I, too, planned a last minute triip to Amerstrdam without realizing it was pride weekend. The Dutch know how to put on a great pride weekend, and my lover and I had a fantastic time. The canal parade was by far the best pride parade I have ever seen, the the 300,000 plus spectators lining the banks of the prisengracht (sp?) canal, both straight and gay, was heartwarming. And the sex freely available in the darkrooms of the various bars we visited also added to a very fun weekend. If you have the chance, go to Amersterdam's pride weekend next year, the first weekend of August.