October 23, 2014 Amsterdam, Proprietary School, New Friend

As yesterday, I fall asleep around 4AM and woke up at noon.  I need to figure this out soon.  Though after looking at the time in Kenya, my next big trip, its only a few hours difference.  Again, I venture over to my usual breakfast place.  By now, I know two of the wait people and the sister, Elise, who apparently is the day to day manager.  Today, I order french toast.  It was pretty good.  They even served it with original Vermont Maple Syrup. I also think I called it some other name but it's called Downtown Burger.  Okay now I accept your place an "original American food" cafe, as they claim.  I also like this place because they have free wi-fi, helps keep down my cell phone data bill.
I only stay a couple of hours today, but they don't mind me sitting out front in the covered areas.  They say if someone is sitting out front it does draw more people.  Now Im a cafe huckster in Amsterdam.  I decide to walk to an area called Old Town.  It does have more of an older architectural feel to it.  I came across a really interest gate that I thought would make an interesting picture.  The letters on the gate I could not translate so I googled them, Athenaeum Illustre.  Seems this location  is a school/college hundreds of years old and one of the oldest in Europe.  It was the forerunner of the current University of Amsterdam.  I guess you could say this is one of the oldest original proprietary schools in history...well it wasn't government supported back then!  I'll post something on Facebook on the history of the place.
Today, I took a lot of pictures of buildings and homes.  They are so beautiful and tall!  I decide Im going to start back early to see if I can get to sleep earlier.  I stop by my hangout Downtown Burger and decide to try one of their specialities, California Burger: avocado, cheddar, sprouts and tomato, plus an order of fries.  It was actually pretty good.  As I was finishing, a nice young lady named Fiona sat next to me and noticed I was writing in a diary and updating this blog.  She ask if I was a writer.  After finding out I wasn't a Thomas Wolfe or Ernest Hemingway, she still wanted to talk.  Seems she is from Paris and when she found out I was going next week proceeded to give me a list of several places to visit. One of my goals is to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where several famous people are buried including writer Oscar Wilde, composers Georges Bizet and Fredric Chopin...and Jim Morrison of Doors fame (my favorite band and singer from the 60-70's).  She knew just where it was located and gave me directions from where I was staying in the Montmartre area.  It was a nice visit, she as well was interested in my trip plans.  After about a couple of hours of conversation, she was on her way.  She was flying back to Paris that evening.  She wanted to know my FaceBook info so she could follow my trip.  I obliged.  I know what you might be thinking, but she was younger than my oldest daughter.  I stood to greet her farewell.  I was a little dumbfounded when she gave me a kiss on both cheeks and said thank you for the conversation.  There is more to this story, but you will have to ask me on the side.
I spent the next hour talking to the young waiter at the cafe that was looking for school advice.  I left the cafe, walked back to the apartment and watched three more episodes of House of Cards.  I can't believe I love the Kevin Spacey character.  The guy is so deceiving/conniving but I find myself rooting for him.