It seems I’m finally on Amsterdam time. I have a wonderful seat at the window in my hotel that’s become my home spot. After a day out, i can take off my shoes and sit in the window to watch the world. Yesterday was the first day i was awake past 8:00 pm, and i have been sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I watched the early fireworks from my window spot and tried to stay awake to my 10:00 reservation at the rooftop bar to watch til midnight. I didn’t make it. I was asleep by 10:00 and awake at 6:15.
i was back at the Rijksmuseum again yesterday as i didn’t really see all that i wanted of their collection. I toured the Medieval collection, so beautifully displayed and so amazing to stand in front of paintings and objects that shaped how we depict the world.
My Apple Pay is getting a real workout. “We don’t use cash very much in the Netherlands anymore,” said the hotelier at the breakfast stand in the lobby. It seems to be true. Every Uber ride, every meal, museum tickets and cafe order is done with my phone. Very convenient. It was only at the laundry that i used Euros. Oh, and to tip the canal boat tour crew.
I walked to the laundry on Tuesday with a small load to wash and the hopes of finding a grocery store for a few snack items. It was less than a mile to walk past the park and a few empty buildings to a neighborhood. What i expected to be a laundromat, was actually a laundry full of sheets and towels run by a dark-skinned couple who graciously let me use on of their machines to wash my stuff. “You want to wash it yourself?” The woman said, a little shocked. She was equally shocked when i said i wanted to wash them in cold water. Every hotel brags that their linens are washed in hot water to prevent bed bugs. But she set it at cold and fixed me up with a dryer when the wash was done. I watched them load up an endless supply of clean sheets into the mangle and fold them into flat stacks. There was a halal grocery store on the corner and i had a falafel sandwich at the restaurant across the street. Lots of women in headscarves and huge black coats were on foot in the area. There is a huge Turkish population here and lots of other middle eastern people. All my Uber drivers have been dark and bearded with middle eastern names.
i am off on a tour to Delft, Rotterdam, and The Hague today. By signing up for a tour i might have missed the gallery at The Hague with the ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring”. I have another chance to see Amsterdam on the way home, a part of the trip i haven’t planned yet. So i might have another chance. The tour is close to what i would pay to book a train and go to all those places myself, and having a guide seemed a better chance to see everything i want to have seen when i leave on Friday for Paris. Having all the arrangements made and just climbing onto the bus for the day sounds lovely.
European Winter 