December 24, 2007

Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:29:26 -0800 (PST)
Subject: It certainly ain't no Paris!

(Warning: Dont drink anything while you're reading the second half of this email)

Hallo,

Yesterday was a leisurely travel day combined with a leisurely stroll through
the back-alleyways of the city. Today was a day of museums, and a few other
leisurely strolls through some nice and not-so-nice neighborhoods.

I had a big breakfast at the hotel -- not knowing how many restaurants would be
open on Christmas eve. (As it turned out, all of them). While eating I was
thumbing through my tourbook and the "I Amsterdam" card's tourbook, being
completely overwhelmed by both, and not deciding what to do. I left the motel
and started walking, saw a tram and hopped on it, and decided to get off at
Westermarkt and Westerkerk. Umm, let me rephrase -- I got off at the stop AFTER
Westermarkt, then walked back to it.

I circled the church (Westerkerk) but couldn't find the entrance anywhere, or
it may have been closed to tourists. I still don't know. So I went to the
nearby Anne Frankhuis (IAmsterdam card not accepted here -- but accepted
everywhere else today).

There are no photographs allowed inside, and probably for the better. There's
not much to photograph. I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be
-- maybe my expectations were too high, but after going to Auschwitz last June
this was low on the emotional scale.. It is very informative -- all the signs
have English translations. And I took the time to read every one. More than
anything really I was just glad to be indoors and away from the much colder
outside!

Of course at the end of the museum there's a bookstore which sells her diary in
any language you want. I didn't buy it.

Again after that I started to roam -- up and down the "Grachtengordel" (the
collective term for the three major canals of the city) -- and ended up at
Neuwe Kerk (new church).

Not much -- I've seen far better -- but impressive from the outside. Inside was
a temporary museum exhibit of Afghanistan's archaeological treasures, including
some very early statues of the Buddha, which were kind of interesting to see.
The information signs pointed to the similarities between these and ancient
Greek statues -- I really couldn't make that out. But it did make me think
about going back to Greece again! :P There was also a circular wall which
showed the how the histories of Greece, Persia, Afghanistan, and India were
related over the last 3000 years. All of it very interesting to me.. but the
church itself wasn't so.

It was getting cold and I needed more layers of clothing, so I made my way back
to the motel, stopping by for a "sausage strudel" for lunch along the way.
Aside from the brekkie this morning, every meal so far has been the
stand-up-and-eat-or-take-it-to-go type. "Brekkie", by the by, for you
non-aussies or non-aussie-familiars, is breakfast. There are a lot of Aussies
staying at this hotel. Makes me want to go to New Zealand too!!!

Anyway, I put my thicker jacket on top and headed back out again -- this time
up Centrum to the Oude Kerk -- "old church" -- which is listed as one of the
"Top 10" attractions in my tourbook. (It's #7, fyi).

All I can say is, numbers 1-6 better be better than this!!! Ok, that's a little
unfair, since again the OUTSIDE of this cathedral was really -- REALLY --
beautiful. The inside -- hmmmm its an old church, dating back from the 1300's.
And it's ... "simple". :-) The stained glass windows were nice, but not much
else.

Just North of the Oude Kerk is Museum Amstelkring -- #4 in my "Top 10" book. If
this is #4 and Oude Kerk was #7, (and Anne Frankhuis was #9), I'm really
expecting a whole lot more from #2 and 3 -- the Rijkmuseum and Van Gogh museum.
Amstelkring is in a 17th-century house, a very small house, and the unique
feature of this is the very secret Catholic church tucked away on the top
floor, while the rest of the house looks like a regular living space! Frankly I
wasn't impressed with any of it, and to me its only redeeming feature was its
external architecture -- just like every other canal house in the city. All the
canal houses are "uniquely Amsterdam" -- I can't compare them to anywhere else
in Europe.

Well, by this time it was starting to get dark, and I decided to walk back to
my hotel (it's about 1 km straight-line distance). I had read about this area
in my tourbooks this morning, but somehow I had completely forgotten where I
actually was! As I walking down, I realized it -- the neon red lights over all
the windows, some with curtains drawn, others with curtains open... the dvd
shops advertising "Private viewing rooms", "hourly rates"... Then it hit me....

"ohhhhh THAT'S where I am!"

I guess the cold weather was getting to my brain, it took me so long to realize
it! I quickly put my camera back in my backpack, and kept walking down.. went
to a coffee shop for a hot cappuccino, put in 2 packets of sugar (or maybe 3)
and "happily" enjoyed it.

On the final walk back to my motel, I noticed the night lights -- not exactly
the way Paris and Rome's are, but this looked pretty because of the reflections
in the canals.. Still.... it ain't no Paris!

Wondering where to go for dinner now. There is a somewhat elegant restaurant
near the tram stop here, (in Rembrandtplein), so I'm thinking that. I want to
sit down and have a large dinner, including a big "main course" -- no telling
what'll be open tomorrow. Plus, there's also a pastry shop right next to it :)

One more thing, if someone can help me with this: I noticed a postcard with 3
windmills next to a river, and on the back side it said "The windmills at
Kinderdijk". This place is near Rotterdam, but not within walking distance of
the train station. So I'm planning on taking a taxi from there. The only
problem is I dont know how to pronounce "Kinderdijk". I have a couple of ideas,
but... well, if I get it wrong that would be quite embarrassing (TO SAY THE
LEAST!!) So... PLEASE if someone can send me the phonetic spelling I'd
appreciate it! :-)

Dank u very much,
-Ik.

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