Monday, Monday

Today-was-laundry-and-nap-after-class-day, and it was great. I did wait in a very very very long line at the train station only to find I was in the wrong line and I didn’t want to wait in the right one, but some days are like that.

Also, these chairs are all over the city. I want to find out why.

communion sunday

Molly and I had communion today (it is Sunday after all*) in the form of a shared Heineken at the Oude Sluis, which I would like for you all to know is the 15th best place in Europe. According to their absolutely unbiased website, of course. But it was pretty damn cool.

And I do foresee many nights spent here in the next three weeks - good beer, a big table for all of us and a deck overlooking the water and the old part of Rotterdam, Delfshaven. Delfshaven was the only part of Rotterdam not bombed to pieces during WWII, so it still has old brick buildings and rabbit-warren streets. The rest of Rotterdam still has rabbit-warren streets, but a lot of modern construction incongruously set down on the old cobblestone streets.

We went to the Oude Sluis (pronounced Otis Laos) after a warm welcome from the owners of the Hotel Baan, where we will be staying the next couple weeks. Jan and Gabriella made us hor d'oeuvres of all kinds, and poured us pink champagne in flute glasses with sparkler-like straws. (The straws had rings of tinsel-like material around them.) It was delightful.


*For those who are super strict about such things, I'd just like to point out that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine, and if it had been beer they'd run out of, I'd like to think he'd have turned it into beer. Particularly good Dutch beer.

my feet turn the corner back home / sun turns the evening to rose - the weepies

I've had the Weepies in my head all along in Amsterdam. Mostly songs from Deb Talan's solo album, A Bird Flies Out, but also Can't Go Back Now...and others...They just seem to fit this city. Although I've mostly actually heard loud American pop playing in cafes, hotels, etc. You know, a little Pink at the flea market can be nice. Also, they really like George Michael.

But in the lovely green of the Botanical Gardens, the Weepies are a great internal soundtrack.

This might have been my favorite destination so far. I walked in and it smelled SO GOOD. Butterflies in the greenhouse, a South African greenhouse with a walkway above all the plants, plentiful benches, some palm trees, not very many people, and a lovely cafe. At which I ate the best salad ever: greens with avocado, cucumbers, green peppers, asparagus, and green beans. YUM.

I spent a lot of time here writing postcards and thinking about all this beauty around me.

I stayed til they closed, and when I walked out, there was a wedding party having a reception at the cafe. I wondered if red was a popular color for weddings, or if the bride just told people to wear red, because the whole group of lovely tall handsome Dutch people were arrayed in tuxedos with red bow ties, or in a gray suit with a red flower in the lapel, or a black and white strapless dress with a red ribbon as a belt. And a little girl with a bright red rose in her hair. It was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn't take a picture because my camera battery was dead. But I hope you can imagine it - this lovely group in front of the cafe, drinking cocktails in front of the sun reflecting on the canal.

It was a nice way to end our week in Amsterdam.

better than trophy cupcakes or cupcake royale

is this purse, found at the Museum of Bags and Purses, in this lovely little underground house entrance. For the record, I wouldn't carry it around, but it was pretty cool. Who wouldn't want a cupcake purse with Svaroski crystals?

the Dutch masters

I didn't understand why the Dutch masters were so cool, especially after seeing Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson at the History Museum. It kind of grossed me out.

But then I went to the Rijksmuseum, and was blown away - the interplay between light and dark in Vermeer and Rembrandt was simply breathtaking. And all those other words that are super cliche, but also true.

You should check out this video from the Rijks. It's not as cool as being there, but it's still pretty awesome.

This painting is my favorite.

3 museums and a funeral

There is no funeral. Well, I'm sure there was one somewhere in the world today, but I didn't go to it. Thank God. I think after all the funerals I've been to over the past year, I'd like a break. No death. For a while. Please.

We did wake up to rain this morning, scads and scads of it. Torrential downpour-style. I-don't-want-to-get-out-of-bed-but-my-canal-trip-ticket-is-already-paid-for sort of rain.

I did get out of bed, and I did go on a canal tour which was lovely even with the rain. Then I got Mom some fabric at the Albert Cuypr market and bought myself some boots - practical souvenir, people - and then went off to 3 museums.

The Hermitage is an amazing place. For two reasons:

1) It showcases collections from the St. Petersburg Hermitage. This is a pretty cool relationship.

2) There was a lovely, lovely, lovely Matisse to Malevich exhibition and I saw Picasso, Mattise, Kadinsky's compositions - Whoa. I never liked Kandinsky's composition no 5 before, but I LOVED it in the museum. It was alive on the wall.

The Amsterdam History Museum is also amazing, mostly for the map that shows the growth of Amsterdam's population over time, since about 320 ish. I personally did not understand the fuss about Rembrandt's anatomy lesson paintings, which kind of grossed me out, especially the one with a brain opening. But I suppose I can see why they were important for the time.

And finally, the New Church. It's 600 years old. Mostly I was tired at this point and really wanted to sit down in a holy place and just think for a bit. Of course, I entered the New Church to find that there is renovation going on, and not really a space to sit. But the stained glass windows were amazing, and I sat on the stairs by the altar and thought for a while. And it was good.

the library that surpasses all other libraries

This is a quiet reading area. Note the sign.


This is the amazing reader board of information awesomeness.


You can try the CD before you check it out. Just like Barnes and Noble.


The extensive media collection.


Shelves in the kids' section.


The central library is phenomenal. The space is so purposefully designed to invite people in and still give them lots of space. Here's some pictures. Because they just should show you how cool it is.

Highlights:

• Electronic reader boards that give lots of info
• 1,400 chairs
• Tons and tons and tons of free computer access - you don't have to log in with a library card
• Art exhibits mixed in with the collection
• Lighted bookshelves make the books sparkle
• Adorable genre stickers on the books
• Children's area with books, computers, seats, desks, art by kids and adults, and a big polar bear
• Purposeful use of space!
• Reference librarians
• Every staff member wore a super cool vest that said Openbare Bibliotheek, or they wore a bright red t-shirt that said "I love reading."
  
• Space to quietly work all over - there's desks, computers at hidden desks, and big work tables, also study tables and couches. And lots of comfy, comfy seats.