Amsterdam Day 4

A rainy, gray, chilly day in Amsterdam. And my mood for the day reflected the weather. 😟. Slept OK, still dealing with jet lag, lots of middle of the night tossing and turning. Had not done any planning for today, except for “a museum”. Amsterdam is replete with museums. The most well-known are the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseums. However access to either of those is non-existent. Early Spring is a popular time to visit Amsterdam due to the world famous tulips and a general increase in European tourism after COVID. I had a hard time getting a place to stay here and should have paid more attention to that. The 2 popular museums ONLY take on-line reservations and are sold out for most of the next 2 weeks. 😫. There are NO reservations for the entire week I am here. OK on the Van Gogh as I saw that last time I was here. However, there is a very special Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum that I really wanted to see. No way is that going to happen, it sold out in 2 days after the announcement about 6 months ago! (For any of you out there that may be traveling to Europe this Spring or summer and there is something you really want to see, make your reservations ahead of time!).

So time for Plan B. Decided in the Stedelijk - the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum. Since it was a dreary day but not raining, I decided to walk the 2+ miles to check out the scenery between here and “downtown” Amsterdam. Pictures from today are mostly from that walk. Tried to show the architecture and environment- canals, public transportation and, old course, the bicycles. 😂. A good walk but started to rain about 15 minutes shy of the museum.

Museum was interesting. None of the real crazy contemporary art like we have in SF anf the Tate in London. But classic artists - Picasso, Mondrian, and Andy Warhol were all exhibited. A great lunch there as well.

Tired so wended my way back home for a nap and some downtime. Out for a neighborhood walk and stop at the local grocery store before a late dinner. Still overcast tonight but tomorrow looking good. Sunset at 9:01P tonight. We forget how far North this is. Love the long days.

On the pics: Charging stations along the streets all over, this in my neighborhood. Cover pic today is the entrance to my apartment - after you climb 60 steps. 😅. The last picture, though not a good representation, was a large exhibit in the museum, done by an African artist with folded bottle caps !!1Read more