Day 12 - Amsterdam

Woop! Finally made it. I'm staying in a campsite about 3km from the city centre in a v small town called Zonderdorp. It's very strange, 30 minutes on the bus from a bustling city centre and I'm out in some tranquil rural paradise with cows and goats and whatnot.

The campsite itself is some kind of alternative commune. There's yurts and tepees, and many interesting and, to be frank, stoned people about. It's a bit like being at Glastonbury without the music.

I've made friends with these two old Russian guys called Yuri and Alex. I met them when they were playing chess and drinking vodka. We all had a drink and a smoke together and collectively put the boot into Yeltsin (and at one point Brezhnev, but I was a bit out of my depth there). So it's all very pleasant stuff, nice that the last place I camp is probably the friendliest.

I had a good look around Amsterdam yesterday. It is, obviously, lovely. Im sure I must be the last person I know never to have been before. I sat around drinking Amstell, eating falafel and listening to jazz music.

Today I'm heading for Anne Frank's house, and then afterwards to cheer myself up there's an exhibition of Stanley Kubrick props on.