Shhhh…. Don’t Tell My Cardiologist

We just got back from an amazing four-day trip to Amsterdam, and it would be hard to imagine a better place to spend four days.

We loved every minute of it; here were some of the highlights:

• the Heineken Experience
• the van Gogh Museum (the first art museum I actually enjoyed walking through)
• the flower market
• the canal cruise
• the Foodhallen
• the Anne Frank House
• the bikes, scooters, buses, trams, and metro
• the Red Light District (love might be too strong a word to describe our walk through this neighborhood; interesting might be a better one)
• the smell of pot everywhere

But what also made the visit fun was a little bit of walking on the wild side, at least by my standards. Here are some of the things I did on this trip that I have not done in years:

• had a regular cup of coffee, not decaffeinated
• had a regular beer, not a non-alcoholic one
• had a waffle, even though it was not vegan

Sad to say, but doing such things is what I now consider walking on the wild side.

I’m happy to report that I seem to have survived such dangerous living.

But I do have an appointment with my cardiologist in about two months, and I’m worried what she might say when I tell her about my crazy Amsterdam lifestyle.

She’ll probably tell me to not make a habit of such lifestyle choices.

And I don’t plan to, at least until my next visit to Amsterdam (or the next time I feel like being a man’s man).

P.S. I’ve heard Amsterdam described as the most liberal city in the world, just one more reason to like the place.

P.S.S. The waffle was my first non-vegan meal since the day I became a vegan, 11 years ago. I have to admit, it was a great way to end the streak. But no reason why I can’t start a new one.