I went in to Amsterdam again today, but later than usual. It was interesting. I got there just after 1pm and started down the road to the Rijksmuseum, and in the process found the tulip market and the street with all the antique shops on it. Both were pretty cool. One of the stalls at the tulip market advertised the fact that they send bulbs to different countries so I suppose I could send plants home after all. There were a few bonsai too, which I thought was funny.
Oh, yeah. And for the past week there's been a fair set up in the middle of Dam Square right in front of the palace. Looks exactly like the little fairs that set up in school playing fields at home. It's been rather fun to watch.
I had somewhere between three and four hours in the Rijksmuseum and I didn't even get through the bottom floor. I think this will involve multiple trips. But that's ok, because as a museum card holder I can literally walk straight in! It's awesome! Anyway. The first floor is all the medieval art with a few rooms set aside for the Asian stuff they have. Some of the European wood carvings are absolutely stunning, and the Venetian glassware they have is gorgeous. More on the museum after the second trip.
I decided to hang around for a few more hours so I could check out the Halloween parade, so I settled down in front of the National Monument to read and people watch. I like watching a city flow around me. It's generally fascinating. So far I've seen Amsterdam crowded and slightly less crowded, but it's always busy, particularly in Dam Square. Of course, I haven't seen it stupidly late/early, so there could be quiet, almost empty points but I doubt it's ever completely still. It was interesting watching the people blow by. Tourists from other countries and elsewhere in the Netherlands with their maps and the occasional shopping bag. People waiting for the parade to start, people eating dinner in front of the monument, and then of course the people wandering by in costume. I'm fairly certain that only happens around Halloween and Pride. Watching the look of the square change as it got darker was cool too, especially with the fair set up. Lots of lights and shifting shadows.
The parade itself was somewhat underwhelming. It was the standard "everyone in a costume come be in the parade!" and most of the costumes were zombies. It's been interesting watching Halloween happen here what with my North American preconceptions and all. It's rather a big deal back home, and people go to great lengths to create incredible costumes so there's a wide variety in what you see. Devils, witches, ghosts, demons, and yes, zombies too. The only thing I saw (bar three vampires) were zombies. (the zombie Pikachu was my favourite) To be fair, it isn't actually Halloween yet, but it was the kick off to the week long parties, and I guess I forgot that Halloween is much less of a thing over here. Something else I noted that goes with that was the ratio of people not in costumes to the people in costumes was much higher than back home. Although, again, it could just possibly be because it isn't, in fact, Halloween. And I can't go in on Halloween, so I won't be able to do a proper comparison. Oh well.
I was craving McDonald's (don't ask me why! I don't know!) so I got dinner on the way back, and I arrived home to be reminded very strongly of the trials and tribulations of having room mates. The house was rather full. There have been people over every bloody night since Thursday. Unfortunately it's been guests of separate roommates on two of those occasions. I am, however, beginning to go slightly crazy. I understand if they want to party. It is the weekend. But I'm one of those weirdos who needs a certain amount of space. I've gotten used to one of my roomies 'cause she's here as much as me, but the guy is only here on weekends and this is only the second weekend. I can deal with it this time (I think), but if it turns into a weekly thing I may have to do something. I feel a bit like the grumpy ogre, but oh well. And to be fair coming home to find three people you've never seen before doing their hair and makeup in the bathroom is a bit disconcerting.
Sorry if this was a bit jumpy or rambly. I'm tired. That's all for now. Rock on.
Saturday, 26 October 2013
Friday, 25 October 2013
I missed a weekend excursion, so I'll tell you about it now
Hey, I realised that I went on a couple more trips in to Amsterdam that I haven't mentioned yet, so I'll remedy that now.
So on Friday, October 4th, I went in to Amsterdam with the express purpose of getting a museum card and finding Spui Square, which is the bookshop square. I had bought a map the last time I was in Amsterdam, so with that and what I remembered of the walking tour I headed off to find the Amsterdam museum. After a couple of half misses I found it and went in to get a museum card. This allows me to get in free at many of the museums and even some of the castles in the country, including the Rijksmuseum which has been closed for renovation for the past ten years. Awesome! After getting the card I decided since I was already here I might as well explore the museum.
First a bit about the museum itself. The building, originally an orphanage, was built in 1580, rebuilt in 1634, and stopped being used as an orphanage in 1960. It became the Amsterdam museum in 1975. What they have there now is a museum along the top floor of two wings, and a gallery in the long hall in the middle.
In the museum they take you through the history of the city of Amsterdam from the year 1000 to the early 2000s. The first are has a couple of pillars with objects that have been dredged up from the canals, and those were absolutely fascinating! I'm always astonished by the kinds of objects that have survived the centuries, and some of the places they survived in. There was a shoe, an old dagger, a pilgrims badge and a wineskin among other things. The next section was the Reformation. There were some beautiful portraits, and some old religious statues that had been defaced and a set of replica armour you could have you're picture taken in. After that came the section on the Golden Age, when the Dutch East India company was founded, and the city was run by the notable burghers and the city's reputation as a very tolerant place to live became widespread. Then came the period when Napoleon took control, which was interesting and then it moved in to the Industrial Revolution. And after that was the section on the world wars. There was a headphone you could put on that read selections from Anne Franks diary, and a wall where they showed the numbers of Jews who were in Amsterdam when the war started and the number who had survived to the end of the war. I'd never seen the numbers laid out in that way before. It was frightening. And very, very sad. One of the tram lines, line 8, was called the Jewish line because it went straight through the Jewish Quarter, so the Nazis used it to deport Jews during the war. There hasn't been a line 8 since the end of the war. And the last section was of happenings from the end of the war to the present day. Including an explanation of their drug laws, and the definitions of "hard" and "soft" drugs, and bit about the first same sex marriages held in Amsterdam.
After the museum wander I had lunch and then went to Spui Square. There was a book fair in the middle of the square, which I thought was awesome, and from there I could see at least two English language bookstores which made me very happy. I spent the next few hours browsing books. And came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper in the long run to buy my books when I got back to Canada, except that buying books is a bit like a security blanket for me so maybe just one a month.
The weekend of the 18th I went in at the usual time in the afternoon and wandered over to the library. I find libraries comforting in a way. No matter where you go there will be a certain layout and me being the book nut I am, just the proximity of that many books can make me feel better. There was also a really cool display in the kids section. Someone made a giant house for toy mice with somewhere around 100 rooms in it, each one meticulously detailed on the inside and outside, with the little stuffed mice set up in them. It was very well done. After that I went to the tourist information center to try and find a yarn store. There are convenient little computer kiosks in it for when the lines are rather long (which they were) and I managed to find one after a couple of tries. It turns out it was the one I remembered walking past on the walking tour I took, so I really did go by everything I might have wanted on that tour! Anyway, it was a lovely little place and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the wool. I got some needles and a couple of balls of wool, and I had told the woman behind the counter that I'd recently arrived and had forgotten all of my knitting supplies (which is true) and she said "Oh dear! We can't have that!" so when I left she said "Enjoy! And I'm sure we'll see you again!" Also true, and I thought it was sweet.
After that I went to a cafe where there was a section devoted to apple tart, so I thought I should try it. It was very, very good and it was drowned in some of the tastiest whipped cream I've had in a while. Top that of with some lovely hot chocolate with brandy, and I'm set for the afternoon!
The rest of the day was devoted to the Ming exhibit in the New Kerk. I was very impressed with what I'd seen of Chinese artifacts in Taiwan (I would strongly recommend the National Palace museum to anyone who's interested in archaeology in general, but especially if you like Chinese history) and I enjoyed what I saw here just as much. It was split in to three sections. The first had displays of items from Imperial palaces of the Ming period (which is when the Forbidden City was built) including things like roof tiles and jewelry. Second section was things from the scholars of the period, so paintings, poems, and a small room specifically for erotic art with accompanying poetry. The third section was oriented to the merchants of the time, and had some lovely pieces of china and a copy of a map made by an Italian Jesuit missionary at the request of the Emperor. If some clever person ever decides to make a copy and turn it in to a poster, I would gladly hang that on my wall! Oh, and I discovered just how useful the museum card is. Regular prices for admission range from 10 to 12 euros depending on age. I got in for 3.50. I think it was a very good investment!
Next up, the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Halloween parade!
So on Friday, October 4th, I went in to Amsterdam with the express purpose of getting a museum card and finding Spui Square, which is the bookshop square. I had bought a map the last time I was in Amsterdam, so with that and what I remembered of the walking tour I headed off to find the Amsterdam museum. After a couple of half misses I found it and went in to get a museum card. This allows me to get in free at many of the museums and even some of the castles in the country, including the Rijksmuseum which has been closed for renovation for the past ten years. Awesome! After getting the card I decided since I was already here I might as well explore the museum.
First a bit about the museum itself. The building, originally an orphanage, was built in 1580, rebuilt in 1634, and stopped being used as an orphanage in 1960. It became the Amsterdam museum in 1975. What they have there now is a museum along the top floor of two wings, and a gallery in the long hall in the middle.
In the museum they take you through the history of the city of Amsterdam from the year 1000 to the early 2000s. The first are has a couple of pillars with objects that have been dredged up from the canals, and those were absolutely fascinating! I'm always astonished by the kinds of objects that have survived the centuries, and some of the places they survived in. There was a shoe, an old dagger, a pilgrims badge and a wineskin among other things. The next section was the Reformation. There were some beautiful portraits, and some old religious statues that had been defaced and a set of replica armour you could have you're picture taken in. After that came the section on the Golden Age, when the Dutch East India company was founded, and the city was run by the notable burghers and the city's reputation as a very tolerant place to live became widespread. Then came the period when Napoleon took control, which was interesting and then it moved in to the Industrial Revolution. And after that was the section on the world wars. There was a headphone you could put on that read selections from Anne Franks diary, and a wall where they showed the numbers of Jews who were in Amsterdam when the war started and the number who had survived to the end of the war. I'd never seen the numbers laid out in that way before. It was frightening. And very, very sad. One of the tram lines, line 8, was called the Jewish line because it went straight through the Jewish Quarter, so the Nazis used it to deport Jews during the war. There hasn't been a line 8 since the end of the war. And the last section was of happenings from the end of the war to the present day. Including an explanation of their drug laws, and the definitions of "hard" and "soft" drugs, and bit about the first same sex marriages held in Amsterdam.
After the museum wander I had lunch and then went to Spui Square. There was a book fair in the middle of the square, which I thought was awesome, and from there I could see at least two English language bookstores which made me very happy. I spent the next few hours browsing books. And came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper in the long run to buy my books when I got back to Canada, except that buying books is a bit like a security blanket for me so maybe just one a month.
The weekend of the 18th I went in at the usual time in the afternoon and wandered over to the library. I find libraries comforting in a way. No matter where you go there will be a certain layout and me being the book nut I am, just the proximity of that many books can make me feel better. There was also a really cool display in the kids section. Someone made a giant house for toy mice with somewhere around 100 rooms in it, each one meticulously detailed on the inside and outside, with the little stuffed mice set up in them. It was very well done. After that I went to the tourist information center to try and find a yarn store. There are convenient little computer kiosks in it for when the lines are rather long (which they were) and I managed to find one after a couple of tries. It turns out it was the one I remembered walking past on the walking tour I took, so I really did go by everything I might have wanted on that tour! Anyway, it was a lovely little place and I was pleasantly surprised by the prices for the wool. I got some needles and a couple of balls of wool, and I had told the woman behind the counter that I'd recently arrived and had forgotten all of my knitting supplies (which is true) and she said "Oh dear! We can't have that!" so when I left she said "Enjoy! And I'm sure we'll see you again!" Also true, and I thought it was sweet.
After that I went to a cafe where there was a section devoted to apple tart, so I thought I should try it. It was very, very good and it was drowned in some of the tastiest whipped cream I've had in a while. Top that of with some lovely hot chocolate with brandy, and I'm set for the afternoon!
The rest of the day was devoted to the Ming exhibit in the New Kerk. I was very impressed with what I'd seen of Chinese artifacts in Taiwan (I would strongly recommend the National Palace museum to anyone who's interested in archaeology in general, but especially if you like Chinese history) and I enjoyed what I saw here just as much. It was split in to three sections. The first had displays of items from Imperial palaces of the Ming period (which is when the Forbidden City was built) including things like roof tiles and jewelry. Second section was things from the scholars of the period, so paintings, poems, and a small room specifically for erotic art with accompanying poetry. The third section was oriented to the merchants of the time, and had some lovely pieces of china and a copy of a map made by an Italian Jesuit missionary at the request of the Emperor. If some clever person ever decides to make a copy and turn it in to a poster, I would gladly hang that on my wall! Oh, and I discovered just how useful the museum card is. Regular prices for admission range from 10 to 12 euros depending on age. I got in for 3.50. I think it was a very good investment!
Next up, the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Halloween parade!
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Rants, musings, and speeches that have been sitting in the wings
Warning: Some of these may ramble and take detours in the middle of my making a point. I apologise in advance.
Top of the list today is; The dog. I like dogs. I was very glad there was a dog to look after, because that was something I was used to and pets are usually nice to have around. However, he and I have something of a love/hate relationship. He can be very sweet, coming to say hi when you arrive in the morning. But then you take him for a walk. {An aside. I should perhaps mention that he is an un-neutered male. And as far as I've been able to tell this is not hugely unusual here, as I see several intact males regularly when I'm walking the dog and I'm fairly sure there's at least one un-spayed female in the neighbourhood too. This is very, very odd for me as the general thought in Vancouver (as I've experienced it) is that if your pet is not fixed and you aren't planning on breeding them you are in some way "not quite up to snuff" as an owner. I never, ever, want to own an un-neutered male dog.} When we go to the off leash area, he can run about and play while I amble around which under most circumstances would be awesome. But I have to keep a beady eye trained on him at all times because he frequently gets obsessed with trying to prove he's dominant and most other dog owners don't appreciate that. Or he'll run into another intact male, at which point we have a staring/growling contest and they both proceed to try to dominate all the other dogs in the vicinity. (I actually got a lecture about the fact he wasn't neutered from someone who owned one of the other un-neutered dogs he was arguing with) Joy. And after the second time I had to spend a half hour trying to find him, I've decided off leash outside of the dog park is not going to happen anymore. It's more stress an time wasted then I need to put with or have time to deal with. I think we'll be able to work out a reasonable compromise though. Only time will tell.
Bikes: Oh. My. God. The bloody bikes. I've realised that a good indication that I'm getting more comfortable here is the fact that I'm more willing to entertain the notion of hopping on my bike to go somewhere. However, it may take longer then it would have if people hadn't kept pushing it when I first arrived. The day after I got here my hostmum was pushing me to get used to the bike, and as I was in full on overload, I latched on to biking as the easiest thing to be grumpy and stubborn about. so I biked when I had to, but not much outside of that. I also really like walking. It grounds me, and is a little bit like meditating at times, so odds are I won't end up biking in the immediate area much anyway I'll just be more willing to bike further afield. Funny thing though. I've been biking the youngest to and from his hockey practice for about a month and a half, and I've recently started taking him to and from his tennis class as well. A couple of nights ago, his mum asked how my biking was and he looked up from the other end of the table and said "It's good! Much better than before! You couldn't bike at all before!" To which I responded "Not to you're standards I'm sure." But yay! He approves! But anyway, other people on bikes. In Vancouver, I've sometimes said that as a pedestrian you have to watch out for cyclists more than cars. The same is true here, only the drivers are crazier as well. I've seen other people walking, but if someone is on a wheeled mode of transportation, it's like they're not sure what to do with people on foot. I've also had instances where someone has said "You walk to the grocery store?!" "Yes." "Doesn't that take a while?" And I'm thinking, it's a five minute walk, tops. Probably less. It's not that far..... It's a bit like walking is a foreign concept, which can be a bit frustrating for me because, as I mentioned above, it's a rather useful means of centering and learning an area for me. So, yeah. I'm getting used to, but not entirely happy with, the bikes.
And me.
I came to an interesting realisation the other day. I was walking the dog, thinking, being introspective and all that. I'd been grumpy and rather dissatisfied all day, but I didn't know what I was unhappy with. Then I realised that I was getting used to/more comfortable with most of my routine. And that triggered some of the uncomfortable feelings. And then it dawned on me that I was scared. Scared that I was getting used to here and what that might mean. Scared of getting comfortable in a different country. Scared of I don't know what else, but scared. That realisation probably helped a bit, but as far as I know I may still be scared. This will take some thought.
Also, I started typing this all on Wednesday, and I'm just getting to posting now, on Saturday. So it seems that even if I try to get a post done for the middle of the week I'm not gonna finish it 'til the week end. You guys may be stuck with one a week for a while longer.
Top of the list today is; The dog. I like dogs. I was very glad there was a dog to look after, because that was something I was used to and pets are usually nice to have around. However, he and I have something of a love/hate relationship. He can be very sweet, coming to say hi when you arrive in the morning. But then you take him for a walk. {An aside. I should perhaps mention that he is an un-neutered male. And as far as I've been able to tell this is not hugely unusual here, as I see several intact males regularly when I'm walking the dog and I'm fairly sure there's at least one un-spayed female in the neighbourhood too. This is very, very odd for me as the general thought in Vancouver (as I've experienced it) is that if your pet is not fixed and you aren't planning on breeding them you are in some way "not quite up to snuff" as an owner. I never, ever, want to own an un-neutered male dog.} When we go to the off leash area, he can run about and play while I amble around which under most circumstances would be awesome. But I have to keep a beady eye trained on him at all times because he frequently gets obsessed with trying to prove he's dominant and most other dog owners don't appreciate that. Or he'll run into another intact male, at which point we have a staring/growling contest and they both proceed to try to dominate all the other dogs in the vicinity. (I actually got a lecture about the fact he wasn't neutered from someone who owned one of the other un-neutered dogs he was arguing with) Joy. And after the second time I had to spend a half hour trying to find him, I've decided off leash outside of the dog park is not going to happen anymore. It's more stress an time wasted then I need to put with or have time to deal with. I think we'll be able to work out a reasonable compromise though. Only time will tell.
Bikes: Oh. My. God. The bloody bikes. I've realised that a good indication that I'm getting more comfortable here is the fact that I'm more willing to entertain the notion of hopping on my bike to go somewhere. However, it may take longer then it would have if people hadn't kept pushing it when I first arrived. The day after I got here my hostmum was pushing me to get used to the bike, and as I was in full on overload, I latched on to biking as the easiest thing to be grumpy and stubborn about. so I biked when I had to, but not much outside of that. I also really like walking. It grounds me, and is a little bit like meditating at times, so odds are I won't end up biking in the immediate area much anyway I'll just be more willing to bike further afield. Funny thing though. I've been biking the youngest to and from his hockey practice for about a month and a half, and I've recently started taking him to and from his tennis class as well. A couple of nights ago, his mum asked how my biking was and he looked up from the other end of the table and said "It's good! Much better than before! You couldn't bike at all before!" To which I responded "Not to you're standards I'm sure." But yay! He approves! But anyway, other people on bikes. In Vancouver, I've sometimes said that as a pedestrian you have to watch out for cyclists more than cars. The same is true here, only the drivers are crazier as well. I've seen other people walking, but if someone is on a wheeled mode of transportation, it's like they're not sure what to do with people on foot. I've also had instances where someone has said "You walk to the grocery store?!" "Yes." "Doesn't that take a while?" And I'm thinking, it's a five minute walk, tops. Probably less. It's not that far..... It's a bit like walking is a foreign concept, which can be a bit frustrating for me because, as I mentioned above, it's a rather useful means of centering and learning an area for me. So, yeah. I'm getting used to, but not entirely happy with, the bikes.
And me.
I came to an interesting realisation the other day. I was walking the dog, thinking, being introspective and all that. I'd been grumpy and rather dissatisfied all day, but I didn't know what I was unhappy with. Then I realised that I was getting used to/more comfortable with most of my routine. And that triggered some of the uncomfortable feelings. And then it dawned on me that I was scared. Scared that I was getting used to here and what that might mean. Scared of getting comfortable in a different country. Scared of I don't know what else, but scared. That realisation probably helped a bit, but as far as I know I may still be scared. This will take some thought.
Also, I started typing this all on Wednesday, and I'm just getting to posting now, on Saturday. So it seems that even if I try to get a post done for the middle of the week I'm not gonna finish it 'til the week end. You guys may be stuck with one a week for a while longer.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Being sick (And my second Amsterdam excursion!)
So this is going to be about a week late but I have a good excuse! (in my head anyway) I went in to Amsterdam for the day on this past Friday, (more on that later) and on Saturday I was solidly and uncomfortably sick. I was out of it for the weekend entirely and I ended up heading to the cottage early because I was falling asleep at the dinner table on Monday. Tuesday was a bit better though I did end up dozing on the couch. Hopefully it'll be mostly gone by this weekend.
Anyway, to backtrack a bit. I went in to Amsterdam last Friday. Started a bit late, so I didn't get in to town until 11:40 or thereabouts. So I found somewhere to have lunch and headed to Dom Square in the hopes of finding the Sandeman's free tours people. I did. So I had a three hour walking tour of Amsterdam to look forward to now! My tour guide turned out to be a Canadian born Dutch woman who went by Lee. She lives in the Red Light District which has, apparently, turned into quite the family neighbourhood. It's also the safest place in Amsterdam after dark. Go figure.
The tour started in the Red Light District, which is when I learned much of those funny bits of trivia. Other things learned are: It's one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and has the oldest building, the Old Church (Oude Kerk) in it, and don't take pictures of the working ladies because our guide has seen tourists chased down the street by some of the women who had their picture taken.
We then went on to Chinatown, which is very different from the Vancouver Chinatown. Smaller, for one thing. Then on to one of the old customs houses which turned in to a guildhall when Amsterdam expanded. The big round tower in the middle played host to the Guild of Surgeons where they carried out public autopsies on executed criminal. Rembrandt painted a picture of one of these and a copy is hanging in the room. Apparently they hold raves in the room once a month and the effect of the lights and the painting is "Rather trippy".
On we go to the South end of the Red Light District where the Amsterdam University is located, and after that continue on to the Amsterdam Museum. A very cool building, and there are some very interesting stores around it. It also has some of the picture plates that people used to use instead of house numbers mounted on the outer walls. Apparently no one used house numbers until after Napoleon invaded and placed his brother on the throne. The Dutch didn't have last names until Louis Bonaparte either. So, according to Lee, this is why many Dutch last names are rather silly or dirty when translated. No one thought they'd stick.
After we left the museum we continued n to the newer part of the city (so, y'know, only about 400 years old) where she got us some cheese samples and showed us some of the tipping buildings and the smallest house front in Amsterdam. The house front was as wide as the front door, apparently as a tax dodge. Oh, and most people still haul their new furniture up and in through the upper windows using the hooks on the top of all the buildings when moving, which I thought was pretty cool.
The next and last stop was the Jewish Quarter and the Anne Frank House. When we got there she said "Oh look! It's a short line, only about 40 minutes!" When several of us looked at her funny she said "No, really, in Summer it can be up to 3 hours." So if I go I think I'll go in the Winter. Anyway, she told us a bit of the WWII history of Amsterdam and a bit about the Franks.
At this point the tour was over. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Amsterdam. It's a great way to get a basic idea of the layout of the central part of the city and to learn some interesting trivia. My guide was very fun, and from what I've seen on the website I'd guess most of the other guides are too.
Anyway, having finished off three hours of walking, the cold that had been lurking decided to pounce. I got very tired, very quickly, so I decided to go home.
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to post again soon.
Anyway, to backtrack a bit. I went in to Amsterdam last Friday. Started a bit late, so I didn't get in to town until 11:40 or thereabouts. So I found somewhere to have lunch and headed to Dom Square in the hopes of finding the Sandeman's free tours people. I did. So I had a three hour walking tour of Amsterdam to look forward to now! My tour guide turned out to be a Canadian born Dutch woman who went by Lee. She lives in the Red Light District which has, apparently, turned into quite the family neighbourhood. It's also the safest place in Amsterdam after dark. Go figure.
The tour started in the Red Light District, which is when I learned much of those funny bits of trivia. Other things learned are: It's one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and has the oldest building, the Old Church (Oude Kerk) in it, and don't take pictures of the working ladies because our guide has seen tourists chased down the street by some of the women who had their picture taken.
We then went on to Chinatown, which is very different from the Vancouver Chinatown. Smaller, for one thing. Then on to one of the old customs houses which turned in to a guildhall when Amsterdam expanded. The big round tower in the middle played host to the Guild of Surgeons where they carried out public autopsies on executed criminal. Rembrandt painted a picture of one of these and a copy is hanging in the room. Apparently they hold raves in the room once a month and the effect of the lights and the painting is "Rather trippy".
On we go to the South end of the Red Light District where the Amsterdam University is located, and after that continue on to the Amsterdam Museum. A very cool building, and there are some very interesting stores around it. It also has some of the picture plates that people used to use instead of house numbers mounted on the outer walls. Apparently no one used house numbers until after Napoleon invaded and placed his brother on the throne. The Dutch didn't have last names until Louis Bonaparte either. So, according to Lee, this is why many Dutch last names are rather silly or dirty when translated. No one thought they'd stick.
After we left the museum we continued n to the newer part of the city (so, y'know, only about 400 years old) where she got us some cheese samples and showed us some of the tipping buildings and the smallest house front in Amsterdam. The house front was as wide as the front door, apparently as a tax dodge. Oh, and most people still haul their new furniture up and in through the upper windows using the hooks on the top of all the buildings when moving, which I thought was pretty cool.
The next and last stop was the Jewish Quarter and the Anne Frank House. When we got there she said "Oh look! It's a short line, only about 40 minutes!" When several of us looked at her funny she said "No, really, in Summer it can be up to 3 hours." So if I go I think I'll go in the Winter. Anyway, she told us a bit of the WWII history of Amsterdam and a bit about the Franks.
At this point the tour was over. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Amsterdam. It's a great way to get a basic idea of the layout of the central part of the city and to learn some interesting trivia. My guide was very fun, and from what I've seen on the website I'd guess most of the other guides are too.
Anyway, having finished off three hours of walking, the cold that had been lurking decided to pounce. I got very tired, very quickly, so I decided to go home.
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to post again soon.
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