Thursday 6th in Amsterdam

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Not today … John slept in after a raucous night of thunder and lightening and heavy rains. But upon opening the curtains it is cloudy but clear. Maybe this is Camelot.

As we traveled around the city we found that there were some high winds last night. Five or more large and old trees fell on one canal alone. We saw the result, including crushed boats and damage to the sidewalks and canals. Global warming.

We made it to the Rijksmuseum just as it opened and scooted into the Rembrandt special exhibit of almost all of his drawings and a number of his paintings, laid out over at least seven galleries. What a thrill to see all of his most intimate work. His drawings bring you into personal relationship with the people he was observing. You almost want to know them … or do know them. Some of the religious and portrait work he had to do to make ends meet does not come off as well. Understandable. And it was a great exhibit. After a few hours there we made our way into the rest of the museum, which was totally overwhelming. A small section of Asian art, including a Japanese screen of a Dutch ship and associated colony. The Dutch masters, including the Night Watch, were crowded but most enjoyable.

After three and a half hours of constant input we had to get out into the city, so we left and had lunch at a little pancake house nearby. Our first pancake was alright but not great. The pea soup John ordered was great and certainly filled our stomachs along with the pleasant sounds of boats on the canal.

From there we made our way to an antique store that specialized in silver, just because it was such a riot of plates and utensils and everything silver. We wandered around and talked to the owner and enjoyed the tight but fun ambiance. Then back to the hotel for a quick rest before going out again to look for prints of windmills like the ones we saw at the museum. A couple of different shops were located online and we searched them out and discovered a whole section of the city that has antiques. What fun to look around and ask questions and enjoy quality workmanship.

Tired out we stopped for tapas at an Argentine/Spanish restaurant named Castillo. A real find with great service, good food and a warm environment. After about an hour and a half we made our way back to the hotel. Just short of the front door Peggy tripped and fell. A couple of thoughtful locals helped her back onto her feet and John got her to the hotel room to rest and recuperate. A tough ending to a wonderful day, and Peggy is doing fine as John writes today’s blog.

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