Adventure Time

It’s been a long day. What day is this?

It started on Monday morning when I was trying to finish my packing. I kept remembering last minute things I needed but Rory kitty decided to help by lying down on my suitcase. Thanks Rory kitty. He stayed on even when I lifted the lid with him on it to put more in my bag.

I was bombarded with “Before you go could you do this one thing for me?” requests so I worked literally up to the minute I had to go (okay, maybe a few minutes longer.)

At the end of last week I got some last minute requests to order things on Amazon and bring them with me. I order 2 day delivery and everything arrived minutes before I had to go (whew!)

We forgot to quadruple the time it takes to get to the airport due to rush hour so we crawled all of the way there. We were still on time, only because we had planned to be really early. 

I stood on a long line and when I got to the front the woman makes an announcement, “Only wait in this line if you already have a printed boarding pass!” NOW she tells me. I had to print the boarding pass and got back to the end of the line. At least that gave me the chance to move a few last minute items from the checked bag to the carry-on bag.

We had some time to hang out before getting into the security line so we sat on the side and talked about the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. I couldn’t help thinking that maybe it’s not Angola that I should be afraid of. I’m sure from a foreign perception America looks vulnerable to attacks right now and it makes me uncomfortable.

We struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who was sitting next to us. He was going to Greece via Amsterdam and lo and behold he’s on the same flight as I. The boarding is delayed and I finally take a seat at the time we were to take off and here’s a neat coincidence – the same fellow is in the same row as I! I found out he is not going to Greece for pleasure. He is going to attend the funeral of a family member. We didn’t end up talking much after that but something wonderful did happen. The seat next to me wasn’t occupied. It was so much more comfortable! Not comfortable enough to sleep, mind you, but at least physically more comfortable.

I watched Avengers and Cloud Atlas and knitted the whole flight and we were landing before I knew it. I was looking forward to my adventure day in Amsterdam.

The train to Central Station is either platform 1 or 2.

Immigration and Customs couldn’t have been easier. No lines, quick questions, stamp gone. No questions at Customs. Then things got tougher. I tried to buy a train ticket to get to the Central Station in downtown Amsterdam and I couldn’t get the machine to accept my credit card. I couldn’t find anyone to help me. After searching a really long time I found a train information desk with a long line. I told them I was having problems using my credit card and the guy just shrugged his shoulders and suggested that I buy the tickets at the desk. I wait in another long line and the woman at the desk tells me I can’t use that credit card. Yes it’s a Visa, but it has to have a spot with a gold chip in it or they won’t accept it, sigh. I can use the ATM machine to take out cash. I’m getting really tired and frustrated by this point and I’m starting to rethink this idea. I look all over and find an ATM.  I take out $20 and go back to the ticket purchase machine – of course not. They will take coins, not bills. Oy, back in the ticket purchase line. I finally get my ticket and head down to the platform. It’s interesting that the instructions are that the train will be on platform 1 or 2. Apparently that’s decided at the last minute. 

The trains are quite nice but not well designed for people with disabilities. There are a lot of steps and they have these funny doors that you have to go through which  divide the train up a little bit like compartments. I guess it reduces the noise, but they’re decidedly not accessible features.

Jeanetta with the glass door behind her.

A young woman got on shortly after me and she noticed the brochure I was holding for the touring company and she was going on the same tour. She is on her way home from one month in Tanzania. So Jeannetta and I became touring buddies together for a little while. We found the dock of the “Museum Line” boat that would take us down the numerous channels. Jeannetta only has time for one museum before her flight so we agree to start with the Van Gogh museum. (It's odd that everyone here pronounces his name the same way that Talia does.) That was when we discovered that the boat takes a very leisurely ride to the museums.

An enormous bike rental facility?

I did enjoy the trip. Wow, Amsterdam is so full of bikes! They’re everywhere. They don’t just have bike lanes – they have bike ROADS. The boat ride had pre-recorded announcements in several different languages and it was easy to hear. Jeannetta’s free time is dwindling fast. By the time we walked from the dock to the entrance of the museum it began to pour. The people who were directing visitor traffic were loaning out umbrellas to the waiters so that they wouldn’t get too wet. It didn’t take too long before we got in. Since Jeannetta had to rush and I didn’t we said good bye and I donned a pair of headphones for the multi-media tour.

I loved the museum but I really started to drag about half way through. By the fourth floor I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. The first floor (floor 0) dealt mostly with his education. It showed the works he did during the two brief years that he struggled with art school. The multimedia device had many cool things to keep you involved including receiving "mail" that included actual letters from Van Gogh to his brother and to friends. It was a device similar to an iPhone where you could swipe to go from one painting to another and click on extra links that would come up occasionally for other features such as videos on how certain techniques were accomplished, a lesson on complimentary colors and details on how they were used, and a cool part where you could drag your finger across a picture and virtually restore the colors as you drag.

The second floor (floor 1) shows the works of Van Gogh grouped chronologically so that you could sense the change over time. The third floor gives information about the restoration of paintings and how things have changed with time. The forth floor shows paintings of Van Gogh's contemporaries and friends, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Émile Bernard and how they influenced him. I was also surprised to see that he loved and copied Japanese work.  I also listened to descriptions of  his deteriorating mental health, his involuntary and voluntary tours of duty in an institution and his eviction from his Yellow house.

Van Gogh rented this yellow house with
green shutters to create an Artist's Cohousing

I had really wanted to go to the Rijksmuseum  to see the Dutch masters that I’ve always admired – Rembrandt and Vermeer, but I just knew I would be too tired to enjoy it. So I got back on the boat and then the train to the airport. Their trains have wireless connections so I was able to have a quick chat with Mom and Eric.

I made it back to the airport and did a lot more walking before I found everything I needed including lunch at 4:30 PM. Now I have to brace myself for the next leg.

Here is the link to the complete set of photos from today.