swim trunks. It was fun to see the guys again. An announcement about extra metro trains seemed to signal that the program was over, and everyone streamed to the exits. I don't know if anything else was on the program, since Bob and I trundled along with everyone else to the metro.

So, that was it! Everyone was coming down from the week-long high, some literally, and we were all saying "See you down under" while we were only partly believing it, but really hoping it would be true.