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Ambling around Amsterdam
On July 26, 2023 by ElyseOne of the most misunderstood cities in Europe is Amsterdam. For some reason or other this bright capital of the cut diamond has failed to make a vivid impression on the consciousness of the tourist world, yet it has an extraordinary beauty and variety all its own. – The Evening Post, April 11, 1935 Having
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Roaming around Rotterdam
On October 7, 2020 by ElyseWhen the American tourist of former summers, whose mind was filled with a preconceived notion of Europe made up of a wealth of statistical and historical information, approached the port of Rotterdam on his maiden voyage, he usually suffered his first great European disappointment. The most reliable of reference books had prepared him for the
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Blabbing with a Buccaneer, Part Two
On September 26, 2018 by ElyseAhoy, mateys! Welcome to the second and final chapter of my imagined interview with an unsung pirate of the Caribbean, Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf. If you’re just coming onboard, be sure to catch up on Part One. Welcome back, Captain de Graaf. You were just telling us what self-aggrandizing feat you performed after tracking
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Blabbing with a Buccaneer, Part One
On September 19, 2018 by ElyseLike many women—and men, too—on occasion, I’ve fallen prey to the charms of an archetypical “bad boy.” What can I say? A few tattoos, a motorcycle and a hint of an attitude problem make for an inexplicably attractive combination. Swashbuckling pirates might just be the original bad boys: They seek out adventure and danger, they