True Taste of Dutch Youth Culture

After an exhausting 48 hours in Amsterdam, I was sure we'd be spending Saturday night relaxing and recovering. But around 11:00, I found myself enjoying a Bikse Tripel, quite possibly my favorite beer of all time, around the kitchen table with a few friends. By midnight we were sitting in Mick O'Connell's, the only pub with potential to be playing the Final Four. It wasn't. Marcus, a Dutch friend, stopped in the pub to ask if we wanted to go to a real Dutch party.
We were back at Parnassos to pick up bikes in ten minutes flat. Two minutes later, my back tire was flat, and contorted in such a way that I almost cried, thanks to Tim sitting on the back. The Golden Stallion just couldn't handle close to 400lbs, and she may now have to take a swim in a local canal.
A little re-organizing got us to the party by 2:00, and it was roaring. 7 euros at the door, all the beer in giant mugs that you can drink. 2 DJ's. Lots and lots of Dutch people. I think the average height in the place was close to 6'3". I think Tim was a little overwhelmed at first, thanks to being covered with beer almost immediately. By the end, everyone's shirts and pants were beer soaked and ashed. The low-point of the party came at 4am, when we left, and someone had left with my jacket. And my keys, phone, and key to my friends bike lock. So I carried the bike the 2 miles home, and cut my losses.
Sunday didn't start until around 1:30, by far the latest I've slept since I've been here. I spent the afternoon finishing a paper, and we took an hour or two to visit Grift Park with a frisbee and a soccer ball. Somehow we got involved in a rather intense game of "street-soccer", which featured an ex-pro player's son and some shin kicking ten-year-olds. It couldn't have helped that I was wearing deck shoes. We went out for coffee, and later a gyro at El Greco, around 9:00.
Monday both Barry and I had to go to class. Barry skipped and lazed around with Tim, while I spent five hours on campus for my cultural studies course. After a fantastic italian dinner, the three of us walked to the Oudegracht to visit Sarasani, the oldest coffeeshop in Holland. We enjoyed the free coffee and some excellent music, then got back to Parnassos in time for some chocolate cake, courtesy of the Swedes. Lately I've had the suspicion they're trying to fatten the American's up so they can make fun of us. Mike, Barry, Josephine, and I put together our spring break plans, which include four days in Germany (Cologne, Dusseldorf, Bonn), and four more in Belgium (Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp). I'm looking forward to some tamer trips.
Today should be a good time, although eventually I need to write up some empirical analysis for my econ class. Tomorrow afternoon Tim and I leave for Copenhagen, which I haven't planned much for, but I'm sure we'll land on our feet. Hopefully Tim knows some Danish.