Amsterdam

I think I'm warming to it......the heady fragrance of a long forgotten smell is everywhere. Today we went to the Museum quarter, a place a about a 20 minute walk from our hotel where most of the major museums are located. We had pre-booked tickets to the Rijks Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. It is very crowded here, we think the European summer holidays must have started as there're lots of kids everywhere. The queues to get in to these places are miles long so it's a good thing we prepurchased. The Rijks Museum is housed in a very beautiful building built in the 1800's and funded by wealthy Dutch for the specific purpose of a Museum. The museum is pretty much a comprehensive mix of Dutch art and history. It is was quite interesting, my favourite a display and story about Dutch sailors in the 1500's who went via the Arctic circle to find an alternative route to China. The got stuck in the ice for 9 months and surprisingly most of them survived in a "safe house" they built. Imagine, no down jackets, no decent shoes.....needless to say it wasn't a good short cut to China. The Van Gogh museum was 3 floors of the history and art of this prolific painter. It was excellent. A walk back to the hotel for coffee, cake and Roger's daily fix of the Le Tour on the telly.Read more