And here's the coffee, so you can see why I might be feeling like I'm not getting my daily dose:
BTW, here's the coffee mini-chain that we found that solved my "problem." Unfortunately we ran across one at like 6:00 last night and just couldn't resist a stop, meaning we were both up later than we anticipated. But it was worth it! Large Americano with an extra espresso shot, mmm...."Four shots of espresso," said the counter man?
The Rijkmuseum was amazing...Vermeer's The Kitchen Maid was the highlight for me there, but there were many, many amazing Rembrandts and other paintings, sculptures, furniture and other things from the 17th century. Really wonderful. Outside was a little sculpture garden that was just delicious on the warm sunny day.
Too bad none of the little placards included an English option.
Afterward we stopped at Bulldog, our fave coffeeshop, for a little "breather." Many coffeeshops here serve fresh squeezed orange juice, and they squeeze it to order. As good as that was, we decided a little Haagen Daz was in order. I had Marsala ice cream with figs and fig swirl.
Of course people watching has been our favorite sport, and Amsterdam has not disappointed. Some of the most interesting, beautiful people, from all over the world. The Dutch in particular are tall, hearty stock, very good looking. There are very few cars here, which I LOVE...everyone bicycles everywhere. And bikes rule the road, pedestrians have to be very aware, as bikes will ring their little bell to warn you they're coming, but they really don't slow down at all and I've seen (and thankfully not been involved in) a number of near-misses. Anyway, all the biking and walking work to keep folks in shape, it would seem.
One other thing I love here is that when you order a beer or "bier," which just about everyone seems to drink all the time, that's all you order when you go up to the bar. There may be a couple other options, but really, everyone just says "one bier" or "two bier." None of that what kind do you want, can you list all of the options, etc.? Something comforts me there. Also I have to say many folks in bars/cafes have started talking to me in Dutch, not assuming I'm an American. I win!
After the Rijksmuseum we stopped back at ye olde hotel and had, well, "two bier," and sat at the bar and wrote out postcards. We only sent out a few, as hand cramps ensued.
So the Anne Frank House...Wow, overwhelming, to be sure. Totally got me at the end, seeing the actual original diary, the bookcase, the stifling heat of the house that they were hiding in. And what insight into humanity (and inhumanity) she had. Incredibly moving.
Our last stop was dinner, and I was determined to have Indonesian food, as I had read that was the best ethnic food here. It was AWESOME! We ordered ristafel, which is a HUGE assortment of just a bunch of meats, vegetables, soup, rice, noodles, etc. Totally great. At first we didn't know if we'd make it through everything, but we were all right. Of course I had really hoped to have a fresh herring sandwich, but we've yet to find an open stand on our visit.
OK, time to rally for the day. We're off to Central Station to see a man about a day trip or something. :)
