Bakker Bugle Blog Say it three times fast. In Luxembourgish.

In this, the final episode of my Amsterdam adventure, I make a lot of Amsterdammer friends in the midst of a city delirious with the home team’s success.

After the crowd at our new favorite pub dispersed, we made our way to Dam Square. We had about an hour to kill before Katherine and Anita arrived. Of course, we set out in search of Ajax shirts for Will and me. We walked to a Foot Locker and asked if they had Ajax shirts. The store employee at the front, basically a bouncer, shook his head and pointed to Aktie Sport down the street. He clearly did not want drunk Ajax fans in his store.

In Aktie Sports, I saw the blue “change” jersey, but not the red and white shirts that the team had worn during the game and that eighty percent of the fans were wearing that day. We asked the helpful staff whether they had the home shirts. The young men said that Adidas had not yet released the home shirts for the following season, and that the prior season’s shirts were no longer on sale. (more…)

In Part One, I told you how our group of American tourists saw the lead-up to the big game between Ajax and Twente. Will and I approached a packed and overflowing pub to see the last minutes of the game and enjoy the local fans.

We still hadn’t determined the score of the game when Ajax scored a goal. The pub erupted. Everyone was high-fiving, tussling hair, hugging and jumping up and down. Will figured out that Ajax is leading 3-1. Based on the time the game started, we knew that it was nearing the end.

A couple of guys ran out of the bar, and created an opening inside. I shoved my wallet in my front pocket, and took my passport in my hands. I looked down at it. Will asked if I wanted him to hold my passport. I turned it over and ducked inside. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today we welcome a new contributor to the Bakker Bugle Blog: Dave! We’ll let his work speak for itself, for now.

Sunday morning started quietly enough, with breakfast at a pancake house by the canal near our hotel. On our way to The Pancake Corner (this one, not the other one), we noticed a work crew setting up a temporary wall on the avenue outside our hotel. Will’s best guess was the wall was a temporary board for posting political messages prior to an election. We made a note to return to the wall and discover its purpose, at the end of our day. (more…)