Amsterdam Day 8

Last day in Amsterdam and a couple things on the to do list. Off mid morning for the Fabrique des Lumieres. I had seen this advertised on my tram/bus route to home from downtown and checked out out on line to see what it was. And it was what I thought, one of those “Immersion” experiences where you are in a huge room/think warehouse and there are 3D moving pictures that appear on all surfaces of the rooms. The most popular around the US have been Van Gogh and Picasso. I have seen several in Europe before this one. This show was Gaudi, the famous Catalan architect and Salvadoran Dali, the Catalan artist. I love Gaudi’s architecture in Barcelona and Dali is always entertaining with the weird stuff. And it was great! The venue was huge - the largest I have ever been in, lots of different rooms and structures, even images on the floor. There is so much going on, I stayed thru the Gaudi show twice to make sure I did not miss anything. If you have never been to one of these, they are fun and worth the effort to travel to.

Went back to Cafe Sonneveld for another terrific lunch. I wish that restaurant was in Bodega Bay! Smoked beef carpaccio this time. Outstanding!

A friend had recommended the Dutch Resistance Museum to me. (Thanks Roy). Spent an hour or so wandering around this small museum. All the information was done via audio stations and movies. Very interesting, I learned a lot about the Dutch issues and participation in WWII. Most interesting to me: The Netherlands was occupied early in the war, 1940. Most of the country aligned with the Allies however a good number aligned with the Nazis because they hated Stalin and wanted to help fight communism. There is still a Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam, like many other European cities.

Home to pack and get ready to fly to Geneva tomorrow for the second week of travel.Read more