Rick Steves' tours always end with a group dinner, our final gathering. And I think this was the first time on this trip where we had to walk in a little downpour on our way to the restaurant. We've been lucky with the weather; in fact, I know I was dressed too warmly on some days.
This scene caught our attention as we scurried by. In a pleasant interior courtyard surrounded by cafés and the ever-popular Hard Rock, this large chessboard with knee-high kings gets a lot of attention. The square is named after Max Euwe, a Dutch world chess champion. He is known for beating 14-year-old Bobby Fischer in 1957 with 20 moves.
We quickly took shelter under a row of tall, grey, Greek-style columns next to the square. Had we not had our heads tucked into our collars to avoid rain in our faces, we might've seen the Latin inscription above the colonnade--"Homo Sapiens non urinat in ventum." It supposedly translates to "People, don't pee into the wind." Good advice.
This is where we paused for Hilbren to give a little speech and hand out a little souvenir. I will add these tiny porcelain blue and white Dutch shoes to my miniature reminders of past Rick Steves' tours.
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