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Wandering Around the Red Light District in Amsterdam While Drunk and Middle-Aged

Look, it could happen to anyone who loves cheese

Mary DeVries
Age of Empathy
7 min readNov 23, 2024

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Photo by Designecologist: https://www.pexels.com/photo/heart-shaped-red-neon-signage-887349/

I blame the wine and cheese canal cruise.

I envisioned a waiter, groaning cheese board held high as he navigates the narrow aisle, parceling out hefty chucks of Dutch gold while bright stars twinkle above and well lit 17th century canal houses drift by. Our sommelier gives us entertaining and informative facts about the provenience of each cheese and why it is paired with which wine.

I expect a lot for €30.

Our mouths water as we sit down at the narrow table set with one modest plate of cubed cheese and five small crackers.

Nice, we think, a few nibbles while we wait to get this party started. No one else is eating so we wait too, sipping the wine which is poured for us immediately.

“We should eat an early dinner before the cruise,” he’d said.

“And fill our tummies before the cheese? What if we run out of space?”

“Good point, we’ll have a big lunch and eat after if we’re still hungry.”

My heart swelled with love for this man of mine. Magazines don’t talk about travel compatibility but it’s what really keeps you married for…

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Age of Empathy
Age of Empathy

Published in Age of Empathy

We publish high-quality personal essays, humor essays, and writer interviews. Our goal is to provide a place for experienced writers to share authentic stories and connect with others, collectively celebrating a common passion, striving toward an age of empathy.

Mary DeVries
Mary DeVries

Written by Mary DeVries

I delight, despair and write about a life lived around the world. Fueled by Yorkshire Gold tea.

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