Amsterdam

Hi…
So, I made it to Amsterdam and it is beautiful…

I wanted to share some of my thoughts and musings…

everyone rides a bicycle and it funny to see guys riding around with their girlfriends on the back of a bike…that seems like something that would not go over so well in the states. “you picked me up on a WHAT????”

I have met VERY nice people and even a train conductor, while scolding me about my mistake of getting on a train without a ticket (the machine did not work and I thought like on the Metra, you could buy a ticket from the conductor) took pity and returned my money. I met three guys who work in a shop making candy… you know the old-fashioned kind like your grandma had in a dish somewhere with the picture in the middle. I watched them work for a while and learned a thing or two about sugar work. they were making candy for a wedding that had the couple’s names and a heart in the middle. Impressive.

Tulips are everywhere, and come in a dizzying array of colors (even black) and petal forms… some are frilly. Everyone speaks beautiful english and Dutch sounds a lot like German. Diamonds are quite popular here… duh, I forgot that South Africa was under Dutch rule for a LONG time.

It feels like grocery stores here cater more towards the “Single” person … you can buy just one chicken breast, or pre-marinated tandoori and rice to take home and cook up. vegetables and salads aer packaged in small amounts. that I like. It’s hard to cook for one when when you are forced to buy 6 chicken breasts when all you need is one. The food here is ok… not great and not awful. I will not eat fries and mayo, I had bitterballen last night and kinda wish I hadn’t. They are these beef stew like balls held together with mash potato and fried served with mustard.

There is a cat shelter on one of the canals.. like in a houseboat. I have yet to go to a museum (tomorrow, I swear). I’ve been perfectly content to walk the streets and sip coffee when I tire out a bit.

I’m going to try to get some pictures up… we’ll see if that works. I thought that the wi-fi would be free at the hotel… so I’m using the hotel office which is free. quirky!

xo

2/18/08

so I recovered from whatever jet-lagged-bitterballen induced sick haze I was in (and for the record, right here and now… I have NOT indulged in the relaxed coffee shops here, nor did I intend to, I have been to coffee shops that actually serve quite potent coffee and have seriously enjoyed that…. but NOT the other) and spent the day visiting museums. I hit the Rijksmuseum (which was disappointing… this HUGE building built in the 1600′s and only one tiny wing was open), the Van Gogh museum which was amazing… Starry Night is on display here from NYC and they built an entire exhibit around the artist’s fascination with evening, dusk, twilight on into night. I think what struck me was that we have exalted these great impressionist artists to the esteem of GREAT… and they work just as hard as we to succeed. The version you are familiar with is not the first, nor is it the last one produced. Van Gogh did several versions of Starry Night and even the one that is famous he criticized as not being quite right. He never believed he had talent…Only determinaton to be something greater than he thought he was. is this why artists are viewed as tortured souls?

“The sight of the stars always makes me dream, as in a simple way as the black spots on the map, representing the towns and villages makes me dream. Why, I say to myself should spots of light in the firmament be less accessible to us as the black spots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to go to a star.” – from a letter Van Gogh wrote.

Afterwards I hit the Bols Academy of Bartending, the Diamond museum and met up with an old friend from Lab School (Yes, Eric Massey is alive and well living in A’dam working for the University here). Eric took me to the open air market where I took some photos… (upload later) and recommended a great little restaurant where I had a good meal…. not great…. but the best I’ve had since I arrived in A’dam. I had a sashimi of salmon (go figure….netherlands=salmon) on a wasabi pea purCe wih WAY too much sesame oil. A Roti of porc with sundried tomatoes, pesto, fried leeks, three french fries, two lines of mashed potato and some natural au jus… again…too much. the pesto was overkill. Dessert, however was AMAZING…. the most perfect white chocolate souffle with passion fruit glaze. Rich and airy at the same time. I’ve only had one better souffle and that is at a little French Bistro in the west loop.

I’m anxious to get to Nice…. where I can cook and create anew.

Next up…. London!

xoxo
re

2/19/2008