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Being the boring couple that we are, we didn't hit the bars, clubs or pubs. Most of our entertainment was the museums, and simply sightseeing and walking.
However, the last night, in Amsterdam, we were truly entertained by a street juggler, and I wish to relate this now, while it is still fresh in my mind. Not that his act was anything spectacular in itself: the usual combination....juggling balls (up to seven), bowling pins, and as the finale, juggling a torch, machete and an apple, while balancing on a ladder and taking bites out of the apple.
However, his true entertainment value was in the way he handled the audience. Firstly, one could appreciate his love of entertaining and his cool reparte with the crowd. Of course, he had his "lines" ready: "Hey...there's a strange woman following you...Oh, you're together," or "your parachute is on backwards" (to a guy wearing his backpack on his chest), etc. etc.
Firstly, he kept insisting on applause. The audience was rather apathetic to start with, having seen a number of other acts already (including one old guy, only in Loincloth, climbing some contraption....eeugh!!). As he kept calling out "assitants" he insisted the audience liven up, until we were really going strong. If he did a "good" trick, he insisted that we applaud him for doing his "job."
Finally, for his finale. After he was up the ladder, he had one lady throw him the torch and another hand him the machete, and finally had a small boy throw him the apple. He told the boy that if he did a good throw, he would get a prize. After the kid threw said apple, he told him he did a good job, and threw him down a 5 Euro note! No small prize!
And then he explained himself. He believes everyone deserved to be paid for a job well done. Since the boy threw the apple as required, he deserved to be paid. And similarly, his job, being to entertain us, deserved remuneration if he does it well. So, if he does manage to do what he promises, mainly to juggle and eat on top of the ladder, he expects that he should be paid. If we take into account the cost of a coffee or beer, then, couldn't we agree that his well-done job should be worth at least the price of a coffee or a beer? And, if anyone didn't have money, and he said he knew what it was like to be broke, then he expected at least a "Thank you."
Well, he did his "job" ok, and from the stream of people making their way to his held-out hat at the end, (me included!) I know that that 5E investment he made was the wisest ever!
