Amsterdam. Mention of the word makes most well traveled cruisers smile. And for good reason. What New Orleans and San Francisco are for the USA – a place to visit so one can ‘sin’ – Amsterdam is that magnified for the entire world. I’ve had the real privilege of having lived in all three cities and of the three, this city is by far the destination of choice for cruisers (or should be).

The Dutch are an odd bunch with an interesting history. The way Amsterdam addresses the needs and desires of people is remarkable the world over and is a reflection of these very unique people. I am pleased to report that even now, at a time of great prosperity, when the city has attempted to clean up its reputation, all those wonderful decadences you count on are still there and going strong!

Realizing my time in Europe was winding down and just a bit frustrated that work had consumed so much of my stay that virtually none of the travel I’d planned had materialized, I made a last minute decision to try and get to Amsterdam for a long weekend. Priceline.com found me a room at the Marriott for $80, and without much cajoling Joe was on his way from London to meet me. Neither of us realized until our plans were already booked the weekend we were to visit was Amsterdam Gay Pride.

With less than an hour to spare, we checked in at the hotel and then scurried down to the canal to watch the parade. Yes, I said the canal. The Amsterdam parade happens on water (see pictures) when boats line up, each decorated to express the message of various groups and businesses. As parades go, this one is not a huge affair, but then Amsterdam is not a big city. They’ve only had a gay pride parade here for 6 years, but as someone who stopped attending such parades years back, this one was actually kind of fun.

As the parade passed by, one simply decorated boat drew our attention. A man stood at the front of the boat as it slowed down so he could serenade another man sitting along the edge of the canal. With a rose in one hand and microphone in the other, our serenading lover was in the process of a most public attempt to propose marriage. Yes, of course they can do that here since the Dutch are now the first people on earth to recognize same-sex marriage on a complete equal footing with opposite sex marriage. I could not believe I had lived long enough to see this happen – one man asking for another to marry him, realizing that this wasn’t just a show, this was an attempt to form a legal partnership. While I am opposed to marriage as a rule, I’d be dishonest if I didn’t confess that being a witness to this spectacle was moving. And yes, it appeared that the man said ‘yes’. Eventually another smaller boat came up and created a temporary walkway for the two lovers to get together, embrace and be congratulated by friends gathered around. They all sailed down the canal and into history.

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.