I expected that the jetlag would accrue and today I am tired. I did what you are not supposed to do, I went and slept at about 3PM and now it is 11PM. I have walked miles every day and have been up from early morning to past midnight every day so a half-day of rest I think is alright and it is a vacation.
I finished today by having a large beer, too large, at The Bottle which is a tiny bar with the smoking of whatever next to the packed Cafe 420. Corwin had some intoxicants to smoke and we thought it nice to play another game of chess at Cafe 420 there while Corwin finishes up his purchased products–but the crowds are returning to Amsterdam for the New Years–which I guess is a smoking paradise–and we could not get in. I also did not wish to breathe that much smoke. I had hoped that it would be a little less busy on Boxing Day. So Corwin enjoyed his smoking (stepping slightly away from me) and me a plate of cheese and salami to go with the beer. After that, I walked with Corwin back to the hotel, a bit unsteadily from exhaustion, beer, contact effects of various smoked products, and so on.
This morning we slept in for the first time to 7AM. I did the normal things and got to the Europe style hotel breakfast. We have found the Inntel Hotel to work out perfect for what we need to do which is to get a taxi and to be in the middle of some food place and in the center of the more tame part of the Red-light district. The rough trade is three canals east and North of here. The rough stuff can hear the bells of the Old Church which is oddly the center of the rough stuff. Just head towards the church to find the girls and guys performing in the windows.
Today after breakfast we headed to Rembrandt House and there we had our first issue on the trip for Susie. The house is left almost unchanged and so Susie cannot climb the narrow with a rope to hold to steps. So I make a quick dash through the house, we already had purchased tickets, and find that top is reachable by elevator and take Susie up to see the roof work area for Rembrandt’s students and a little exhibit on restoring and understand the science of Rembrandt work and how they authenticate painting and engraving.
While doing my quick tour, I did speak to the staff in Rembrandt’s working room. There are lots of do-no-touch items in the room so it requires staff. The room is lighted by LED white lights. I told the staff I was thinking that was a shame as I would have liked to see it with the light of Rembrandt’s time. It was explained to me that the windows in the room all face North and the light is very bright later in the day. They also had the shutters closed on some of the windows. The room is bright they told me and the LED lights are not noticed when the sun is bright and the windows not shuttered. On the book I bought at the shop, not picking the English version by accident, the photo of the same room appears to have the LED turned off. I think I would like to have seen the room without the LED and the shutters open. Rembrandt’s paintings are so much about light.
I still enjoyed seeing the house and Susie got to see a bit of the house.
The shop sold me a few items I wanted. They gave us directions to a taxi stand and a place to eat lunch, which was closed for Boxing Day when we got there, and we also found out that the flea market was closed too. So we found a place for food which is best forgotten and then traveled back.
That is about all we managed today. Corwin and I did walk to the train station and look at the trains to the airport running on Saturday. It looks like we can get one every 1/2 hour. We need to catch the 5:30AM on Saturday with 6AM being our back-up plan.
Time to start thinking about coming home!
Michael R Wild
Inntel Hotel, Room 2266, Amsterdam.
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 