Christmas Day to Date

I had to wait till 0700 on Christmas Day for Alex and Mikey to rise and Dusan was not too much later nearer 8 where upon Alex spoilt us rotten with home made Scrambled Eggs, Smoked Salmon and Champagne. All of this at 10:00am and I was worried that I would not eat my lunch. We started the morning with some television and sharing what we call the Tree gifts. For the past five years we have exchanged not only main presents but the smaller side ones. The funny gifts. We had to wait until after lunch to open the main presents.

Luncheon was delishious. After cooking the Turkey to perfection it was as Alex rightly said Moist to perfection with Roasted Potatoes and veg followed by home made Mince Pies and then later in the day Christmas Pudding. It was a chilled day of good company and great food.
Everyone was up so early that we were all in bed before midnight and the following morning we had to have our coffee, pack and make our way to my mothers for Boxing Day Lunch and a chance to see the family. Some years this is just my Mother, Father, Brother and Sister in Law and of course dear old Nan. This year my mother had invited the entire family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Second Cousins, Sister in Law, her parents and her brother. Everyone’s partner. I lost count but I think there were around 38 for boxing day lunch.

It was nice to see all the family again but sadly we didn’t really get a chance to speak with or spend much time with them all. We both were quite tired from all the lead up to Christmas and too many late nights recently. So we left around 20:00 and made our way home with all of the presents to open them up once we had a bottle of wine cracked open. A huge thank you to everyone for all our gifts and presents.

Dusan had to work early on the 27th so we couldn’t be up too late.

Come the 28th we were packed and ready for Amsterdam. We had to leave around 10:00 to get to the airport in time for our flight. We managed to check in and time to get to the VIP lounge (Thank goodness for the card) and relaxed pre flight.

We were soon in our Hotel in Amsterdam and ready for a nice meal and then a few drinks in the gay District.

The next day we explored the city centre and made our way around the shops and attractions. We checked out the usual spots. The famous Red Light district, checked out the clubs and coffee shops, the famous leather shops of Rob & Mister B.

That night after a light dinner we made our way to the club, CockRing. Its not as bad as it sounds and in reality is just a very small club in this small city. The drinks were quite pricey but we didn’t mind as there were some cute boys we could enjoy looking at while we had a few drinks. Then a few Red Bulls to keep us going. All was great until I managed to go to the bathroom and as people were passing me on the very narrow stairwell and I slid on some water and fell flat on my backside and on my wrist which hurt like hell. Thankfully I missed my Cockix.

Spent the next couple of days enjoying the sights and sounds of Amsterdam and then on New Years Eve took a train from Amsterdam Central to Hoorn. A Town about 45 minutes North of Amsterdam towards the coast.

I had made plans to meet with my dear friend Shirley Van Brugge from Holland. We became good friends back in Orlando when we both worked at Disney. Neither of us have seen each other since about the year 2000 but the magical thing about Disney is that the friends we made are friends for life. It doesnt seem to matter if its a matter of months or 12 years. The friendships are as storng when we meet up as they have ever been. But then I guess we are lucky that we gained our maturity living in the most magical place on Earth. Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. Shirley met us at the train Station and took us on a shoprt tour of the city and then we went to the harbour to take a few pictures and then headed to a restaurant in town. Here we met Shirley's Partner the lovely Berrie. Like us, they had their wedding this year. You should have seen the pictures they both looked so adorable. Isnt it magical when you see a picture of two people so obviously in love? We had a lovely lunch in a bistro style cafe along with a side of traditional Frites with sauce. Yummy. I dare not think of my waste line though but as Shirley said you should enjoy life. So we did. From here we made our way back to their beautiful new home and met their cute little dog and enjoyed a coffee and a looked through their wedding album.

We said our goodbyes in time to get back to Amsterdam and buy some drinks to celebrate. To our horror all of the shops that sold alcohol had closed already. But thankfully the late night deli near our hotel sold wine!

We bought a bottle of wine or two and had a few drinks while we got showered and dressed and then headed into town. This time to a bar called the Moulin Rouge. Funny it seemed appropriate. It was only what I could describe as something a bit like the White Swan. A bar with live music and a similar crowd. We stayed for a few drinks and saw the new year in there and then made a sharp exit as apparently it was traditional to watch the fireworks on New Years. We exited to what was like a scene from a war movie. Every street was filled with smoke. Fireworks going off in every direction. Loud bangs everywhere and the smoke getting thicker and thicker we decided to head to another bar for cover and a few more drinks before heading back to enjoy the rest of the wine.

l in all a lovely little break. So nice to see Shirley again and lovely to spend so much quality time with Dusan.

When we returned I had a zillion texts and messages as my phone charger died and I could not charge my phone. One of the messages was from Christine in Norway, telling me how she had met some people in Norway at a party at New Years and they had also worked at Disney World. Somehow they lacked the Magic that we all had and she was honest when she said that they didnt have half the magic we did and how glad she was that she had been there when we were. When there were so many wonderful people and so many magical memories. I miss you too Christine and hope to see you soon and likewise, I am appreciative too as all of the dear friends we made in those years were only what could be described as magical.

May we both wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the prosperity and success in 2008. Stay well. Love N&D.