At about 9:30 Matt came upstairs to Randy's apartment to check in for the day. We both slept very well and were ready to go exploring. We grabbed some breakfast at a little café fried eggs and pancakes (actually more like giant crepes) were the morning's fare.

More beautiful canals.

Picked up some 3 day tram passes for the city's street cars (they look very much like the old above ground Muni cars in San Francisco). We traveled down to the South of the city and visited RoB and Black Body, two leather/rubber stores. Randy was able to find a proper fitting pair of leather jeans to replace the ones he got in London a few months ago that were now too baggy.

At one point we were on the tram and a man was coming alongside us on rollerblades wearing nothing but a leather harness, leather bikini briefs, and leather gloves. Several women were elbowing each other and laughing, but in a friendly sort of way, not judgemental or ridiculing at all. It was a nice example of how tolerant people here are. Sorry, we didn't get a picture.

We kept seeing tiny little European cars zipping along the streets. Each seemed to be smaller than the last. We joked that it seemed like a contest to see who could have the smallest amount of metal on four wheels. Just at that moment a parking cop drove by in what was literally a box on wheels.

Itty-bitty cars... they're so cute!

We hopped back on the tram to the Bloemenmarkt, or "Flower Market" area, and walked down one of the streets called Reguliersdwarsstraat (try saying that five times fast... in fact, try saying that at all) that was supposed to be a gay area. We were both feeling like we'd like a little snack when Matt spied a cute guy in a coffee shop, so we headed in for some bagels. After a few minutes we started talking to these two friendly Israeli boys, named Noah and Schlomee. Turns out they were also in Amsterdam on vacation. We chatted for a while and then Schlomee headed back to their hotel to get some sleep. Noah followed us along for a while, stopping at a couple of clothing stores. We all decided to meet later in the evening at 10pm at a club called Soho.

Amsterdam has something caled the "Homomonument," a triangular pink marble structure that was built as the city's symbol of tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality, and to make a statement of support for those who have been oppressed and discriminated against. When we realized we were near it we made a detour and were glad we did.

The Homomonument is made up of four steps leading down to a triangular structure that juts out into the Keizersgracht Canal. One corner points to Anne Frank's house, one corner points to the COC (the Dutch gay political organization), and the other points out into the water as a symbol for the future.

Matt on the steps of the Homomonument.

Upon leaving the Homomonument we walked back towards the hotel, stopping at a couple of other stores on the way. Finally we hit a little grocery store to get some snacks to tide us over until dinner.

I mean, how could you not try it?

After working on the website for a few hours we found that it was almost time to go out for the evening. 45 minutes later we had decided what to wear, and were headed to the club named "Soho".

On the way to Soho we walked through some of the quaint, winding streets when we stumbled on the prostitution section of the Warmoesstraat area. There were rows of doors with large windows on them leading into tiny little rooms with a bed and a chair. Each room had a scantily clad woman posing and beckoning passersby. As you walked past they'd spy you and tap on the glass to get your attention. It was very weird. We saw one of the doors with drawn curtains open up and a guy walked out and down the street. Three seconds later the woman inside whipped the curtain aside and took her position, ready for business again. Now that's stamina! It was almost too funny when we noticed at the end of one of the many rows a pretty little building with an old-fashioned wooden sign hanging up that read "Prostitution Information Centre." Did we mention the Dutch were relaxed about sex?

We arrived about 9:45 and staked out a place at the bar. When Matt excused himself to go to the bathroom, Randy started to remember how much he dislikes being in a bar alone. After a while Randy decided that the new leather pants he had purchased that day were quite a bit tighter than he had originally thought, and they were not going to be comfortable for dancing. He headed back to the hotel for a quick change, while Matt headed for the upstairs bar to hang out. When Randy returned, he found Matt talking to two fiesty and slightly drunken English boys. We chatted with them for a while for lack of anything better to do, and put up with being asked five or six times where we were from and how long we were staying. But when they'd downed a few more drinks, got totally sloshed, and started smashing glasses we decided it was time to leave. And Americans have a bad reputation.

As they came down the stairway, Randy spotted a handsome guy at the foot of the stairs talking with some friends. Randy introduced himself (at Matt's firm prodding) and found that the guy's name was Dominic. They talked a bit and then Matt and Randy headed next door to the dance club "EXiT".

EXiT was kind of a disappointment, club-wise. We're pretty spoiled in San Francisco, and having just come from London's incredible night life we weren't too impressed with the music or dance floor. Still, there was a lot of energy and some good familiar tunes mixed in among what sounded like Dutch pop songs. The fact that everyone seemed to be having such a good time made it more fun. It also didn't hurt that there were handsome guys galore.

On arriving there Matt struck up a conversation with a Dutch woman, and Randy started to talk to a Belgian guy named Yuric. After about half an hour Yuric led them upstairs to the main dance floor, where Randy got to see first hand just how fast Matt moves when he's interested. Randy decided to go back downstairs to leave Matt and Yuric groping on the mostly empty dance floor.

The music was actually much better downstairs and Randy was having fun looking over the crowd when in walked Dominic. After some smalltalk and drinks they started dancing (ok, more like grinding).

Noah and Schlomee finally arrived... three hours late... something both of us find immensely irritating. We politely acknowledged their arrival and moved on to other things. You snooze, you lose, fellas.

Randy and Dominic went back upstairs to sit at the quieter bar for a while, and Matt came by saying he had found a nice New York boy named Rob and that they were heading out. After a while longer Randy and Dominic headed to The Cockring (traveling on the back of Dominic's bicycle, which was an adventure in and of itself) which was fairly quiet, but it was dark, had good music, and nitrous oxide balloons for sale. After about an hour it was time to head for Randy's apartment for some more private time...

Meanwhile Matt was enjoying himself with the New York guy, Rob, after having resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to meet guys that were actually from the place he was visiting. Rob was actually from New Jersey, had a bit of a Jersey accent, was tough, butch, and deep-voiced, but at the same time a very sweet and sincere guy. He and Matt had a long and pleasurable romp back at the apartment.

The next morning Matt asked Randy if he and Dominic had themselves been lifting and dropping their bed.