Trippin', in Amsterdam

Amsterdam might not seem an obvious stop on the way from Tanzania to Canada. That is, unless, you consider that another couple of INSEADers got married here this weekend and there were a couple of dozen others who made the journey to Holland in order to share in the celebration.

The city itself may be one of the most amenable to quality, low cost fun with friends.

A private canal tour,

a cruise around the city on bikes, 

lazy meals on street side cafe's. All with a handful of my closest friends from the year. Honestly, that would have been enough to make the trip worthwhile, but the wedding took this trip to a whole new level of enjoyment.

It's not every day that you see a bride and groom escorted from a wedding in a pink tuk-tuk under a shower of bubbles.

But then, it's not every day that you see a bride who is seven-months pregnant rocking out at an afternoon at the pool.

Or a transvestite DJ bringing the party to a reception at the bride's parent's place.

It was the sort of wedding atmosphere that most people dream of, but which somehow gets lost in logistics, formalities and other crap, It was the sort of wedding chemistry that could give rise to the following situation.

At the reception, we realize that one of us has sealed the wedding card before the signature and money collection was complete. No problem, we open the card and get the rest of the signatures and cash. Incidentally, a few people realize that they don't have many euros on them, which gives rise to throwing in some small change. That opens the door to throw in just about anything, including an 'I owe you' written on the back of a used napkin. When we go to reseal the envelope, it's clear that there is not enough original glue to make that a viable option. Being resourceful, we realize that a few of us are chewing gum, which is sticky, right? Turns out that the answer is not really. By now, the gum is on the envelope and the envelope is a bit wet. There's no turning back. 

That envelope could not have been filled with more love. And neither could this marriage. Have a wonderful and happy life together, Robin and Meik. We love you.