#2990 pdin 9 - vacation memories day 14 Amsterdam (Thursday 18 Sept)

A quick follow up to yesterday's post: I am feeling a lot better today. The amount of sleep I got was a lot. I was in bed by 8 pm and woke up around 5:30 am. I'm happy to say that I have been up and moving around all day. My body feels better, not as achy. I've been a little dizzy, but mostly okay. Whew. That was rough.

Now on to the good stuff!

ussie with Sunflowers

This was our last full day of vacation. The plan for the day was to visit the Van Gogh Museum, stop in bookstores, go on a dark history tour, and pack.

After breakfast in the hotel, Lizzie guided us to the Van Gogh Museum which was about a 30 minute walk from the hotel. Of course it was raining, so most of my view was from under my quickly deteriorating black umbrella. It was a nice walk, though, as I was getting used to walking in the rain, looking our for bikes, and enjoying the ambience of Amsterdam.

We purchased our tickets well in advance and had a timed entry, so we were able to skip the long line and go right in. The museum is modern with lots of natural light in the common areas - not where the art is, of course. The first thing you see is a three story screen with changing photos of Van Gogh's paintings, and on another wall, a few of his quotes. I loved this one:

inside the Van Gogh Museum

The museum is beautifully laid out on three levels. The first level is his early work when he was developing his style. The most famous painting on this level is probably The Potato Eaters...

The Potato Eaters

...but I like his self-portraits better. Since he didn't have much money, he painted self-portraits as a way to develop his skill and style. 

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat

On the second floor of the museum, the star of the show is undoubtedly Sunflowers.

Sunflowers

Seeing this painting in real life brought me to tears. I could have slithered to the floor and cried ugly tears. Why? I guess when I see something like a painting like this, something that I've seen a hundred times in books or on the interwebs, something that is just a fact, a given, something that is so common you might overlook it and take it for granted, to see it in person is a little overwhelming, I guess. I felt the same way looking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, especially the first time. I got teary-eyed seeing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and Angkor Wat. Maybe it's that young Sandy would have never imagined that she would have the chance to see these things in real life. I believe that part of the emotion from Sunflowers is the story of Vincent Van Gogh himself: the remarkable self-taught talent, the mental illness, the tragic end. Through all of that, he painted this simple, glorious work. The colors are so vibrant and the imperfections make it perfect, and I loved it a lot.

Also, did you know that Van Gogh actually painted seven versions of Sunflowers? Five of them are in museums around the world. One was lost in World War II, and another is owned by a private collector. 

On the third floor, you can see Irises.

Irises

This one is so beautiful, too. I love the dark flowers and the simple vase. The background color is so wonderful. I like his use of yellows. Here, the yellow background emphasizes the dark blue flowers. I was reading that the flowers were originally purple, but time has faded them to this dark blue.

The final painting on the third floor is Almond Blossom.

Almond Blossom

What I loved the most about this one is the story behind it. Vincent had a brother, Theo, who was his best friend. When Theo and his wife, Jo, had a baby, Vincent gave them this painting as a gift. Isn't that blue background breathtaking? The child was named Vincent Willem, and it was Vincent Willem who founded this remarkable museum. 

There were so many other paintings that made me stop in my tracks and sigh with pleasure. I was going to post some, but I got to six and decided that could be a post for another day. I do have 21 more posts to write in November!

After we explored all three floors of the museum, we went back for another look at Sunflowers. I scooched my way right up to the front to get a full on pic of the painting. I didn't cry on the second look. I was too busy smiling. 

We ended our hours in the museum - I don't even know how long we were in there! - by doing some serious power shopping in the gift shops. No regrets. I love everything I bought. Thinking back, if there was one thing I wish I had purchased, it was a book called Life According the Vincent: 150 Inspiring Quotes. (BTW it is available on the museum website, and Christmas is coming!)

Dazzled and stunned,  we stood outside the museum for a few minutes deciding our course of action. We decided to wander back to the hotel, taking a different route. It was our hope we would find a cafe where we could have some lunch and find some shops so I could get a t-shirt for T.  We accomplished both of those things, and as a bonus, we got to walk through a bit of Vondelpark, a lovely green space.

Vondelpark

Here are some photos I took of Amsterdam that day as we wandered:

Rijksmuseum - the National Museum of the Netherlands

another charming street

I think I could live in this house

classic! iconic!

a cute area right behind our hotel with a giant bookstore

We did stop in bookstores - nearly all that we passed by, I think. Most of the time we didn't buy anything. When we did buy something, it was postcards and/or magnets. I liked going into the bookstores. There were always lots of people in them, and I guess it made me feel happy to know that people still read actual books. 

In the evening we took a dark history tour. Amsterdam does have some serious dark history. We were the only guests on the tour, and our guide was a bit twitchy. She kept touching the ends of her hair and rubbing her mouth, nose, and eyes and she kind of made me uncomfortable. She seemed surprised when we weren't interested in going through the Red Light District. As it was, we were on the outskirts of it, and that was enough for me. I saw plenty.

When we got back to the hotel, we got a few beers in the lounge and spent some time tipsy packing, which may be the best way to do it, honestly. 

Sadly, my umbrella did not survive the trip. She stayed in Amsterdam.

RIP umbrella

So that's it! The next day we went to the airport and spent our waiting time in the KLM Lounge; that felt really nice. The flight was fine, and then we were back in SLC. Lizzie stayed over Friday and Saturday and went back to LA on Sunday. I was back to work on Monday, and just like that, eight months of waiting and two weeks of traveling through Central Europe were done. I loved every minute, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. So. Fun.

I hoped you enjoyed reading through the vacation memories as much as I enjoyed reliving them through writing and posting the photos. Where to next? I'm not sure, but I'll come up with something!

#2986 pdin 5 - vacation memories - day 13 Amsterdam (17 Sept)

still smiling in soggy Amsterdam

 In the previous vacation memories post, I told you we went to bed at 8 PM because a driver was coming to take us to the airport at 3:15 AM. It sucks to wake up at 2:00 AM when you are on vacation, but if you have to, you do it. 

We arrived in Amsterdam in the morning and a driver was waiting for us at the airport. In fact, he kind of chased us around until he caught up with us. We were slightly off our game because of the early hours, so I was thankful the guy took such good care of us. Our other initial contacts with drivers had been iffy on this trip, so Amsterdam guy was great. 

Our hotel, the Hotel Estherea,  was in a very nice location on the Singel canal. Of course, since we arrived so early our room was not ready, and probably not even vacant yet. No worries, though. The staff stored our luggage and invited us to have a coffee while we planned our activity for the morning. 

I'll be straight up with you: I loved this hotel. It was so over-the-top and I totally loved it all! It was pretty.

having a coffee under a chandelier

living the dream

Lizzie had tickets booked for the Dutch Resistance Museum, so she prepared a map and off we went. It was gray and rainy that morning. It was really more of a persistent drizzle. I wasn't cold and I wasn't really wet, but I felt damp. My umbrella was still keeping me dry, but it was looking a little the worse for wear. I was hopeful it would last the rest of the trip.

My initial impression of Amsterdam was that it was not as clean as the other cities I'd visited on this trip. I saw more garbage in the streets and against the buildings. In a certain part of the city, the smell of pot is very strong. I was a little put off by the rain and I was kind of tired. There were people riding bikes everywhere and you do NOT want to walk in the bike lane. You will get yelled at and a little bell will be rung aggressively. However...I was happy to be in Amsterdam. I liked what I was wearing. My shoes were waterproof and comfortable. My umbrella kept my head dry, and I was walking around a cool city with my sister on my way to a museum, so I really couldn't complain!

Here are photos from our walk that morning:

strolling through a pretty neighborhood

classic

it really looks like this!

Dutch Resistance Museum entrance

walked through a little park with houseboats in the canal

Lizzie is s sassy stroller

adorable!

I loved the canal houses. All of them are different and they are all sort of leaning since the whole city is built on a swamp. It's a charming place.

A quick thought on the Dutch Resistance Museum. We chose to see it instead of going to the Anne Frank House. Since our time in the city was limited, we had to make some tough choices. The DRM was one of the most unique museums I have ever been through. The layout and presentation was phenomenal. The audio tour is so very well done - I was very engaged with the museum. It was an interesting way to learn about the history of the Netherlands in World War II. Highly recommend.

After the museum, it was time for lunch and we found a cute pub that looked inviting. I had a really tasty cheeseburger, and Lizzie had a big Dutch meatball with mustard and bread. We shared an order of fries with mayo, of course, and had a beer. It was great. 

lunch is served!

Side note, there were was a group of fathers and their children at a table near us. The kids got bored, as kids do, so they went exploring and ended up at the bar. You mostly don't see this scene in Utah.

kids checking out 16 taps at the bar

On our way back to the hotel, we walked through an area with shops. I remember we went into a bookstore, as we do, and when we crossed the street I smelled a gorgeous smell. Not pot; waffles, specifically, stroopwafels. Since it was on my list of food to try, I had to do it. The woman in the shop was so nice and explained exactly what the treat was all about. You can buy them already made or get a hot, fresh one, which is what we did. I had the classic, two thin crispy waffle wafers with a layer of hot caramel in between. Lizzie had the same with the added pizzazz having one side dipped in chocolate. I liked it a lot.

what a face

Fun fact - it's not easy to eat a hot caramel-y stroopwafel, balance your umbrella, and in Lizzie's case, her phone, and walk at the same time. 

We got to the hotel to check out our room and rest for a bit. Our room wasn't big, but it was cute and comfy. Apparently each room in the hotel is decorated differently. Ours had kind of a jungle theme.

yes, I am delighted with this room and this hotel

It felt good to relax for a little while and just be off our feet. Our fun wasn't over yet, though, because that evening we went on a canal cruise. We gathered up our rain gear once again and headed out. We walked to the dock - it wasn't too far from the hotel, and I was expecting one of those big canal cruise boats, but our boat was quite small. It did have a covering over the seating area and plastic sheeting for windows, so we were dry. We were also the only passengers. Two young men were our hosts; one was the skipper and the other was the tour guide. They were adorable, and we enjoyed talking to them about our travels and learning about Amsterdam. We couldn't see much because it was raining and we were in a small boat, but it was fun and we learned some stuff.

our own private tour

I was starting to get into the Amsterdam groove by now. I think at first I was kinda bummed that I wasn't still in Prague but Amsterdam grew on me.  A couple of pics of the city at night:

they call these the dancing houses because they are leaning into each other

look at that spire in the background

Claude Monet painted that spire from the window on the 2nd floor

Fun fact: the master Impressionist painter Claude Monet spent time in Amsterdam and stayed in the building in the photo above. At that time, in the 1870s, he had a lovely view of the the Zuiderkerk and painted it in each season. 

Another fun fact: over 15,000 bikes per year get lost in the canals.

On our way back to the hotel, we were taking an ussie, and a young woman stopped and offered to take our photo. Always let a Gen Z take your photo. They do a good job and make you giggle while it's happening.

good times!

Back at the hotel, we decided to go to the lounge for a snack before bed. We had fries with mayo and some bitterballen because the cute guide on our canal tour told us we had to try it. They are like a croqueta in Spain, but made with kind of a thickened stew meat. You dunk them in a bit of mustard, and yeah, they are good. We washed it down with Heineken, and it was all very Dutch.

bitterballen with the Dutch flag, fries, and Heineken

One more day of vacation to tell you about. I'm planning to write that post on Sunday. I am five for five on my daily November posts. I hope you'll come back tomorrow when I'll be writing about three things.

xo