Ok, I am no fashion diva. I’ll be the first to admit it. If my clothes are clean, and the colours coordinate, I’m pretty comfortable. Yet, I concede that putting together a suitcase full of clothes for a holiday trip requires a bit more thought. I need to select items that won’t wrinkle too much, items that dry quickly, and items that don’t take up too much space. Then I also need enough variety so that I’m not wearing the same thing in every photo, because that makes it look like you went away for one very long day… I like to select items that mix and match with the other items in my bag so that I have my options covered for the various different kinds of weather that will be encountered.
How I pack
The contents of that suitcase are a big part of any trip planning that is undertaken. First I pile up everything I think I could possibly want to take. And then I try and fit it in the suitcase. This usually ends up in a second or possibly even a third cull on that original pile.
The reason I’m telling you all of this is so you will know that shirt was not an accidental occurrence in my luggage. Noooo, it was chosen above other items that got left behind, to add a little colour to the ensemble.
My father was born in Zeist, in the Netherlands. This particular trip we were going on was to visit Amsterdam and then take a trip back to the place he was born. It was my first time seeing the Netherlands, and I was looking forward to it. I was googling everything I could think of, places to go, things to see, etc. That’s how I came to know of the existence of koffieshops, and I was planning to stay well away from those. What I didn’t know, was the effect that shirt would have on one of their customers after they had been inside the koffieshop.
What NOT to wear in Amsterdam
That shirt was a cream coloured thing with a floral pattern.
Those of you who have sampled the wares of a koffieshop are probably sniggering now. For those of you who, like me, have not done so – let me explain.
Here we are walking down the street at night, after a day out walking around. I must have been warm from the walking, because I had taken my coat off, displaying that shirt. Suddenly, a man comes staggering over towards us, and laughing. Laughing loudly. At first, I thought he was drunk, so I altered my course to give him a wide berth. But he followed me, and now he was pointing at my shirt and laughing hysterically.
I’m feeling about two feet tall now and absolutely mortified. Passers-by are also noticing the spectacle. I just kept walking at a fast pace to get away from the embarrassment. I didn’t actually know that he was laughing at that shirt until later (one of my more worldly wise acquaintances explained it to me).
Yeah, so apparently flowers are hysterical when you have smoked pot. That would have been helpful to know before I packed that damn suitcase. Thanks for nothing google!
Well, at least now I know what NOT to wear in Amsterdam.
P.S. – Yes, before I upset anyone in the Netherlands……. this photo of me wearing that shirt was taken in Delft (oude kerk leaning in the background). It was as we were arriving home back to Amsterdam (in the evening) that the laughing and pointing happened. And my family didn’t take a photo of the incident, so this photo was the best example I had to show you. Glad that’s all clear!
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