Another Easy Nine Mile Day

 Hello there, you folks back in the States and Canada or wherever else you are reading this.  

When we left, our bike group was getting smaller as the snowbirds and the travelers departed.  Florida was getting hotter.

Here in Amsterdam, the day started out grey but dry.

I didn't get more than an hour of sleep on our flight over night to Amsterdam from Tampa.

The airplane seats don't lay back like they used to, and they slump.  That might feel good for someone that slumps, but I try not to.  I could not get comfortable.  

Then we spent the day we landed walking around Amsterdam.  I thought I would really sleep well in our cozy motel room.  And I did for about four hours.  Then, even though I was exhausted, I just could not sleep any more.

In the morning I was groggy and foggy.   We had reservations to go to three museums.  

We had a wonderful huge breakfast at the Hotel buffet and several cups of coffee.  We normally drink decaf, but they didn't have that.  

Our waiter at breakfast told us to watch a video about Van Gogh's life before going to the museum.  "It will help you understand the stages of his art," he said.  So we watched this video.  The guy in the video pronounced Van Gogh as Van "Goff".  I thought then that I had been mispronouncing it all these years.

Before I forget I wanted to tell you about the enery saving practice that the motel has put in place.  The lights won't go on until you insert your card into a slot.  Then you keep the card in the slot until you leave and take the card with you.  When you remove your card the lights go out.  That's pretty clever.

And the cards not only look like wood, they are wood.

We had a lovely and interesting walk to the museum.  

We walked through an alcove at the Rijks Museum to get to the Van Gogh Museum.  I told Steve how I was disappointed because when I was in Amsterdam in 2019, there was a string quartet playing there and the sound was amazing.

Van Gogh liked painting working people, peasants.  This was a painting of tile painters.  This was done after he changed from painting the darker style of his time and started adding light and color to his paintings.

The painting of his bedroom is fun for me to look at.  He struggled with getting the impression of depth just right.  But in this painting he chose not to even try.  It has no shadows, is colorful, flat and bold. It is almost like a celebration.  It is beautiful and fun because of its supposed flaws, just like me and you.

We enjoyed the Van Gogh Museum, the tickets included a more modern art museum next door.  There were a few pieces in there that struck me.

One made me giggle and the other made me almost cry.

This display took up a whole room at the top of a stairs.  It is patterned or inspired by the song, "Where have all the flowers gone?"  We both learned it was originally a German song.

To me it was about war and especially the Holocaust of WWII.

The one that made me giggle was a digital display of three skeletons.  One throwing insults, and one strumming a Bass string periodically.  Here is a short clip, but I didnt get the two arguing back and forth.  

"Don't say it."

"I told you so."

Our next stop was the Rijks Museum.  

It was built in 1885 as an art museum.  The building is a work of art too.

Rembrandt's big painting, Night Watch, is being maintained by removing old varnish and applying new varnish. 

I was surprised to find three great women artists that were successful painters back in the 1600s.  They all painted under their female names.

We stayed at the Rijks Museum until they closed.  As we were leaving through the center alcove,  we heard beautiful music.  It was an accordian player playing lovely classical music!  I have never heard anything like it.  Here is a short clip I put on YouTube.

We would have stayed a long time, but we had some cannabis to buy to help me sleep tonight.  And we needed to hunt down some dinner.

As we were walking to the store, we passed a place called Condom-something or other.  This is what was displayed in their window.  

They even had a Trump one.  We both shuttered on seeing that one.  

Back at our room, the view had some sunshine.

Now it is after 10:30 and I am still writing to you and finishing a sparkling Tulip.

Tomorrow is the big crowds at the King's Birthday Celebration.  

Yes we are having fun.