Amsterdam - Day 4

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Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095

So this morning I was up relatively early to go to the Aalsmeer Flower market. Flowers aren't really my thing but a certain friend of mine insisted. (Not naming names but his name starts with H....and ends with enk) First challenge was finding where the bus stop is. Note: it was not the same as the tram stop. I swiped my GVB pass but it came up Err: something dutch. I looked at the bus driver uncertainly and he said that's OK. The bus driver on the way home wasn't so nice, he charged me for the trip. Apparently my GVB pass is not for out of town...opps.

The flower market was cool. Absolutely massive. According to the website it is one of the largest buildings in the world. I don't know about that but I'd say it has to be close. About 6000 sellers flog €2 billion worth of flowers here every year. That's a lot of tulips! Actually they had more than tulips, all sorts of flowers, herbs, plants, I even saw some weird pumpkin looking things. The flowers come in on these big trolleys. In one section they were dragging them around on little forklifts, so many forklifts. It looked like Flinders St in peak hour, but with forklifts. In another section the trolleys were rolling along little tracks, like a train. I don't know how they knew where to go but only one guy was floating around supervising them. The flowers made their way into the auction room, where buyers were set up with computer screens. On the big board there was this huge clock thing. When a lot goes to bid it starts at 100 a little red dot spins around as the buyers make their bids. Its a dutch auction so the count goes down instead of up. Its super fast. The trolleys of flowers don't stop, they keep rolling through. Flowers come from all over the world, Kenya, Columbia, Ethiopia and of course the locals, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands

I can now say say I've seen all of Hollands sights, windmills, clogs, flowers, hookers and drugs.

When I got back to the city centre, my bus dropped me off right next to the Rijksmuseum. It was on the list for today anyway so I figured now was as good as time as any to go in. I should have waited. The museum was good but I really only saw half of it before I got really hangry. (For those that don't know, that's angry because you're hungry) The museum did not only display works of art, furnishings etc, but the little explanation panels explained the era each piece was produced in, linking the art to the history of the time. It was great but once the hanger set in all the other tourists really got up my nose. Why must people stand right in front of me when I'm reading something or admiring a piece. Seriously, do they not recognise the centre of the universe when they see it? Add to the mix, all that time in the wind and rain yesterday has taken its toll and my cold is back. I decided it was time for lunch.

After lunch I decided I wasn't really in the mood for museums. I'd made the call earlier to stay one more night here, so there is always tomorrow. I ended up going for a walk and seeing where the road takes me. First place I stumbled across was the flower market. Only they didn't just sell flowers. They had all sorts of trinkets and goodies. Had to laugh when I saw the cannabis seeds right next to the bulbs. I found a torture museum, yeah I know, another museum, but no art in this one. Only a small place but a lot of history on the medieval torture methods. The Spanish inquisition have a lot to answer for. I don't know what twisted minds thought that a confession reached under excruciating pain meant it had to be true.

Further along on my walk I found a busker, in a canoe, in the canal, playing an organ and selection of wind instruments. He was really good. At the end of his gig he pulled out a fishing reel with a clog attached and stretched it out to the bank for donations. I walked for about half an hour until it looked like it was going to rain so I found a cafe to sit back and blog/people watch. I couldn't decide on a wine, or a spirit or a coffee. So I compromised with a baileys irish coffee. Nom nom nom. As I enjoyed my coffee I noticed a church across the canal. I thought gee that looks like the Oude Kerk (old church), which means I'm right near the RDL. Sure enough, I look around again and on the corner right next to me is a little bollard with red lights and stripes, yep, looks like I can find it when I'm not looking! For the record, when I made my way home it wasn't Oude Kerk but Nieuwmarkt, not where I thought I was but still right on the RDL

After my leisurely afternoon, I took a leisurely stroll home. No I did not get lost, one can't get lost when one is just aimlessly walking the streets. I found a few little shops and purchased a new umbrella and some much needed tissues. I'm onto my third umbrella. I lost the first one somewhere in Arras. The second one took a beating in yesterdays wind, it did not stand up to the challenge. Early to bed tonight, maybe a good nights rest along with the appropriate drugs will kick this cold

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Comments

[accused]

alleged , wasn me..not saying another word untill my lawyer gets here

[t.bird]

My apologies, the flower market sells ?2 Billion of flowers, not ?2 million. I didn't realised the accused was so passionate about flowers, I shall endeavour to be more accurate in future