Guten Tag from Cologne

First off, I apoligiye in advance for the tzpos - these German keyboards drive me crazy! This will be short, consewquentlz.

The trip here was longer than expected as the signals on the German train szstem were out, and we had to get off our Amsterdam to Cologne train at the first stop in Germanz and take a local train that made Amtrak look luxurious. Verz unßGerman!!!

But we made it. Our hotel is verz modern ß it took us a while to figure out how to use basic stuff like close the bathroom door so we didnät have to watch each other use the toilet!!! Iäm sure a 3 zear old could have figured it our immediatelz, but )and Iäm not kidding= there are at least a doyen wall switches in the room controlling everzthing. But, it is all verz sleek and beautiful.

last night we went to the famous Cathedral, which was amaying, and todaz weäll have a tour. We also walked through 2 Christmas markets, which were verz interesting. Doyens )probablz 100äs= of stall selling everzthing from spiked punch, to nuts, pastries, and all kinds of foods, to all kinds of hand made crafts like tree ornaments, and other small things. There was also a ``Medieval`` market, where, to tell zou the trush, other than the vendors dressing in Halloweed-like medieval costumes, we couldnt tell the difference between that and the regular market.

The markets are verz crowded, and it is all verz festive. Weäll check out some others todaz, and mazbe go to a museum as well.

Christmas is such a big deal here ß the old citz is crowded and Iäm guessing tourists form all over Germanz come in for the markets and the old time feel of things, plus the amaying Cathedral.

OK, Iäve made everzone suffer enough with mz dreadful use of this kezboard.

More later.......

Last Day in AMS - Sniff!!!

Well, today is our last day in Amsterdam. It's been wonderful.

Yesterday we took the train to The Haag and went to the Mauritshuis Museum, where the famous Vermeer painting "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" is hanging. They also have another Vermeer ("View of Delft") and a dozen or so Rembrandts. It was an amazing place. The Vermeers just glow with the light he has painted. They are simply indescribable.

We had Mitch's birthday dinner at a "New Dutch Cuisine" restaurant - a 6 course feast with 4 glasses of wine in a restaurant that was built in 1625. The walls were hanging with Rembrandt etchings (supposedly). Wow! All I can say is that the "New Dutch Cuisine" is light years ahead of the "Old Dutch Cuisine" which seemed to consist of boiled meat and potatoes in a crock pot!

And nothing is all that expensive. I think we've been conditioned by the prices in Paris and Italy to pay through the nose for everything, so even if things are relatively expensive for here, we still think it's cheap. And I LOVE the "No Tipping" policy. If you think the service is exceptional you can leave a few Euros, but otherwise no one expects a tip. And there are no tip jars conspiculously (or otherwise) at the cash registers at the coffee shops. Wonderful!

Today I already went to talk to my stamp dealer who is gathering up some stuff for me that I'll pick up later. We are going to go to the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue, and then Mitch and I will go our separate ways - he to shop, and me back to the stamp shop.

This afternoon we'll have to pack - sad.

Oh well, time to run.........

Off to "Den Haag" ("The Hague"

Well, today is a rainy day - the first we've had - so it's a perfect day to take a train to The Hague (or "Den Haag" as they call it - I love that name in Dutch!) and go to a museum. The museum there has 3 Vermeers (there are only 35 in the whole world), including the famous "Girl with the Pearl Earring."

Yesterday we went to the Rijksmuseum and saw their amazing collection: Rembrandts (and other masterpieces) everywhere you turn around, including his famous "Nightwatch." They ahd have 4 Vermeers there, but one is loaned out to Tokyo, and one is on loan to the Van Gogh Museum(?).

We went to the van Gogh Museum. It is also amazing - they have 200 of his paintings, so you can see at one place the development of his art. It's very interesting that his earlier works do not look at all like the van Gogh's we are all familiar with. There are a lot of landscapes and portraits, all pretty dull and boring. And then "Boom!" he discovers color and lines, and begins to paint all the wonderful paintings we know. He died at 37 - shot himself - thinking he was a total failure. Incredible. There was also that Vermeer in the basement as part of a collection of 125 years of Dutch art that has been bought by the people of Holland.

Then in the afternoon I had my "float" in a sensory deprivation tank. For a hour you float in this tank filled with very salty water that has a lot of oils and minerals in it al well. You can't sink. It took some getting used to, but when I finally did, it was very relaxing. I didn't fall asleep, just sort of drifted off into a semi-dreamlike state. It was wonderful.

Then I had a 60 minute massage, which was also wonderful. If I could only hang on to how I felt after those 2 hours! Unfortunately, 2 hours later, my back was hurting again.

We had dinner at a very trandy restaurant called Envy - multiple courses of "small plates" - the latest thing. Wonderful food and service. We also sat next to an Israeli couple who had brought their dog (a toy poodle) to the restaurant, so we had a lot of fun with him - and them. They were very interesting people to talk to, and the dog ("Zuta") was better behaved than most children.

Well, time to head off to Den Haag.

Float Day!!!

No, it's not a parade, but my "spa afternoon": a 60 minute "float" in a sensory deprivation tank followed by a 30 minute "rest" (I'm sure I'll be exhausted), and then a 60 minute massage. All very Dutch, I guess, and all for 75 Euro! Mitch will get his revenge by spending the afternoon shopping - after all he really needs some more shirts and shoes!

Yesterday we took the train to Rotterdam. It was about an hour ride, and then a 15 minute walk through the city to get to the museum. The city is totally modern, having being destroyed in the war and completely rebuilt. You could be anywhere in the world, really, and it is the shopping capital of the region, so on a Sunday before Christman, it was packed. The museum was very good and definitely worth the trip. (Note to Zach: the painting that is the star of the book "The Forger's Spell" that I sent you is hanging in that museum. I didn't know that and I was so excited when I saw it, and believe me, it IS a very bad painting!).

They have the coolest "cloakroom" at the museum: There is a large circular "machine" that has long chords hanging from the ceiling going through slots on the machine. On the ceiling are hangers. You select a chord, unlock with with a key, and pull the chord (like you would pull the chord to ring a huge church bell), and the hangers lower down. You put your coats on the langers and then let go of the chord and they "float" high up. Then you lock the chord in place and keep the key in your pocket. All the coats (and there are hundreds) stay high up out of everyone's way and they don't have to have an "attandent." It was really ingenious.

Then we took the train home and the tram back to our hotel; we are really learning our way around here on the trams. They are very easy to navigate. We ordered a pot of coffee and a pot of tea in our room, and just relaxed for a couple of hours. Mitch went for a pre-dinner walk, I FINISHED THE SUNDAY NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE (!!!!!), and then at 8 we went to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner.

It was fabulous - a traditional Indonesian "Rijstaffel" (rice table) where they present you with about 15 or 20 small dishes of the most wonderful, flavorful food, all for a very reasonalbe price. We ate like kings, had a nice bottle of wine, a glass of beer, a bottle of water, shared a dessert, and had 2 cups of coffee, and it was 115 euro! No tip or tax! Amazing.

The we walked around a bit. The city at night is so beautiful, with all the lights reflecting in the canals.

Today we are going to the Rijksmuseum, where all the famous Dutch paintings are hanging. That will be wonderful. We were there a few years ago and the place is STILL under construction, so all the great paintings have been moved all together into a few rooms. You can see the entire collection in an hour! Very convenient.

Then I'll begin my "spa afternoon." We are going to another Indonesian restaurant tonight, which is supposed to be the best one in Amsterdam, but I don't know how it can be any better than last night!

That's all for now!

Another Day in Amsterdam....

Well, once again The Weather Channel is wrong, much to our happiness. The weather, predicted to be cold and rainy, has turned out to be just cool and pretty dry, and just partly cloudy. It is really the perfect weather - no heat and no tourists!

Yesterday we went where no tourists go - to the CoBrA Museum of modern art, about a 45 minute tram ride out to the AMS suburbs. It was a very interesting museum in a beautiful setting along a creek with duck and geese floating by, lined with trees with their leaves falling into the still water, the sun and clouds reflecting on the water, etc. Wow!

Then I did what I like doing best on vacations - took a nap! The room was dark and warm, and I snuggled in under the blankets and slept for 2 hours while Mitch did what he likes doing best on vacations - shopping! He found "incredible bargains" (or so he says) at Bally's and Filippa K. To each his own, I guess.

In the evening we went to hear the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the best in the world. It was an amazing concert. The acoustics in the hall are perfect and so are the players. They did Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto, and Dvorak's 9th Symphony. They also have a coffee bar with free coffee and cookies! In true Dutch fashion, even though the plates of cookies are free, everyone just takes one cookie! It was a memorable experience - and not just for the free cookies!

We had dinner at a nice restaurant right next door to the concert hall, which was very good as well.

Afterwards we took the tram back to our hotel area and then walked around and went into a bar for a drink. The prices are so reasonable here : a glass of wine and a sambuca were 7.5 euro - half what they would be in Paris!

Anyway, time to go off to the train station to catch the train to Rotterdam.

More later.....................

Hello from Amsterdam

Our trip is going great.

The flight over here arrived about 30 minutes early, and we were at our hotel around 1030. Unfortunately our room wouldn't be ready until 2, so we had breakfast and then walked to the Amsterdam branch of the Hermitage (St. Petersburg) Museum. They had a very interesting exhibit there about some German landscape artist from the 1800's who I never heard of and whose name I can't remember, except that his first name was Caspar, and every time they mentioned his name on the audiotour tape, all I could think of was "Casper the Friendly Ghost." Nonetheless, his works were beautiful, and it was the perfect sized exhibit - we were through the whole thing in less than an hour.

Then we walked back to out hotel and our room was ready. It is beautiful, with a sitting area, and a very large bathroom with a shower (with a huge shower head), and a huge baththub. Perfect for Mitch (a bath person) and me (a shower person). The room has floor to ceiling windows overlooking a canal, beautiful furniture, high ceilings, and is just DELIGHTFUL!

We took delicious naps, and unpacked, and then went for dinner at a local restaurant (where there were very few tourists) which was delicious (and not just because there were no Americans there!. It's so nice that everyone speaks perfect English - better, in fact, than most Americans, because the emunciation is so precise.

Then we went for a walk which was lovely. The weather is cool (they are all complaining how cold it is, but for us it's like early Spring), and calm. During the day it was partly sunny; today it is sunny.

The city is so beautiful at night, with all the lights reflecting in the canals, and all the arches of the many bridges crossing the canals have little lights around them. It is very quiet, and the architecture is just incredible. All the "canal houses" are tall and narrow, with floor to ceiling windows, and very intricate gables (all different) on top. Lots of people keep their shades open and you can look in. It's all very peaceful and organized....and very Dutch.

Anyway, today we're going to the CoBrA Museum (contemporary art), and then tonight we have tickets for the Royal Concertgeboew Orchestra, which Grammaphone Magazine just ranked the best orchestra in the world! I'm really looking forwad to that.

Tomorrow we're going to Rotterdam.

Breakfast at the hotel is served in a beautiful room on the canal, with a wonderful selection of meats, cheeses, granolas, yogurt, smoked salmon and smoked trout (to die for), croissants that crumble into a million pieces when you bite into them, etc. Yum!

More later.............

Test of Blogging

.....from email.

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--- Andy

We're Back on the Road!!!

Effective Thursday Dec. 4., 2008, this blog will be reactivated with the latest travels of Andy, this time to Amsterdam and Cologne. Thanks for reading!!