Good Morning from Amsterdam....
We are up earlier than we need to be this morning, a combination of a bit of jet lag and getting acclimated to our new bed. In honor of Rigmor I had a cappuccino on the back deck.
After checking that our headsets work properly, our group of 84 travelers is divided into three groups and we pile into three large buses to work our way through the streets of Amsterdam toward our first stop at the Rijksmuseum.
Historically, Amsterdam came to be at the end of the 12th century. It acquired its name because it was built around a dam on the Amstel River. Amsterdam continued to grow, develop and prosper through the following centuries, but it entered its Golden Age in the 17th Century when it truly hit its height of commercial success. Even though all good times eventually end, Amsterdam has still been able to retain its position as an important financial center of Europe through the centuries.
One of the most important physical features of the city is its network of canals. Amsterdam grew up around its 40 concentric and radial canals which are flanked by streets and crossed by over 400 bridges. Many of the bridges call to mind those that span the Seine in Paris. It is because of these canals that the city has gained its title of "Venice of the North". Another interesting, but hidden fact about the construction of the city is that because of the underlying soft, peaty ground, Amsterdam had to built on wooden and concrete piles. Most of this wood came from the Baltics so it is said that Amsterdam rose on top of the forests of Estonia.
As we wend our way out of the pier and railroad area we pass British chef Jaime Oliver's restaurant "15". Now in numerous cities around the globe, the "15" offers apprenticeships to youths with little chance of advancement from a conventional education. It has been wildly successful allowing underprivileged youths opportunities for careers in the restaurant industry.
Our bus is passed left and right by scores of Tesla taxicabs. Paul cannot believe it! Of course, they are heavily subsidized by the government as The Netherlands is heavily invested in green technology with charging stations everywhere.
The canals are peppered with houseboats, some looking a lot more luxurious than others. It may be 500,000 Euro to moor your boat canal side and hook into city water and sewage. Most have outdoor gardens. I was admiring the unusual wine bottle landscaping on this particular boat and missed the unusual port hole decoration until it was pointed out to me.
Holland was the first nation to recognize gay marriage in 2001. Yesterday, 500,000 people viewed or participated in the Gay Pride festivities dispelling any stereotypes about gay "tidiness" as the streets and in some places the canal itself is full of mounds of trash. I'm talking bulldozer amounts of trash.
There are bicycles everywhere and every street has a two lane bike path. We are seriously warned about crossing or, heaven forbid, standing in a bike path. They don't call them psychopaths on cycle paths for no reason.
Of course the Dutch, despite eating 15 kilograms of cheese annually, are rated Europe's fittest nation in addition to being its tallest.
Soon we arrive at the Rijksmuseum and meet our specialty guide Herman. I readily admit I know little about the Dutch Masters but am instantly enthralled by the detail and the wonderful play of light and shadow in these works. The museum itself is impressive with charcoal grey walls heavily decorated with hand applied stencils from around 1860. The six pointed star is a centuries old icon denoting universality. Now associated with the state of Israel and all things Jewish, it has also been embraced by other cultures in the past and has no Jewish significance here.
Despite the massive Rembrandt collection this still life is my favorite. The reflection of the windows in the goblet, the shine of the pewter and silver, the nubby texture of the bread and the soft drape of the cloth are all so lifelike. We had a wonderful tour.
Now we head down to the canal where we will board a small tour boat and lunch while exploring the canals. The city center is very unspoiled with no high-rises or billboards. I think all the charming gabled houses with window boxes and bowers of hanging petunias trump today's trash.
We spent quite a bit of time going around and around while eating a simple lunch.
Post tour we have free time and elect to return to the Rijksmuseum to see some Van Gogh's and Impressionists in addition to a militaristic chess set, a gift from Himmler to a Dutch dignitary. Then we are off to Coster Diamonds to see them explain faceting and polishing in the diamond trade, view their extensive collection of glorious jewelry and visit their diamond museum. After a little window shopping we congregate at our meeting place, the I-Amsterdam sign.
I nearly got wet jumping into the middle of this fountain which would have been unfortunate since today has been cool and misty this afternoon. Once I was imprisoned by four walls of water, Paul said, "Ok, I'll see you back on the bus!
Once all noses are counted we return to our coaches for the 1.5 hour drive to Nijmegen to our south. Of course everything is very flat. It is said that in Holland one's dog can run away and you can see it for three days. The landscape is lush and verdant with scores of grazing cows and sheep. Holland produces 40% of the world's cheese and we never miss the opportunity to have a taste.
Nijmegen was immortalized in the film A Bridge Too Far which tells the story of World War II's Operation Market Garden. British Commander Field Marshall Montgomery, still smarting from arch rival Gen. George Patton's lightening advance across France hatches a plan that he hopes will shorten the course of the war by allowing Allied troops earlier entry into Berlin. But many Allied paratroopers missed the drop zone, intelligence about German strength in the area went unheeded and the mission was a failure with many casualties and prisoners taken. Paul and I visited a wonderful museum here recounting the events two years ago.
Ahoy! I think I see our ship! She left Amsterdam after we started our day's activities. After a welcome hot shower and change we straggle into the lounge to await today's wine pairings. I start chatting with a couple from the D.C. So tonight we are a table for eight. As is the case with most of our trips, our circle just keeps growing.
Tomorrow we can sleep in a bit as we will still be transiting to Cologne, Germany.
We are up earlier than we need to be this morning, a combination of a bit of jet lag and getting acclimated to our new bed. In honor of Rigmor I had a cappuccino on the back deck.
After checking that our headsets work properly, our group of 84 travelers is divided into three groups and we pile into three large buses to work our way through the streets of Amsterdam toward our first stop at the Rijksmuseum.
Historically, Amsterdam came to be at the end of the 12th century. It acquired its name because it was built around a dam on the Amstel River. Amsterdam continued to grow, develop and prosper through the following centuries, but it entered its Golden Age in the 17th Century when it truly hit its height of commercial success. Even though all good times eventually end, Amsterdam has still been able to retain its position as an important financial center of Europe through the centuries.
One of the most important physical features of the city is its network of canals. Amsterdam grew up around its 40 concentric and radial canals which are flanked by streets and crossed by over 400 bridges. Many of the bridges call to mind those that span the Seine in Paris. It is because of these canals that the city has gained its title of "Venice of the North". Another interesting, but hidden fact about the construction of the city is that because of the underlying soft, peaty ground, Amsterdam had to built on wooden and concrete piles. Most of this wood came from the Baltics so it is said that Amsterdam rose on top of the forests of Estonia.
As we wend our way out of the pier and railroad area we pass British chef Jaime Oliver's restaurant "15". Now in numerous cities around the globe, the "15" offers apprenticeships to youths with little chance of advancement from a conventional education. It has been wildly successful allowing underprivileged youths opportunities for careers in the restaurant industry.
Our bus is passed left and right by scores of Tesla taxicabs. Paul cannot believe it! Of course, they are heavily subsidized by the government as The Netherlands is heavily invested in green technology with charging stations everywhere.
The canals are peppered with houseboats, some looking a lot more luxurious than others. It may be 500,000 Euro to moor your boat canal side and hook into city water and sewage. Most have outdoor gardens. I was admiring the unusual wine bottle landscaping on this particular boat and missed the unusual port hole decoration until it was pointed out to me.
Holland was the first nation to recognize gay marriage in 2001. Yesterday, 500,000 people viewed or participated in the Gay Pride festivities dispelling any stereotypes about gay "tidiness" as the streets and in some places the canal itself is full of mounds of trash. I'm talking bulldozer amounts of trash.
There are bicycles everywhere and every street has a two lane bike path. We are seriously warned about crossing or, heaven forbid, standing in a bike path. They don't call them psychopaths on cycle paths for no reason.
Of course the Dutch, despite eating 15 kilograms of cheese annually, are rated Europe's fittest nation in addition to being its tallest.
Soon we arrive at the Rijksmuseum and meet our specialty guide Herman. I readily admit I know little about the Dutch Masters but am instantly enthralled by the detail and the wonderful play of light and shadow in these works. The museum itself is impressive with charcoal grey walls heavily decorated with hand applied stencils from around 1860. The six pointed star is a centuries old icon denoting universality. Now associated with the state of Israel and all things Jewish, it has also been embraced by other cultures in the past and has no Jewish significance here.
Despite the massive Rembrandt collection this still life is my favorite. The reflection of the windows in the goblet, the shine of the pewter and silver, the nubby texture of the bread and the soft drape of the cloth are all so lifelike. We had a wonderful tour.
Now we head down to the canal where we will board a small tour boat and lunch while exploring the canals. The city center is very unspoiled with no high-rises or billboards. I think all the charming gabled houses with window boxes and bowers of hanging petunias trump today's trash.
We spent quite a bit of time going around and around while eating a simple lunch.
Post tour we have free time and elect to return to the Rijksmuseum to see some Van Gogh's and Impressionists in addition to a militaristic chess set, a gift from Himmler to a Dutch dignitary. Then we are off to Coster Diamonds to see them explain faceting and polishing in the diamond trade, view their extensive collection of glorious jewelry and visit their diamond museum. After a little window shopping we congregate at our meeting place, the I-Amsterdam sign.
I nearly got wet jumping into the middle of this fountain which would have been unfortunate since today has been cool and misty this afternoon. Once I was imprisoned by four walls of water, Paul said, "Ok, I'll see you back on the bus!
Once all noses are counted we return to our coaches for the 1.5 hour drive to Nijmegen to our south. Of course everything is very flat. It is said that in Holland one's dog can run away and you can see it for three days. The landscape is lush and verdant with scores of grazing cows and sheep. Holland produces 40% of the world's cheese and we never miss the opportunity to have a taste.
Nijmegen was immortalized in the film A Bridge Too Far which tells the story of World War II's Operation Market Garden. British Commander Field Marshall Montgomery, still smarting from arch rival Gen. George Patton's lightening advance across France hatches a plan that he hopes will shorten the course of the war by allowing Allied troops earlier entry into Berlin. But many Allied paratroopers missed the drop zone, intelligence about German strength in the area went unheeded and the mission was a failure with many casualties and prisoners taken. Paul and I visited a wonderful museum here recounting the events two years ago.
Ahoy! I think I see our ship! She left Amsterdam after we started our day's activities. After a welcome hot shower and change we straggle into the lounge to await today's wine pairings. I start chatting with a couple from the D.C. So tonight we are a table for eight. As is the case with most of our trips, our circle just keeps growing.
Tomorrow we can sleep in a bit as we will still be transiting to Cologne, Germany.
I too, love cheese.
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