Miss Ginger has a FABULOUS Day of Dutch Pride!

Miss G can barely even figure out where to BEGIN to tell you about the FABULOUS day of Pride she had here in Amsterdam!! Miss G, MeeMaw, and Aunt Tonya got moving around 11am-ish, had a quick brekkie and then staked out a spot along the canal route, toward the beginning, not far from our hotel. Clever Aunt Tonya had thought to buy a bottle of Absolut at the duty free on her way in, so all we needed was a mixer to keep us flawlessly beveraged during the parade without having to scramble to find a bar, stand in line, etc. We discovered 2 liter bottles of Orangina, the yummy little orange fizzie drink you can only buy in the US at expensive cafes in little tiny bottles. So, we poured off the top of the fruit juice, replacing it with vodka, and made the yummiest drink ever! You really should try it!

Just remember, ORangina. A mistake could have tragic consequences!

Miss Ginger cannot BEGIN to describe the spirit, feeling, and atmosphere in Amsterdam on this very special day. The mood is exhuberant, and EVERYONE is partying, celebrating, and having a good time! The spirit is more like Mardi Gras than Gay Pride, in that EVERYONE is included, not just "the Gays". Anyone who is Gay or loves someone who is Gay should make a point to experience Gay Pride in Amsterdam at some point in their lives! It's unlike anything Miss G has seen elsewhere!

In talking about the positive mood, we realized that what sets Amsterdam apart is how extremely positive the attitudes seem to be. There is no mention of equal rights, or gay marriage, or fair treatment, or non-descrimination- those things are simply a given here. Many of the issues and controversaries that seem to dampen and polarize our American Pride celebrations simply don't exist here, leaving the people of the Netherlands to openly, loudly, and enthusiastically share their pride with the rest of the world!

We found a great spot along a railing at the end of a bridge crossing the canal that the parade would travel. Once we situated our selves, scoped out appropriate "facilities" (right around the corner!) and prepared our beverages, the parade began! And what a great parade! Miss G has almost 2 hours of video, which she needs to edit, crop, and combine, but she will try to get a little teaser for you together soon!

We also had the immense pleasure of having a boatfull of HOTTIES just below us, and Miss G has some great shots of that as well!

After the parade, we popped into our favorite little cocktail spot, Prik, just ahead of the crowd. Perfect! After polishing of 750ml of Absolut, we needed potties and toddies to keep the day going!

We had a couple of cocktails there, then headed

over to The Queens Head for more drinking and partying on the streets. The street was really crowded, and by this point Aunt Tonya was getting a bit "full", so we found a great spot in the back of the bar, with windows that overlooked the canals. By then the parade was over, and all the boaters and party barges were just crusing the canals, waving, drinking, and having a good 'ole time! From our perch in the window, MeeMaw and Miss G waved and smiled at the boaters and had fun trying to get them to wave and smile back at our camera. Video to come of that, also. Aunt Tonya practiced her Spanish on the Germans, and smoked a lot.

After a while the bartender made us close the window, and we decided we were hungry anyway, so we went to a little steak place that had a table available, and then headed back to the hotel for showers, disco naps, and costume changes. While Miss G is AMAZED that she wasn't drunker and more tired (how much IS 1 third of 750ml, anyway?!) she certainly would welcome a shower at that point, and a disco nap seemed like a good idea, especially if she had any intention of discoing any time this century.

We made plans to muster in the lobby at 11:45pm, then head over to "the Cockring" to ogle the crowd there. Miss G actually awakened and reported as planned, but, unfortunately, Aunt Tony apparently had been a tad overserved, and was down for the count. MeeMaw needed to stay at the hotel to take care of her, so Miss G decided to call it a night as well, giving her a chance to report in to you lovely people, and maybe do a little research on what kind of trouble we can stir up tomorrow! Meanwhile, I promise to catch up on your blogs and such some day real soon! Love to all!